Trump frustration over failed health bill

US President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the failure of his healthcare bill.

The bill was withdrawn on Friday because it did not have enough support to pass in Congress.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Mr Trump said "We couldn't get one Democratic vote, and we were a little bit shy, very little, but it was still a little bit shy, so we pulled it."

The last-minute retraction is seen as a huge blow to the president.

Repealing and replacing the programme known as Obamacare was one of his major election pledges.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he and Mr Trump agreed to withdraw the vote, after it became apparent it would not get the minimum of 215 Republican votes needed.

Republicans currently have a majority in both the House and the Senate.

However, multiple reports suggested that between 28 and 35 Republicans were opposed to President Trump's draft American Health Care Act.

Some were said to be unhappy that the bill cut health coverage too severely, while others felt the changes did not go far enough.

The bill also appeared unpopular with the public - in one recent poll, just 17% approved of it.

Speaking after the withdrawal, Mr Trump repeatedly said Obamacare would "explode".

However, he refrained from criticizing Mr Ryan, whose job as house speaker involves rallying 

support for controversial bills.

However, multiple reports suggested that between 28 and 35 Republicans were opposed to President Trump's draft American Health Care Act.

Some were said to be unhappy that the bill cut health coverage too severely, while others felt the changes did not go far enough.

The bill also appeared unpopular with the public - in one recent poll, just 17% approved of it.

Speaking after the withdrawal, Mr Trump repeatedly said Obamacare would "explode".

However, he refrained from criticising Mr Ryan, whose job as house speaker involves rallying support for controversial bills.

bbc mews