About a month ago, CNN reported that Donald Trump was determined to make health care “a central focus of his midterm sales pitch,” which seemed difficult to believe but apparently was a sign of things to come.

In fact, in his remarks to House Republicans this week, the president said, in reference to health care: “We can own the issue. For the first time ever, Republicans can own that issue.”

Anything’s possible, I suppose, but neither he nor his party should get their hopes up.

The latest national NBC News poll, released this week, asked respondents which party they trust more on a range of issues. Democrats fared well on some questions, including a 20-point advantage on one issue: health care.

Republicans are welcome to try to turn that around between now and Election Day, but existing public attitudes aren’t the only hurdle in their way. There’s also the GOP’s record to consider. The New York Times reported a few weeks ago:

The Trump administration’s proposed new rules for Obamacare plans next year would shift more health care costs to Americans, with much higher deductibles that could lead to larger medical bills.

Under the proposal, people who rely on the Affordable Care Act for their health insurance coverage could choose plans with much lower monthly premiums. But that could leave them exposed to medical expenses totaling thousands of dollars more than A.C.A. plans do now before their insurance would kick in.

This, of course, comes on the heels of Republicans making a deliberate choice to raise the cost of coverage for 24 million Americans in December, which followed the GOP’s far-right domestic policy megabill, which slashed Medicaid funding.

The latest data from Gallup, meanwhile, found that roughly one-third of Americans are making sacrifices, including skipping meals and driving less, in order to keep up with health care costs.

In January, Trump did release what he labeled as “The Great Healthcare Plan” (the italics were in the original), but it was a pitiful joke that, just two months later, has become a forgotten afterthought, even in GOP politics.

But, sure, Mr. President, tell us some more about how Republicans “can own the issue.”

In 2018, during Trump’s first midterm elections, Democrats focused heavily on health care — it was the cycle after the GOP’s attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act, which was a political disaster for the party — and easily reclaimed a majority in the U.S. House. Eight years later, the president is apparently under the impression that it would be a good thing if his second midterm elections focused largely on the same issue.

Presidents often don’t get to pick which issues dominate the public conversation, but if Trump manages to push health care into the 2026 spotlight, I have a hunch Democrats wouldn’t mind.