Most Americans don’t support a complete abortion ban, but most conservatives don’t support women’s choice — so how does one run a right-wing campaign in the post-Roe era?
Donald Trump released an official statement on abortion, a position he likely thought was centrist, middle-of-the-road, and acceptable to all, at about the same time the news broke that Arizona’s Supreme Court had affirmed an 1864 law banning all abortions except to save the mother’s life.
None of this is going well for Trump, his campaign, and those aligned with him.
Pro-choice voters aren’t exactly flocking to Trump. Sure, he claimed he wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban, and that he’s willing to leave it to the states, but even those fortunate enough to live in states where reproductive care is likely to be protected have to wonder whether he’ll stick to that promise.
The ruling in Arizona, potentially ripping life-saving healthcare from women, has also galvanized those who want a choice in their reproductive care, and the expectation that abortion will be on the ballot in November is a part of it.
As for the pro-life crowd, well, Trump has disappointed them profoundly. One Evangelical leader you’ll see in a clip below, Russell Moore, says that he feels Trump has decided abortion should be legal in three circumstances: “Rape, incest, and declining poll numbers.”
He’s not the only anti-choicer who feels like Trump has abandoned him. Mike Pence, Lindsey Graham, and others have weighed in, accusing Trump of choosing his campaign over what they consider to be the lives of babies.
But Trump, who knows that an extreme position will lose him votes from women, is focused on the damage coming from the Arizona ruling, especially after the state’s Republican legislators voted not to repeal it. On Friday, he tried to soften that blow. He posted:
“The Supreme Court in Arizona went too far on their Abortion Ruling, enacting and approving an inappropriate Law from 1864. So now the Governor and the Arizona Legislature must use HEART, COMMON SENSE, and ACT IMMEDIATELY, to remedy what has happened. “
At the same time, he continues to boast that he should get the credit — or blame, depending on your point of view — for overturning the Roe precedent and demands that pro-lifers appreciate him.
Kari Lake, the failed 2022 Arizona gubernatorial candidate who has practiced her Trump impression by claiming that her election was “stolen” for the past year and a half — and getting laughed out of courts for it— is shadowing him again, demanding that the state fix the law quickly (she’s running for a Senate seat there now).
Well, anti-choice extremists are unhappy with Kari, too. Even a right-wing satire site, took a break from lampooning immigrants, The View, and feminism to hit her with a title suggesting she’s not only a loser who will lose again, but a baby murderer too. The Baylon Bee opined:
“Now a veteran of losing elections, Lake had been on the lookout for fresh and creative ways to pull out a devastating loss from what seemed to be a clear path to victory. Publicly calling on conservative legislators to repeal a 19th-century abortion ban for which she had previously voiced support gave her just the opportunity she needed.”
Lake is incensed. Her campaign is responding to the satire site on Twitter, arguing that their post is not “valid satire,” and that they’re misrepresenting her. The Kari Lake War Room tweeted:
“This is reprehensible and it isn’t even valid satire.”
She added in another post:
“You are accusing a pro-life woman of supporting child murder. Excuse me, if we’re not entertained.”
Lake’s position certainly wouldn’t be considered pro-choice by most standards. She echoes Trump on her official campaign site, saying that she’s for the decision to be left to the states, and emphasizing that she wants to provide pregnant women with the “support” they need to “choose life.” Still, she’s on the record opposing the legality of pills used to end pregnancies, and maintaining that she believes life begins at conception.
Awkwardly, waffling on abortion may end up harming both Trump and Lake more than taking any firm position at all would have.
Evangelicals are not happy with Republican leaders bending on abortion access.
Evangelical leader Russell Moore nails Trump, says he and Republican leaders are, “pro-life with three exceptions- rape, incest, and declining poll numbers”. (Video: CNN) pic.twitter.com/kcZiGoZ6VZ
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) April 13, 2024
Kari Lake responds to criticism:
This is reprehensible and it isn't even valid satire.
Disgusting.
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) April 12, 2024
