The rot of bad faith and sheer malevolence at the core of Trump’s claim that Obamacare is already “gone” need to be fully appreciated. Trump is not only rolling back the last administration’s efforts to reach the uninsured; he is also telling the American people that a government program that is up and running and designed to help people get health coverage they can’t afford no longer exists. This, even as he and Republicans have already confirmed that they are incapable of producing a replacement, despite his promises otherwise.
 
 

Trump’s incompetence is a key reason why he and Republicans failed to pass an affirmative plan of their own for the many millions of people currently benefiting from the ACA. But that incompetence isn’t preventing his malevolence from destroying what is already there for them.