GOP rep: Trump’s 2018 warning not a threat but a ‘disclosure of honesty’

President Trump’s warning to GOP lawmakers that they could lose reelection in 2018 if they oppose the ObamaCare repeal bill was not a threat, according to Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) — it was a “disclosure of honesty.”

“This is the reality, and if that’s what motivates some members as they’re so worried about their reelection that they have to be reminded of those facts that are out there, I think what the president was speaking was just the truth of the situation,” Reed told The Hill on Tuesday.

Trump issued a stern warning on Tuesday, telling Republicans they could lose their seats — and the House majority — in 2018 if they fail to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

{mosads}While his remarks moved the needle with some undecided lawmakers, the president still has work to do to win remaining holdouts.

Undecided Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) left the meeting “inclined to vote yes,” he told The Hill, but he’s “not there yet.”

Backers of the American Health Care Act tell The Hill they are getting close to the 216 votes needed for passage. One senior GOP lawmaker called on Trump to use his “skills as a closer” in “one-on-one phone calls” with a handful of holdouts.

Watch the video above to see the lawmakers in their own words.