PORTSMOUTH, NH – During the First Presidential Debate, President Donald Trump said his administration has been purchasing insulin so cheaply that it was like water. On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party tried to take him up on that offer.
Following a press conference with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Feltes, Stefany Shaheen and Portsmouth Democratic Party Chairperson Laurie McCray, representatives of the New Hampshire Democratic Party (NHDP) delivered a case of water to the Trump Victory offices in Portsmouth, expecting insulin in exchange.
In a letter to New Hampshire Trump Victory State Director Seb Rougemount, the NHDP wished Rougemount’s staff well and also asked the Republicans to assist Granite Staters seeking insulin, stating that they are used to vials of insulin costing $300.
Although an obvious publicity stunt, the point, says NHDP spokesman Will Rasky, is just how out of touch the President is.
“We are shocked to think that President Trump could be so out of touch with ordinary American and Granite Staters lives to say that insulin is like water thanks to him,” Rasky said. “A comment like that is completely out of step with reality, and we think this really illustrated that cognitive dissonance.”
During the press conference, Shaheen discussed what it was like to learn that her daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 8 years old and the fear that insulin prices will climb even higher if the Affordable Care Act is struck down by the Supreme Court.
“At the time, we were paying thousands of dollars a month that we didn’t have in order to keep our health plan because she would’ve been denied coverage if our family tried to change plans,” she said. “Living with Type 1 Diabetes is costly in countless ways. In order to stay alive, my daughter must take insulin continuously. Without insulin, she cannot survive. And contrary to what the President says, insulin is not cheap. And it is certainly not cheap ‘like water.’ In fact, if insulin and water were priced the same, a 20-ounce bottle of water would be priced at $17,730.”