Boehner: Repeal, Replace Obamacare Won't Happen; Caitlyn Jenner Rips Trump over Transgender Bathrooms
KEILAR: It's been a mantra for President Trump and many Republicans since day one or even before day one, repeal and replace Obamacare. The president repeated it just a short time ago at CPAC. But a former GOP leader, who you will recognize, says that's not exactly what's going to happen.</s>JOHN BOEHNER, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I shouldn't have called it repeal and replace, because that's not what's going to happen. They're basically going to fix the flaws and put a more conservative box around it.</s>KEILAR: And according to Boehner, he says repair and rebrand might be a more appropriate mantra. His comments coming as his old colleagues have yet to settle on a replacement plan and as they're getting a lot of flack from angry constituents at town hall meetings. I want to bring in CNN senior congressional reporter, Manu Raju. Manu, how are Republicans responding to this from Boehner?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: They're pushing back, Brianna. They feel they have to fulfill this central campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. When you talk to Republicans privately, they do believe what Boehner is saying is probably more like what is going to happen. If they're even successful at repealing parts of Obamacare, they can only do it on a piecemeal basis and replace the law on a piecemeal basis. It's not going to happen in one fell swoop. It may be just an effort to fix elements of the law that are not working. Still, the Republican leaders are pushing back, including Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who was asked about this yesterday.</s>RAJU: Senator, former Speaker John Boehner predicted that Obamacare repeal and replacement isn't going to happen. Is he wrong?</s>SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Predicted what?</s>RAJU: Speaker Boehner this morning predicted that repeal and replacement isn't going to happen.</s>MCCONNELL: I sure hope he's wrong. We need to do that. It's a commitment we made to the American people and we need to keep it.</s>RAJU: Now, expect march to be a critical time for the Republicans in Congress to start that process of repealing Obamacare, replacing Obamacare. But the question, Brianna, is whether or not any of the lawmakers who have been getting an earful back home from their constituents, whether they change their minds at all. Because there is a very small margin for error in the House and the Senate, if there are defections of more than two in the Senate. A lot of efforts in the coming months will be a critical period as well.</s>KEILAR: It sure will be. Manu Raju, thank you for that. Joining me, CNN senior political contributor, Michael Mutter, the former Democratic mayor of Philadelphia; and Beverly Hallberg, a conservative strategist attending CPAC, from where she joins us. Beverly, you heard John Boehner say that, basically, it's not going to happen, and you just heard Donald Trump. He was talking about we're going to make it better. How is that any different than the repair and rebrand that Boehner is talking about?</s>BEVERLY HALLBERG, CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIST: Well, I do think it takes time. You talked about march being a pivotal month. It no doubt will be. But if you talk to anyone here at CPAC, I think they would agree with me, there is a reason that John Boehner is no longer speaker of the House, and that is because he didn't want to lead the Republican Party. People spoke across this country and said we want Obamacare to be repealed. This is one of the reasons why Donald Trump won the presidency. It may take some time. But when you control three branches of government and can't push forward with repealing Obamacare, you aren't doing your job.</s>KEILAR: What does he do, Trump, when he's also facing the fact that now this new survey from Pew shows a record number of Americans approve of Obamacare?</s>HALLBERG: There are people -- yeah, that's OK. When you see there are people out there who are concerned, I understand. That's because in many ways there is a narrative out there that people are somehow going to lose health insurance. And that's not the case. That's because of a really important part of this which House Republicans are talking about quite a bit, is making sure there is replacement there. But we can't deny the fact that Obamacare in many ways has been a cancer. When you're taking a look at small business owners, I am one myself, my premiums have tripled since Obamacare has been enacted. You saw American families, small businesses purchase their own insurance Yes, there are going to be people concerned, but there are also many voices across this country that spoke in November who said we need to repeal this health care system.</s>KEILAR: Mayor, when you are looking at this -- you are hearing John Boehner say that, and there are a lot of people -- he is a Republican saying that. You have a lot of people who are just observing how difficult this is. They're watching the town halls. From your perspective, how do you see this, and, I mean, Donald Trump could just repair and rebrand it and it could go very well for him.</s>MICAHEL NUTTER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Republicans are getting their butts kicked at their own town hall meetings. What we are talking about now is retreat and rethink. They've been talking about this for about seven years now and haven't been able to come up with anything that makes any sense. The one thing I will agree with Beverly on, they are now in charge of the White House, the House, and the Senate and still can't reach agreement, which is what Speaker Boehner was talking about when he made those statements. People are worried about not having health care because half of them talk about repair -- repeal and replace, and the other half talk about repeal it completely. I think I heard Mr. Trump just say he will let it crash and burn. You know, easy for you to say. You actually have health care. Those BHO are seeking treatment, preexisting conditions, kids up to 26 years old, someone in the middle of cancer treatment, it's not a laughing matter for them. Any big law, there are always going to be some parts that maybe need repair. You find out what to do. They're getting an earful back home, and they're running scared.</s>KEILAR: Listen to this. Obamacare is a big topic in these town halls, but so has President Trump's tax returns occasionally been. And this is a Congressman in Florida confronted on this issue.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: Let me say right here, right now, absolutely, Donald Trump should release his tax returns.</s>KEILAR: Mayor, that's not clearly what this crowd was expecting. I mean, does that kind of make the point that some of this is not -- it really is about protesting and not always about discourse.</s>NUTTER: I haven't seen a pivot like that since Alan Iverson (ph) was playing basketball for the 76ers. He was getting hammered, and suddenly, he wants to start talking about Donald Trump's tax returns. I mean, it's hilarious. These are their hometown town hall meetings. Their constituents are upset about a bunch of different things, and these members of Congress really have to start trying to figure out is this how I want to spend my time, do I want to take this beating for the president or do I want to pay attention to what my constituents want? You know, taking care of yourself is the first order of business in politics.</s>KEILAR: It was so fascinating, hear the booing when people hadn't heard what he said, though. I thought that was really kind of funny. I wonder what you think, Beverly, about Caitlyn Jenner, if you have been following this, because she ripped President Trump over the lifting of transgender guidelines that said to schools, let students and public schools use bathroom that is correspond with their gender identity. Here's what she said.</s>CAITLYN JENN ER, TRANSGENDER WOMAN: I have a message for President Trump from, well, one Republican to another. This is a disaster. And you can still fix it. You made a promise to protect the LGBTQ community. Call me.</s>KEILAR: Wow. I mean, Beverly, why did he pick this fight when so many Republicans and maybe not there at CPAC, but they don't want to be back engaged in the culture wars, they want to be dealing with tax reform, and they want to be dealing with an Obamacare overhaul.</s>HALLBERG: Well, I follow Caitlyn Jenner on Instagram, so I did see that video that was put out yesterday, and I would say that it does relate to I think a lot of confusion around this as a whole. What President Trump is really doing is saying that President Obama overstepped his bounds when it comes to the authority of the presidency. This is about turning it back to states. This is a federalism issue. And I would say when we do have an important issue, an issue we do want Caitlyn Jenner to weigh in on as well as others, we need to have that discussion. And when you have the president -- what President Obama did was usurped really the ability for us to discuss, I think this is a good decision.</s>KEILAR: We'll have to leave it there. Michael Nutter, Beverly Hallberg, thank you for being with under the circumstances. Next, a fact check for an interview I did earlier this week with one lawmaker. We're back in 60 seconds.