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Trump's Latest Press Conference Was So Much Like 'The Office' It Hurts

Molly Riley-Pool/Getty Images -- NBC

Donald Trump made it way too easy.

By the time the president was done briefing reporters on Wednesday, June 28, an obvious comparison was there to be made: the man is basically Michael Scott from The Office.

Unconvinced? No problem, a simple explanation will do the trick.

While Trump had been hosting the Chicago Cubs, who were in Washington D.C. to be recognized for their 2016 World Series win, he told the press,

Healthcare is working along very well. We could have a big surprise with a great healthcare package.

In terms of imitating a scene straight out of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton office, the president's super vague and super unconvincing hint at a "big surprise" was too perfect.

The moment was literally just like the episode of the office when Steve Carell brilliantly played the role of a clumsy manager who made way too many promises, all because he fundamentally did not understand the complexities of healthcare reform.

On Twitter, New York Times television critic James Poniewozik laid out the similarities perfectly.

But he needed something more. He needed people to love him. He made a promise. pic.twitter.com/X02ZClEK2L — James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) June 29, 2017
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The uncanny similarities

If you're still not convinced that the state of the president's efforts to implement healthcare reform is much like a similar attempt by a barely competent regional manager at a fictional paper company, consider the following.

First, "healthcare" is not going along very well. Republicans are stalling on scheduling a vote on their latest reform bill because, as things stand, such a vote would lead to the bill's end.

Among the GOP's 52 senators, of which the party can only afford two defections, nine members oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act, per Business Insider's count.

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Then consider the fact that the healthcare bill is really, really unpopular, according to multiple polls. But let's play devil's advocate for a moment.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare), which the GOP made clear it wanted to do, was always going to mean taking away never-before-had benefits from people. Doing such a thing is a sure way to upset lots of people, in the immediate term at least.

There was never going to be a way around that, so the polling isn't much of a surprise. The problem for Republicans is that they nominated a president who, from the beginning, promised to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a government sponsored program that's better.

That's bring us back to the "big surprise" comment. Even if -- somehow, someway -- the bill passes, there probably will be no surprise.

It's more likely that this will all end up like that memorable episode of The Office.

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Everyone going home unhappy.