Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat) on Tuesday blasted former President Trump for his recent attempts to redirect the debate on reproductive rights and abortion, saying voters “cannot trust” the Republican candidate.
“This is a harsh and frightening moment, and we know that we cannot trust Donald Trump when it comes to women's fundamental rights to make their own decisions and access their health care,” Gov. Whitmer said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”
Last week, President Trump promised to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and get the government or insurance companies to cover the costs of the treatment if elected in November.
“Under a Trump administration, we're going to be paying for that care,” he said in an exclusive interview.NBC NewsHe added that the measure would apply to “every American who gets it, every American who needs it.”
The next day, the former president said he would vote against a upcoming ballot measure in his home state of Florida that would overturn the state's current abortion ban.
Whitmer, co-chair of Vice President Harris' campaign, argued that Florida is the “epicenter of Trump's shift in attitude” while discussing Harris' bus tour focused on promoting access to reproductive rights, which kicks off in Palm Beach on Tuesday.
“I think getting the message out to people, talking to women, talking to health care workers, talking to families, is what led to this historic outcome here in Michigan in a '22 election,” said Gov. Whitmer. “But it's also important for Michiganders, New Yorkers, Floridians to know what's at stake if President Trump is re-elected.”
She also pointed to “Project 2025,” the conservative movement's detailed plan for how the next Republican president should wield power, and a proposal to monitor pregnancies.
President Trump said in July that Project 2025's abortion policy recommendations were “too far-reaching” and has repeatedly called for distancing himself from the plan, which was produced independently of the Trump campaign by the Heritage Foundation with input from more than 100 conservative groups.
“We know that more than a third of women in America cannot access abortion care until they are literally on the brink of death,” Whitmer said. “This is a horrific situation across the country. You look at President Trump, he's praising his appointments to the United States Supreme Court, he was happy that Roe v. Wade fell in Dobbs, and now he's trying to pretend he wants it to be longer than six weeks, even though he's reversed himself on that point as well.”
She contrasted Trump's stance with Harris's, saying the former president “is trying to take away those rights” while Harris “want to give women more access.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
IVF was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos and fertilized eggs are considered people in the eyes of the law, and those who destroy them can be held responsible for their deaths.
The ruling led to a halt to most IVF services in the state, but lawmakers quickly passed a bill addressing civil and criminal liability for IVF providers, allowing the services to resume.
The Trump-Vance campaign, and the Republican Party as a whole, have sought to avoid issues related to abortion and reproductive rights, given that anti-abortion policies have become unpopular among voters since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.
The former president insisted last month that abortion is no longer a “big factor” in the election, saying it will be a “very small issue” in this year's election.
