Former president, Donal Trump, is deflecting heat away from comments criticising Ron DeSantis’ heartbeat law.
Trump appeared to back abortion during an NBC, Meet the Press interview, drawing a tsunami of righteous anger from many potential pro-life voters.
Many of whom, up until the interview, considered Donald Trump to be a quintessential ally in the fight for pre-born civil rights.
When answering questions about the right to kill a child in the womb, the 2024 presidential candidate said, “I did something that nobody thought was possible. Roe v Wade was terminated. It was put back to the States.
“Now pro-lifers have the right to negotiate for the first time. They had no rights at all.
“The radical people on this are really the Democrats that say, after five, six, seven, eight months, and even after birth, you’re allowed to terminate the baby.
“I’m not saying that,” Trump said.
Accused of lying about the Democrat push for abortion up, and beyond birth, by NBC host, Kristen Welker, he fired back, “You have a Virginia governor – the previous governor – who said after the baby is born you will make a determination, and if you want you will kill that baby.”
Trump followed this with a quick nod to the political split dividing the country on the topic.
He said that despite this divide, he was able to “do something which gave at least pro-life people a voice.”
Ending Roe V. Wade brought both sides back to the table.
“Nobody wants to see late-term abortions, you shouldn’t be allowed to rip the baby out of the womb at nine months.”
Welker – who again defended Democrats saying they don’t want abortion up to birth – then asked Trump to respond to whether or not he would sign a federal abortion ban at 15 weeks.
Trump said he wants people to come together to reach a conclusion that is acceptable.
“Right now, to my way of thinking, the Democrats are the radicals.
“You have New York State and other places that pass legislation where you’re allowed to kill the baby after birth,” argued the former president.
The Art of the Deal author, said, “I think both sides are going to like me, what’s going to have to happen is we’re going to have to come up with a number that’s going to make people happy.”
Whether he’d sign a federal abortion ban after 15 weeks, Trump said, “I’m not going to say I would or I wouldn’t.
“15 weeks seems to be the number people are talking about right now. I’d sit down with both sides,” and try to write up a peace treaty.
Seemingly keen not to be out-manoeuvred by 2024 running opponent, Ron DeSantis, Trump described Florida’s recent heartbeat law, which restrains abortion at 6 weeks, as a “terrible thing.”
“[DeSanctis (sic) made] a terrible mistake, but we’ll come up with a number.
“At the same time, Democrats won’t be able to go out and allow abortion after birth.
“I don’t think we should be allowing abortions well into a pregnancy.”
The former Republican President said he thinks many Republicans are “inarticulate” about the subject, saying, “We can’t win in some states without a number.”
In context, most of what Trump says is true to his position on the issue, which goes back at least as far as 1999.
He sees himself as a mediator, hates abortion, but has never been 100 per cent against it.
Trump also made comments in 2022 along the same lines.
Responding to the end of Roe v. Wade, he said, “He believes it will work out for everybody.”
This was supported by Trump on Truth Social.
In a three-part response (here, here and here), posted four days after the NBC interview aired, he said, “Like Ronald Reagan before me, I believe in the three exceptions for Rape, Incest, and the Life of the Mother. Without the exceptions, it is very difficult to win Elections.
“We would probably lose the Majorities in 2024, and perhaps the Presidency itself, but you must follow your HEART!
“In order to win in 2024, Republicans must learn how to talk about Abortion. This issue cost us unnecessarily, but dearly, in the Midterms.
“We have to expose the Democrats, as the true radicals on the Abortion issue, in that they allow the killing of babies.”
With Roe V. Wade gone, Trump reiterated, “The power to negotiate is with the Pro-Life Movement, not the Radical Left Democrats who are so willing to destroy Life!”
Samuel Sey was among those who criticised Trump, stating, “[Regardless of his pro-life achievements] Trump’s words suggest he’s more interested in pleasing Democrats than protecting children from murder.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade was a vital step, but it isn’t the final step.
“It made pro-life bills like DeSantis’ Heartbeat Protection Act possible,” Sey added.
Going all out, disappointed Live Action Founder, Lila Rose damned Trump’s comments, calling them “pathetic and unacceptable.”
She then added, “Trump should not be the GOP nominee.”
For me, Trump trying to beat down DeSantis in order to gain some political points with the Left for going against pro-life protections is the real failure.
This said, he obviously views the risk of pushing voters into the hands of Ron DeSantis worth the political fallout.
Perhaps Trump’s trying to be a realist. Broker a deal, remove the emotion and improve on his pro-life advances.
I don’t think he’s abandoned the pro-life declaration of his 2016 candidacy. He’s clarified it.
Trump understands how the D.C. swamp life feeds off of the lives of aborted children.
Now that Roe v. Wade – the pro-abortion Iron Curtain – has been torn down, there’s an opportunity for an even greater victory: a reunification of Americans around a “love them both” consensus.
As Trump24 agnostic, Michael Knowles pointed out in response to Allie Beth Stuckey’s query on X: Trump’s comments can’t be excused, but his pro-life, and ban-on-Trans, actions do speak louder than his words.
