Democrats’ billboard to greet Donald Trump in Orlando

Florida Democratic Party billboard messages going up in Orlando Monday.

The Florida Democratic Party intends to counter President Donald Trump‘s visit to Orlando Monday with a billboard offering messages hitting him on health care and tax policies.

And the party intends to follow that up later in the week with a series of “Fight for Health Care Tour” roundtables in the I-4 corridor, pushing the Democrats’ views on health care as a contrast to Trump’s record.

The digital billboard, at the intersection of Kirkman Road and International Drive in the heart of Orlando’s tourist corridor, will rotate two messages in English and Spanish:

“TRUMP’S AMERICA: THE RICH GET RICHER THE SICK GET SICKER”, one will read.

“WHAT DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR: Patient Protections, Lower Drug Costs, Strengthen Medicare,” says the other.

“Trump is not working for people struggling to pay their medical bills, he’s working for big corporations trying to increase their profits,” FDP Executive Director Juan Peñalosa said in a news release. “We can’t afford another four years of a president who prioritizes corporate interests over people with pre-existing conditions. “

The health care theme might have had more relevance  to Trump’s visit before news broke earlier Thursday. Trump was to speak Monday at a big international convention of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society at the Orange County Convention Center, not far from the billboard’s location.

But that organization canceled its convention Thursday, out of concerns for the potential spread of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

So now Trump’s visit to Orlando Monday appears to be limited to a private fundraiser he is to attend at lunchtime.

The Democrats “Fight for Health Care Tour” of the I-4 corridor will take place March 13 and 14, and will feature roundtable discussions with FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo. Details are to be released later.

The FDP charged that health care and tax policies endanger the health of Floridians, starting with his efforts in court to have the Affordable Care Act overturned. Democrats argue the move could eliminate coverage for millions of people and eliminate Obamacare’s guarantee that people can get insurance to cover pre-existing conditions.