Kamala Harris has reportedly provoked Donald Trump into taking an ultra-liberal stance on abortion, angering some of her conservative supporters.
Trump was apparently so ‘upset’ by Harris’ speech at the Democratic National Convention that he was quick to spread his new position on social media, according to the The New York Times.
“My administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump’s latest turn exemplifies his wavering stance on the issue. The man who once called himself “the most pro-life president” in history has said the matter should be left to the states.
Trump has long been cautious when it comes to the issue of abortion.
Following the Democratic National Convention, the former president was privately reported to be “upset by Ms. Harris’s claims that a second Trump term would further jeopardize abortion rights.”
Trump also bristled at other DNC speeches that linked him to Project 2025, a conservative plan that promises to further restrict reproductive choices, the Times said.
After watching Harris accept the nomination on August 23, Trump was so outraged that he issued a statement on Truth Social about his administration granting women their reproductive rights.
The statement, the The New York Times noted, was so openly pro-choice that it “sounded like it could have come from the head of Planned Parenthood.”
Asked to comment on the surprising change, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: Times who “has long been consistent in supporting states’ rights to make abortion decisions.”
He added that the Republican candidate “has been very clear that he will not sign a federal ban when he returns to the White House.”
But it was just the latest chapter in Trump’s long and complicated history with abortion, a topic he often rambles on about.
Trump was angered by other speeches at the Democratic National Convention, several of which linked him to the controversial Project 2025.
In 1999, Trump, then 53, told NBC’s Meet the Press that he was “very pro-choice.”
However, in 2011 he changed his stance and told attendees at a conservative conference that he was “pro-life.”
When she first ran for president in 2016, she further intensified her opposition to abortion, telling MSNBS host Chris Matthews that she would be in favor of punishments for women who undergo the operation.
The former president understands that abortion is an incredibly hateful and sensitive subject.
The former president understands that abortion is an incredibly hateful and sensitive subject.
According to the The New York TimesIn 2022, as the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Trump told allies that the “move would hurt his party.”
The Republicans’ lackluster performance in the midterm elections seemed to confirm the former president’s prediction.
“Mr. Trump has been emphatic privately with his advisers that he believes the abortion issue alone could end his chances of victory in November,” she said. The New York Times reported.
As a result, Trump’s views on reproductive rights have swing widely 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 its language on abortion at the Republican National Convention.
Erick Erickson, the founder of the conservative website RedState, told the The New York Times“It almost seems to me like this is improvised politics,” he continued: “There’s not really a plan, he’s ‘live on the fly,’ which is a problem for this.”
Trump further frustrated social conservatives by taking a more progressive line on IVF, or in vitro fertilization.
This week, he said he would make the expensive procedure free for Americans, which The New York Times “It 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 its language on abortion at the Republican National Convention.
Earlier this spring, Trump told advisers he was leaning toward backing a nationwide ban on abortion at 16 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, according to The New York Times.
However, he reportedly changed his mind after reviewing some polls and began saying that abortion was something that should be decided at the state level.
However, the former president has repeatedly expressed his objection when states take too harsh a stance on the abortion issue.
On Friday, Trump revealed that he would vote against the measure that would preserve Florida’s six-week ban.
She denounced Florida’s six-week pregnancy ban, calling it a “terrible mistake,” and added during an interview with NBC on Thursday that Florida women need more time to decide whether or not to have an abortion.
This sparked outrage among some conservatives, including those at National Review, which published an article titled “Trump Stabs Florida Pro-Lifers in the Face.”
In an effort to fix the situation, Ms. Leavitt told the The New York Times that the former president “simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short a period.”
On Friday, Trump revealed that he would vote no on the measure that would preserve Florida’s six-week ban.
As the final weeks of the presidential campaign unfold and Trump attempts to recoup some of the losses he has suffered since Harris replaced President Joe Biden, he will face the immense challenge of winning over new voters while also appeasing his base.