President Donald Trump has abruptly walked out of a press conference after a reporter fact-checked him on his dubious claim about signing a ‘Veteran’s Choice’ bill.
Trump was taking questions from the press at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey after signing four executive orders on Saturday when CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid pressed him.
‘Why do you keep saying that you passed Veterans Choice?’ Reid asked.
She was referring to Trump’s earlier remark: ‘I just signed two great bills for our veterans. We passed Veteran’s Choice and Veteran’s Accountability.’
As Trump tried to call on another reporter instead, Reid continued, ‘You said that you passed Veterans Choice. It was passed in 2014…it was a false statement, sir.’
Trump paused, then responded: ‘OK. Thank you very much, everybody.’ He then walked away from the podium as the song ‘YMCA’ played.
The Veteran’s Choice law, which allows eligible veterans to be covered by the government for care provided by doctors outside the VA system, was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014.
In 2018, Trump did sign the VA MISSION Act, which modified and expanded the eligibility for the Choice program.
He also in 2017 signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability Act, which promised to help the VA get rid of unethical managers and help veterans get their health care faster.