‘Patent BS!’: David Axelrod Roasts Trump’s Attempts to Blame Shutdown on Dems and Illegal Immigrants

Political Strategist David Axelrod speaks to reporters as he arrives for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award ceremony, Sunday, May 22, 2022, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

CNN’s David Axelrod slammed President Donald Trump over X on Friday, after Trump once again claimed Democrats were causing the government shutdown by pushing to give health care to undocumented immigrants, calling the president’s comments “patent BS.”

During a particularly unhinged Friday rant to reporters at the White House, Trump called Democrats “mentally damaged”, claiming “they want to take $1.5 trillion — with a T — and give it to people that invaded our country….  They want to give them healthcare and take it away from our citizens.”

Trump made the claim again several hours later in remarks to reporters in Florida.

“This is patent BS, and he knows it,” wrote Axelrod. “Immigrants here illegally are barred from the ACA. The people who are about to be punished by higher premiums if Congress doesn’t act are working Americans.”

Notably, as Axelrod mentions, under federal law, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Affordable Care Act Marketplace subsidies or for Medicaid. The real stakes lie in preserving and extending the ACA premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions that many Americans rely on, which are set to expire unless Congress acts. Without them, millions of legal U.S. residents could face sharply higher monthly premiums or lose coverage entirely.

According to a recent KFF poll, 56% of MAGA Republicans back extending the enhanced ACA premium tax credits — exactly what Trump claims he is fighting against in the name of stopping coverage for undocumented immigrants.