KRUGMAN: 'Trumpcare' is 'stupid and cruel'

Paul Krugman on Tuesday raged against the American Health Care Act, the GOP's replacement for the Affordable Care Act, arguing it would be potentially devastating for Trump voters.

The Nobel laureate and New York Times economic columnist said in a series of tweets that the AHCA, which has become alternately known as Ryancare (for House Speaker Paul Ryan) or Trumpcare (for President Donald Trump), makes healthcare in the individual marketplace more expensive for older Americans. Krugman argued it would amount to a betrayal of Trump's own voters.

"Can we talk about working-class Trump voters for a minute? Will they ever realize or admit how completely they were scammed?" Krugman wrote. "It's not just the fake populism, although that's a big deal. Older working-class voters would take an enormous hit under Trumpcare."

Krugman cited the Congressional Budget Office's analysis that a 64-year-old making roughly $26,000 annually would see their net premiums rise from $1,700 annually under the ACA to $14,600 under the AHCA, which he said was an example of "promises broken."

"But also bear in mind that Trump voters believed they were choosing someone effective, who knew how to get things done," Krugman said. "And here we are. The first and most important legislative initiative is stupid as well as cruel - complete incompetence in drafting and selling."

Krugman concluded by saying that the AHCA shows just how little Trump, who had no previous government experience before coming into the Oval Office, knows about running the country.

"So Trump voters thought they were getting a smart guy who'd fight for them; got a self-dealing blowhard with no idea how to govern," Krugman said. "And all of this should, of course, have been obvious all along."

Krugman has been highly critical of Trump on Twitter since the election, calling into question his ties with Russia, Cabinet appointments, and early policy decisions.

Check out the full tweetstorm below: