President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon joked about health care reform hold-out Sen. Dean Heller (R., Nev.), saying, "He wants to remain a senator, doesn't he?"
The joking—but also serious—line came at a White House press conference. Heller was seated next to Trump at the conference, which came after a working lunch to discuss salvaging the Senate's floundering health care bill.
Heller, along with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R.), had previously come out against the Senate's version of the health care bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. The senator faces reelection in 2018 in Hillary Clinton-supporting Nevada, which may have swayed his decision.
Trump brought up the several members of the Senate, including Heller, who had come out against the most recent version of the GOP bill.
"The other night, I was very surprised when I heard a couple of my friends—my friends, they really were, and are. They might not be very much longer, but that's OK," Trump joked.
"This was the one we were worried about," Trump said, gesturing to Heller.
"You weren't there, but you're gonna be, you're gonna be," he said, as Heller laughed.
"Look, he wants to remain a senator, doesn't he?" Trump said. "And I think the people of your state, which I know very well, I think they're gonna appreciate what you hopefully will do."
"Any senator who votes against starting debate is really telling America that you're fine with Obamacare," Trump said in a more serious tone.
Heller later said "that's President Trump being President Trump."
HELLER on Trump's joke about his future as a Senator: "That's fine, that's President Trump being President Trump, I understand that."
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 19, 2017
UPDATE: 3:12 P.M.: This article was updated with Heller's response to Trump's joke.