Trump Says America Has the "Best Healthcare in the World" — Even Though It "Doesn't Cover Everybody"

President Donald Trump used a Sunday morning television appearance to deliver one of his most direct statements yet on American healthcare, calling the country's health plans the best in the world while openly acknowledging that they do not cover everyone. The remarks came on October 25, 2026, just days before the November 3 midterm elections, in a phone interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" — and they landed squarely in the middle of one of the most contested Senate races in the country.

Speaking with guest host Larry Kudlow, who served as Trump's Director of the National Economic Council during his first term, Trump praised private health insurance plans, attacked the Medicare for All proposal championed by Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and promised to carry the healthcare argument onto the rally stage later that same day in Port Huron, Michigan.

The interview, which lasted about 30 minutes according to People magazine's account, was wide-ranging. But its healthcare exchange stood out because it drew a sharp line between the two visions on offer in Michigan's open Senate race — and because Trump himself framed the choice in unusually blunt terms.

What Trump Actually Said

Trump's praise for the American healthcare system came as he described friends who hold private insurance plans through large employers.

"I have friends that have these private health plans and they're given by these big grade companies — insurance companies, healthcare companies — and they love it. It's not expensive and it's great," Trump told Kudlow.

He went further, claiming that he has friends in Canada who travel to the United States for medical treatment. Then came the line that gave the interview its headline:

"We have the best healthcare plans in the world. Now it doesn't cover everybody, but it covers a lot of people," Trump said.

The phrasing matters. Trump did not deny the coverage gap — he acknowledged it in the same breath as his praise. That combination, celebration of the system alongside an admission of its limits, is what made the comment travel so quickly after the broadcast.

The Medicare for All Clash

The healthcare topic did not arise by accident. It came up after Kudlow attacked Medicare for All, the government-backed, tax-funded healthcare system that would replace private insurance with a single public plan. Kudlow argued that the system would cause Michigan-based United Auto Workers (UAW) members to lose their "generous private sector benefits" and expressed displeasure that the proposal would include immigrants lacking permanent legal status.

Medicare for All is a core tenet of El-Sayed's campaign. El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, is the Democratic nominee in Michigan's open Senate race, running against Republican nominee Mike Rogers. Trump picked up Kudlow's argument and aimed it directly at the autoworkers whose votes both campaigns are courting.

"And you tell that union, you tell the autoworkers they're going to lose their healthcare plan," Trump said.

He then delivered his verdict on the proposal itself: "It's socialized medicine, and it never works. It's expensive."

That exchange captures the central healthcare argument of the Michigan race. El-Sayed's campaign has made Medicare for All a defining plank, alongside taxing billionaires and reducing the influence of corporate money in politics. Trump and Rogers, by contrast, are presenting private, employer-based coverage as the thing worth defending — and Medicare for All as a threat to it.

Why Michigan Is the Battleground for This Debate

Michigan is one of the most closely watched Senate battlegrounds of 2026, and healthcare is one of the reasons why.

El-Sayed won the Michigan Democratic primary in August, defeating establishment-backed Representative Haley Stevens in what People described as one of the party's most expensive and divisive primaries of 2026. The contest was widely seen as a battle between two competing visions for the party's future, and El-Sayed's victory gave the progressive wing a standard-bearer in a state that typically decides national elections by narrow margins.

The seat is open, which makes it one of the true toss-ups on the 2026 map. Recent polling averages have put El-Sayed narrowly ahead of Rogers — by about 1.9 points in one widely cited average — well within the margin of error and far from settled with days to go.

That is why Trump's Sunday schedule mattered. The Fox News interview came as Trump prepared to leave for a midterm rally in Port Huron, Michigan, in support of Rogers. Kudlow said during the interview that he hoped Trump would raise the healthcare topic at the rally later that day. Trump's reply was short: "I will."

The rally itself drew about 3,000 people to the McMorran Place arena in Port Huron, in what is believed to be the first visit to the city by a sitting president. Both Rogers and Representative John James, the Republican nominee for governor, spoke before Trump and returned to the stage during his address.

The Broader Healthcare Fight in the 2026 Midterms

Healthcare has been a defining issue of American midterm elections for more than a decade, and 2026 is no exception. What makes this cycle different is the clarity of the contrast on offer in several key races.

On one side, progressive Democratic candidates like El-Sayed are campaigning on a government-run system that would guarantee coverage to everyone, funded through taxes. On the other, Trump and Republican candidates are defending the employer-based private insurance system, arguing that it delivers better care to those who have it — even while conceding, as Trump did on Sunday, that it does not reach everyone.

That concession is politically significant. For years, critics of the American system have pointed to the tens of millions of people without coverage as its central failure. Trump's answer on Sunday did not dispute the gap. Instead, it reframed the question: the system is the best in the world, he argued, because of the quality of the plans it offers to those covered by it.

Democrats, for their part, are expected to seize on the other half of the sentence. "It doesn't cover everybody" is, from their perspective, an admission that the system leaves people behind — and the reason, they argue, that a government guarantee is necessary.

The debate also intersects with the economic anxieties dominating the 2026 campaign. Voters have repeatedly cited the cost of living, high gas prices, and continued inflation as top concerns. Healthcare costs sit squarely in that cluster of worries: premiums, deductibles, and prescription prices are among the most direct ways families feel economic pressure.

Trump's own approval rating has fallen to a record-low 31 percent in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, and Democrats have opened their widest lead of the cycle on the generic congressional ballot, 47 percent to 35 percent among registered voters. In that environment, every policy argument — including healthcare — is also an argument about which party voters trust to manage their household costs.

The Interview Itself: Praise, and an Awkward Ending

Beyond the policy substance, the interview drew attention for its tone. According to People's account, Kudlow repeatedly praised Trump during the conversation, including stating that he thinks the president has been "on a roll" as he campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterms.

The interview also had what People described as an awkward ending, in which Kudlow struggled to get a word in while attempting to wrap up the conversation. That detail, while light, underscored the freewheeling character of the 30-minute exchange — a conversation between a president and his former top economic adviser, conducted live on a Sunday morning show, hours before a campaign rally in a battleground state.

Kudlow, 79, served as Trump's Director of the National Economic Council from 2018 to 2021. Trump is 80. The two have known each other for decades, and the familiarity showed throughout the interview.

What Happens Next

Healthcare will remain front and center in the final days of the Michigan Senate race and the national midterm campaign.

First, watch whether Trump repeats the "best healthcare in the world" line at future rallies. He told Kudlow he would raise the topic in Port Huron, and the line's spread across news coverage suggests it could become a regular feature of his closing argument.

Second, watch how El-Sayed responds. His campaign has already shown it is willing to answer Trump's attacks directly — after the Port Huron rally, his campaign issued a statement saying that "while they lie and resort to desperate, bad faith attacks, Abdul remains laser-focused on his plans to bring down costs and stand up to the chaos and corruption in Washington." A direct response to the healthcare remarks would fit that pattern.

Third, watch the UAW and Michigan labor audience. Both campaigns are fighting for union voters, and the argument over whether Medicare for All would help or hurt autoworkers' existing coverage is one of the most consequential sub-debates in the race. If union members embrace Trump's framing, it helps Rogers. If they see Medicare for All as an improvement, it helps El-Sayed.

Finally, the healthcare debate will not end on November 3. Whichever party controls the House and Senate will shape the next round of healthcare legislation, from the future of Affordable Care Act subsidies to the fate of Medicare for All proposals. The November result will determine whether Trump's vision or El-Sayed's vision has a legislative vehicle in 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump say about American healthcare on October 25, 2026? On Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Trump said: "We have the best healthcare plans in the world. Now it doesn't cover everybody, but it covers a lot of people." He also praised private health plans held by friends through large employers, saying "they love it. It's not expensive and it's great."

Who interviewed Trump? Guest host Larry Kudlow, who served as Trump's Director of the National Economic Council from 2018 to 2021 during his first term. The interview was a phone call conducted as Trump prepared to travel to a midterm rally in Port Huron, Michigan.

What is Medicare for All? Medicare for All is a proposal for a free, government-backed healthcare system supported by taxes and public funds, rather than insurance that has to be paid for individually. It is supported by politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders and by Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, for whom it is a core campaign plank.

Why did Kudlow criticize Medicare for All? Kudlow argued that the system would cause Michigan-based United Auto Workers members to lose their "generous private sector benefits" and expressed displeasure that it would include immigrants lacking permanent legal status in the United States.

What did Trump say about Medicare for All? Trump called it "socialized medicine" and said "it never works" and "it's expensive." He also told Kudlow: "And you tell that union, you tell the autoworkers they're going to lose their healthcare plan."

How does this connect to the Michigan Senate race? El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, campaigns on Medicare for All. His Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, is backed by Trump. The healthcare debate is therefore a central contrast in one of the closest Senate races of 2026, with polling averages showing El-Sayed narrowly ahead.

When is Election Day? Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 39 governorships are on the ballot.

Sources: People magazine, "Donald Trump Says U.S. Has Best Healthcare in the World, Even If It 'Doesn't Cover Everybody'" (October 25, 2026), reporting on the Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" interview with Larry Kudlow. Detroit Free Press, "Trump fires up Republicans in Port Huron rally amid midterm push" (October 25, 2026). Reuters/Ipsos polling via NorthJersey.com.

This article reports only statements and figures published by the sources cited above. Quotes are reproduced as reported by those sources.