For some time now, Donald Trump has touted himself as “the most pro-life president ever” — and if one’s understanding of being “pro-life” is exclusively limited to being “pro-forced-birth,” then he’s not actually wrong. At least not from an existential point of view. Whether or not he actually ever gave a crap about abortion has long been up for debate. Frankly, the idea of him sincerely believing anything is up for debate.
However, as per a report from Rolling Stone, he is now looking to rebrand himself as a moderate on abortion. Yes, the guy who kicked off the whole “women are having abortions as they’re giving birth!” thing, the guy who brought back the global gag rule on abortion, the guy who barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X funds, leaving six states without any Title X providers until the Biden administration reversed the rule in 2021, the guy who put three justices on the Supreme Court for the explicit purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade … now wants to be seen as a reasonable moderate on the issue. Sure.
Via Rolling Stone:
In recent weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter, Donald Trump has privately remarked that several anti-abortion leaders — people who spent the past year pushing him to commit to enacting a draconian national ban — now have no “leverage” to force him to do anything. […]
According to the two sources and other Trump allies and aides familiar with the situation, Trump and his team are looking past the primary towards a general-election fight against President Joe Biden — and they think they can somehow run the former president as a supposed “moderate” (as three sources put it) on abortion, at least compared to the majority of the 2024 Republican field. For months, the sources tell Rolling Stone, Trump and some of his closest aides — such as top campaign adviser Susie Wiles — have planned for the ex-president to position himself in a way that “makes both Republicans and Democrats very happy,” as Trump is fond of saying.
That does not seem like the kind of thing that is going to happen!
Their assumption, according to Rolling Stone’s sources, is that the forced birth enthusiasts and religious extremists on the Right will have more or less no choice but to support him in the general election if he’s up against Biden, because Biden obviously wants to protect abortion rights. Those of us on the Left are accustomed to hearing this refrain backwards, but it’s unclear how well it will work on the Right — particularly single issue abortion voters. If they don’t think they’re getting their nationwide ban either way, they may be inclined to stay home. They’re true believers and many are likely not invested enough in tax cuts for the rich to bother leaving the house that day.
“No specific number of weeks is acceptable past conception for those of us who believe in the sanctity of life,” Abby Johnson, the wacky ex-Planned Parenthood employee they made that terrible movie about, told The Washington Post last month. “Any candidate who is truly pro-life should be able to vow to sign any pro-life legislation that comes across their desk. President Trump’s disappointing comments only serve as an avenue for pro-lifers to find another candidate to support.”
As much as I would love to say that Trump would never be able to spin himself as a moderate on this issue … the fact that very few people actually thought he was a true believer on abortion and assumed he was only adopting the position in order to win as a Republican could actually work in his favor here. I’ve also learned to never say never when it comes to what people are willing to believe about Donald Trump. For many of his supporters, he was a Choose Your Own Adventure president who did and said every single thing they ever wanted, regardless of whether or not he did or said even one of them.
That being said, “flip flopping” on abortion could actually make him seem weak to the people who specifically admired his macho tendency to refuse to admit wrongdoing, ever.
Whatever position he ends up taking, it’s becoming increasingly clear that abortion is likely the issue that is going to decide the next election — and if that’s the case, he’s gonna get hurt no matter where he lands.
PREVIOUSLY:
Just make this an ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n-SgCndBWE
At 1:17 he says that women should be put in prison.
Done.
>> have planned for the ex-president to position himself in a way that “makes both Republicans and Democrats very happy,” as Trump is fond of saying.<<
I know one thing PAB could do that would make me extremely happy, but Commenting Rules forbid me from saying it.