Kamala Harris provoked Donald Trump into taking an ultra-liberal stance on abortion that has angered some of his conservative supporters, it is claimed.
‘My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,’ Trump declared in a recent post on his Truth Social platform.
The latest twist from Trump exemplifies his vacillating position on the topic. The man who once called himself ‘the most pro-life president’ in history has said the issue should be left to the states.
But the Democratic National Convention changed everything, according to the New York Times.
Trump was apparently so ‘bothered by Ms. Harris’s assertions that a second Trump term would further imperil abortion rights,’ the paper reported.
Trump has long been cagey when it comes to the subject of abortion
After the Democratic National Convention, the former president was privately reported to be ‘bothered by Ms. Harris’s assertions that a second Trump term would further imperil abortion rights
Trump was also angered by other DNC speeches that linked him with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint that promises to further restrict reproductive measures, the Times said.
After watching Harris accept the nomination on August 23, Trump was so outraged that he delivered Truth Social statement about his administration affording women their reproductive rights.
The declaration, the New York Times observed, was so unabashedly pro-choice it ‘sounded as if it could come from the head of Planned Parenthood.’
When asked to comment on the astounding reversal, Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told the New York Times that he ‘has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion.’
She added that presidential candidate has ‘been very clear that he will not sign a federal ban when he is back in the White House.’
But this is only the latest chapter in the long and complicated history Trump has with abortion, an issue he routinely waffles on.
Trump was vexed by other speeches at the DNC , several of which linked him with the controversial Project 2025
In 1999, Trump, then 53, told NBC’s Meet the Press that he was ‘very pro-choice.’
By 2011, however, he had changed his stance and told attendees at a conservative conference that he was ‘pro-life.’
When he first ran for president in 2016, he further heightened his opposition to abortion, telling MSNBS host Chris Matthews that he would be in favor of punishments for women who received the operation.
The former president understands that abortion is an incredibly invidious and delicate issue.
The former president understands that abortion is an incredibly invidious and delicate issue
According to the New York Times, in 2022, when the Supreme Court was on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, Trump told allies that the ‘move would hurt his party.’
The Republicans’ lackluster performance in the midterms seemed to bear out the former president’s prediction.
‘Mr. Trump has been privately emphatic with advisers that in his view the abortion issue alone could kill their chances of victory in November,’ the New York Times reported.
As a result, Trump’s views on reproductive rights have oscillated wildly in recent months, much to the chagrin of some social conservatives.
The former president has further distanced himself from the issue by reportedly ordering the party to tone down abortion language at the Republican National Convention
Erick Erickson, the founder of the conservative website RedState, told the New York Times: ‘It almost seems to me like this is improvisational politics.’ He continued: ‘There’s not really a plan- he’s “Live at the Improv,” which is a problem for this.’
Trump further frustrated social conservatives by adopting a more progressive line on IVF, or in vitro fertilization.
This week, he declared that he would make the expensive procedure free for Americans, which the New York Times noted would be ‘an initiative that would put him to the left of many Democrats.’
The former president has further distanced himself from the issue by reportedly ordering the party to tone down abortion language at the Republican National Convention.
Earlier this spring, Trump told his advisors that he was leaning toward endorsing a 16-week national abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, according to the New York Times.
However, he reportedly reversed course after looking over some polling and started saying that abortion was something that should be decided at the state level.
However, the former president has repeatedly voiced his objection when state’s have ruled too harshly on the abortion question.
On Friday, Trump revealed that he would vote no on the measure that would preserve the six-week ban in Florida
He has denounced Florida’s 6-week ban, calling it a ‘terrible mistake,’ and during an interview with NBC on Thursday. He added that women in Florida needed more time in order to determine whether or not they wanted an abortion.
This prompted outcry from some conservatives, including those at the National Review, where they published an article entitled ‘Trump Stabs Florida Pro-lifers in the Front.’
In an effort to clean up the situation, Ms. Leavitt told the New York Times that the former president ‘simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.’
On Friday, Trump revealed that he would vote no on the measure that would preserve the six-week ban in Florida.
As the final weeks of the presidential campaign grind on and Trump tries to regain some of the losses he has incurred since Harris took over for President Joe Biden, he will face the immense challenge of winning over new voters while placating his base.
