President Biden on Friday accused the former president of trying to hide his views on abortion, after his campaign pounced on reports that Trump supports the idea of banning abortion after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
of The New York Times reported President Trump has privately told advisers and allies that he supports a 16-week ban on life-saving abortions, with exceptions in cases of rape and incest.
Biden, campaign officials and agents are using the report to show that Trump is trying to hide his support for the abortion ban by using language that appeals to moderate voters. Stated.
“President Trump is horrified by the man responsible for taking away women’s freedoms, endangering their lives, and causing brutality and chaos across America,” Biden said in a statement. He added, “Everyone sees through Trump.”
“Everyone knows that President Trump promised to defeat Roe v. Wade and win the election in 2016,” he continued. “Does anyone suspect that President Trump has already secretly signed a deal to ban abortions nationwide in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election?”
Mini Thimaraju, president of the abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, told reporters that President Trump was responsible for appointing the Supreme Court justices who ended Roe v. Wade, an ally of Biden. said he would not let voters forget.
“Trump wants to make abortion illegal in all 50 states, with unimaginable consequences for all Americans,” Timaraju said. “And he is trying to pose as a moderate, forcing his Republican allies to suffer loss after loss on abortion, hoping that voters will forget that he was the architect entirely responsible for overturning Roe. I want it.”
The newspaper also reported privately that President Trump wants to wait until after the Republican primary to publicly share his views on banning abortion to avoid alienating social conservatives, who make up a significant portion of primary voters. It was reported that he said.
During the campaign, the former president repeatedly blamed Republican losses on hard-line candidates who were too harsh on abortion. He even criticized his former Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who withdrew from the presidential race last month, for supporting a six-week shutdown.
If President Trump were to publicly support a 16-week abortion ban, he would be attempting a strategy that failed Virginia Republicans in November. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is trying to rally voters by supporting “restrictions” on abortion, with “reasonable limits of 15 weeks” with exceptions for rape, incest, and prolonging the life of the mother. did.
But Democrats focused on protecting access to abortion won a majority in the state Legislature.
“We’ve seen Glenn Youngkin claim that he’s found some special sauce here and can change brands on this issue. And the truth is, this is not a brand issue. That’s their challenge,” said Jessica Mackler, interim president of Emily’s List. “That’s the problem. And voters know it.”
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