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Groundhog Derp: A Donald Trump Story.

Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

The president has a tendency to respond to events (often as depicted on Fox News) with whatever nonsense addresses an immediate point of contention, before reaching a dead end and starting over.

At an Untouchables-style White House luncheon on Wednesday, meant to threaten Republican senators into not abandoning Obamacare repeal, Trump told his guests that the best option available to them was still to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in a single bill. “We are in this room to deliver on our promise,” Trump said. “We have no choice, we have to repeal and replace Obamacare. We can repeal it but the best is repeal and replace and let’s get going. I intend to keep my promise and I know you will, too.”

Over the course of a single week, then, his health care position has evolved from “Repeal and Replace” to “Repeal Now, Replace Later” to “Let Obamacare Fail” back to “Repeal and Replace.”

Compare this to Trump’s evolving position on the scandalous links between his campaign and Russian government actors who subverted the election: Collusion is Fake News --> There were no contacts with Russia --> There were contacts but no collusion --> Who wouldn’t collude?! --> Fake News.

Look forward to a tax-reform version of Groundhog Derp in the coming weeks.