Those looking for consistency from Donald Trump on abortion policy are going to be disappointed. He was, after all, “very” and “strongly” in support of reproductive rights in the not-too-distant past. That, of course, was long before the Republican reinvented himself.
But even after the former president’s metamorphosis, Trump struggled with relevant details. In fact, just over the last few months, the presumptive GOP nominee signaled support for a national abortion ban to be imposed at the national level. With this in mind, many on the right were taken aback this week when Trump unveiled a video announcement saying the issue would be left to the states.
Of course, critics on the left weren’t pleased, either, since Trump also used the video to dodge key questions, peddle absurd lies, and celebrate his role in rolling back reproductive rights in the United States.
It was against this backdrop that the Republican took steps to revise his revised position on abortion. NBC News reported:
Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Arizona Supreme Court went too far in ruling the state’s 160-year-old near-total abortion ban can be enforced. Trump made the comment as he spoke to reporters after he landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ahead of a campaign fundraiser.
Asked about whether the Arizona court’s justices went too far, the former president said, “Yeah, they did,” though he quickly added, “That’ll be straightened out, and as you know it’s all about states’ rights.”
During the brief Q&A, Trump proceeded to use the phrase “states’ rights” repeatedly, as if he’d stumbled onto a magical maxim that solves all of his problems.
Indeed, the Republican also unveiled another video overnight, saying in reference to abortion rights, “All I say is that states are handling it — and it’s totally killed that issue.”
By “killed,” Trump, in context, clearly meant that he believes he’s politically neutralized the matter. In effect, the former president has convinced himself that he’s washed his hands of the whole debate: Whatever states do, it’s not his problem. If people aren’t pleased by developments, they should, by Trump’s estimation, blame state officials, not him.
Reality tells a different story.
Whether he likes or understands this or not, Trump has not “totally killed” the issue. On the contrary, he owns it.
Indeed, one of the most striking things about the former president’s latest rhetoric is the series of cascading contradictions. Trump again took credit for the demise of Roe v. Wade, but he’s still desperate to avoid blame for the legal and policy landscape resulting from the end of Roe’s protections. Trump said states are free to do as they please — even if that means prosecuting medical professionals — though he wants to be seen as criticizing states that impose unpopular restrictions. Or put another way, the presumptive GOP nominee is now eagerly denouncing the consequences of a court ruling he’s equally eager to take credit for. If that sounds incoherent, that’s because it is. What’s more, Trump also told reporters yesterday that he’d oppose a national abortion ban imposed at the federal level, despite the fact that in 2018 — during his White House term, which is hardly ancient history — the then-president explicitly called on Congress to approve a national abortion ban to be imposed at the federal level. A Biden campaign spokesperson said after the former president’s latest rhetoric, “Trump lies constantly — about everything — but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets. … The guy who wants to be a dictator on day one will use every tool at his disposal to ban abortion nationwide, with or without Congress, and running away from reporters to his private jet like a coward doesn’t change that reality.” The part about Trump’s dishonesty is of particular interest. The Republican’s rhetoric has been all over the place — for weeks, months, years, and decades — suggesting that his claims and assurances are utterly meaningless. What the public should do is watch what he does, not what he says — and what he’s done is take steps to end Americans’ reproductive rights.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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