Donald Trump told me he wants to devise a compromise on abortion that “makes everyone happy.”
I said I didn’t think it was possible.
But he did not dispute a New York Times report that said he was discussing with his advisers a ban on surgery after 16 weeks, which was quickly revised to 15 weeks in another interview.
Instead, in a video early yesterday morning, Mr. Trump tried to take a position that would make no one unhappy. That’s because he accepted the status quo.
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In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned 50 years of Roe v. Wade precedent, ruling in Dobbs that abortion is not constitutionally protected. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
He said both voters and lawmakers should decide, with some states likely to set more conservative limits and others less stringent.
The former president did not mention a deadline.
In other words, following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, things will proceed as if he had never said anything.
President Trump took credit for appointing three conservative justices who helped overturn 50 years of Roe v. Wade precedent, even though he didn’t have much choice. He thanked all six conservative Supreme Court justices by name.
“A lot of states are going to be different, a lot of states are going to have a different number of weeks, some states are going to be more conservative than others. That’s how it’s going to be,” Trump said in a video. Ta. “At the end of the day, this all comes down to the will of the people.”
Mr. Biden particularly hit back at claims that legal experts on both sides want Mr. Roe removed.
“Mr. Trump is simply lying,” he said in a statement. “Support for overturning Roe has never been greater in the United States. In fact, support for Roe in the United States today is higher than ever.” Ta.
“Trump acknowledged the same thing in his statement today. By causing the chaos of overturning Roe, he’s trying to say, ‘Oh, never mind. Don’t punish me for that. I just want to win.’”
Will Trump become more radical in his second term, restrained, or removed by resistance forces?
But look at the difference. Trump made a video and the Biden campaign released a statement.
Presidents like statements, but they do little to promote television and online coverage. If he doesn’t get in front of the camera on this issue, he’s missing out on a great opportunity — he’ll be eclipsed like the sun across America.
The former president’s comments disappointed some pro-life advocates.
Susan B. Anthony, president of Pro-Life America, said it was “deeply disappointing,” and Sen. Lindsey Graham, who supports the 15-week ban, said, “Today’s states’ rights-based logic is “This goes against the consensus of the United States,” he said. Like the Dred Scott decision, it would restrict later-term abortions and age the population.” Slaves were not American citizens and could not expect federal protection even if they lived in areas where slavery was illegal. The 1857 ruling.
People celebrate outside Washington’s Supreme Court following the conservative majority’s decision to end nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion and overturn the court’s landmark abortion case. (AP Photo/Steve Herber)
In response to Graham’s criticism, President Trump said, “You’re doing a huge disservice to the Republican Party and to our country.At first, I didn’t want an abortion under any circumstances, but then I was allowed to have an abortion within six weeks.” And now he’s up to 15 weeks and allowed to have an abortion, but what he doesn’t understand, or perhaps understands, is that the radical left Democrats who are destroying our country are and never approve what the Republicans want.”
If you look back at the sit-in at Mar-a-Lago with the former president, he used language very similar to what he announced yesterday.
“Democrats are radical on this issue because abortion is OK at seven, eight, nine months, even after birth,” he told me. The last part was a reference to comments by former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Northam later recanted his statement, saying he was speaking only about rare cases involving fetal abnormalities.
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Trump also said, “You have to have three exceptions… There are some places that don’t have exceptions right now.” He cited the example of Doug Mastriano, who lost the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race after opposing the exemption. President Trump yesterday emphasized the need to allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, and the death of the mother.
And he said to me: “But I tell people first and foremost, you have to follow your heart. You have to follow your heart. But beyond that, you also have to be elected. No need.”
Yesterday: “You have to follow your heart, often your religion or beliefs.”
In a video released Monday morning, former President Trump said abortion regulations should be left up to each state and avoided discussing the federal government’s enforcement of abortion bans. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
So, here’s the problem. By talking about a 15- or 16-week ban in interviews with me and others, Trump sent an unmistakable signal that he wanted that approach. Most people who follow this policy know that he doesn’t think the procedure should be allowed before the second trimester, even though it doesn’t cover most abortions.
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But by removing it from his “official” status, he has avoided much of the political backlash. Despite his wink and nod earlier, he is simply following the Supreme Court’s orders.
You have to follow your heart, but first you have to get elected.
