joe biden supporter I’ve had a bad few weeks..recent polls show Donald Trump’s lead in the presidential race and special counsel Robert Hur’s report made headlines labeling Biden an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
But in recent days, Trump has drawn negative attention to himself, effectively easing the Biden campaign’s predicament. speaking After publicly stating that he was letting Russians “do whatever they wanted” in Europe, He spoke about abortion behind closed doors..
On Friday, the New York Times published an article about these remarks. The Times reported that Trump “told his advisers and allies that he liked the idea of a 16-week national abortion ban, with three exceptions: in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life.” It was reported.
Support for a national abortion ban November’s election could be a game changer.Just like the effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. mobilized Republican voters for decadesthe prospect of such a ban should mobilize millions of people who want to preserve their reproductive rights, whatever their doubts about Biden.
President Trump’s latest statement is just another twist in the evolution of his position on abortion.
25 years ago he called He himself is “very pro-choice.” He said, “I hate the idea of abortion. …But I just believe in choice.”
In 2016, during his first presidential campaign, Trump changed his tune. saying He was “pro-life” and condemned abortion rights. The real estate mogul went so far as to say that he should face “some kind of punishment” if women ignore abortion bans that the government may impose.
Responding to a barrage of criticism, as the New York Times did at the time explained, Trump “retracted his statement.” If abortion were to be banned, “the doctor or other person who perpetrated this illegal act against the woman would be held legally accountable, not the woman. In this case, the woman was the victim, and the The same goes for the life inside.”
However, he continued to support voting against abortion. During the 2020 campaign, he became He became the first sitting president to address the annual March for Life in person, telling a large crowd of anti-abortion activists that “there has never been a stronger pro-unborn presence in the White House.”
Curiously, since the Supreme Court, turned over As the Times reports, Roe v. Wade will be heard in the summer of 2022. President Trump has carefully avoided taking a clear position on abortion restrictions. ”
Meanwhile, Trump claims credit for overturning Roe v. Wade. Last May, almost a year after the Supreme Court’s decision, he said: Posted on Truth Social “After 50 years of failure and no one came close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade. It was a huge shock to everyone.”
In typical Trump fashion, he said the move “for the first time puts the pro-life movement in a strong negotiating position against radicals who are willing to kill babies even after they are 9 months old.” I decided to stand up,” he said. Without me, there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, whatever was finally agreed upon. Without me, the pro-life movement would continue to lose. ”
But when asked if he supported restrictive abortion bans, he shook his head and remained silent. grieving It’s the fact that Republicans have “not spoken very clearly” about reproductive rights and have pursued “terrible” state-level restrictions that could alienate large swaths of the country.
When asked in September what he planned to do about reproductive rights if he returned to the White House, he said: That’s all Trump said “If he is re-elected, he will try to broker a compromise on how long abortion should be legal and whether those restrictions should be imposed at the federal or state level.”
President Trump promised, “I will talk to both sides, we will do some negotiations, and ultimately we will reach peace on this issue for the first time in 52 years.”
As the Times points out, President Trump is now “acutely aware of his own weaknesses. He appointed the three judges who made that decision possible, and this fact shows that he He publicly claimed credit for that scene.” Those statements are already appearing in ads, and Democrats plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars reminding voters of that fact. ”
recent polls showedAs columnist Jennifer Rubin puts it, “Roe vs. Wade It has never been higher… Six in 10 voters opposed the court’s action, including “nearly 80% of women voters ages 18-49, two-thirds of suburban women, 60% of independents, even Republicans. One-third of voters.”
Public opinion polls too show that “more voters than ever before they sayI’ll vote The twist is only for candidates who share your views on abortion. Republicans and those who identify as “pro-life” have historically been the most likely to view abortion as a litmus test, but now they are less willing to have an abortion, while Democrats and those who identify as “pro-choice” Especially those who do. ”
These poll results help explain why even in red statesAs in Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio, pro-choice forces have achieved major electoral victories since the Dobbs decision.
Meanwhile, Trump’s allies President Trump is already planning ways he can restrict it.Right to abortion through administrative action. They want to weaponize existing laws and government agencies to make life difficult for all women seeking abortions.
As the Times reports, President Trump said the 16-week ban would “select both social conservatives who want to further restrict access to abortion and Republicans and independent voters who want looser restrictions on abortion procedures.” We hope to satisfy you.
Not surprisingly, the Biden campaign I jumped on Friday’s news., reached out to reporters to label President Trump’s recent thoughts on abortion as “dangerous” and “extreme.”As Biden said put it “After being the person responsible for taking away women’s freedoms, being the person responsible for endangering women’s lives, and being the person responsible for unleashing this cruelty and chaos across America…Donald Trump will ban abortion nationwide. Let’s go.”
Perhaps President Trump’s statement about a national abortion ban was a bit of a false flag operation. This may have been intended to send a signal to pro-life supporters that they share the view that Dobbs’ decision is similar to Hadley Arkes’. put it down, just “the end of the beginning” in efforts to ban abortion. But since President Trump has not yet gone public about his 16-week abortion ban, it also gives him plausible deniability and opportunity. This is to label the Times’ report as “fake news.”
After all, those who want to protect reproductive choice in this country cannot ignore or discount President Trump’s idea of a national abortion ban as just another thing. be taken seriously rather than literally. Instead, they should take advice from Marcia Gessen. To tellWe can survive attacks on our rights only if we believe in the dictator. He means what he says. ”
If Trump is re-elected, he will not rest with Dobbs. He will pursue reproductive rights everywhere.
Austin Surratt (@ljstprof) is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law and Political Science at Amherst College. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of Amherst College.
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