Let’s be clear: If Donald Trump is speaking about abortion, he is dropping. He and his marketing campaign would a lot quite be enjoying offense, slamming President Joe Biden on points like immigration and the economic system because the 2024 presidential race heats up.
However when he is speaking about abortion, Trump is enjoying protection. So on the outset of the week, Trump tried to put the issue to rest. Here is a really temporary recap of how that labored out.
Monday: After months of obfuscation, Trump lastly stated his position on abortion: Particular person states ought to resolve the difficulty. Electorally talking, Trump’s states’ rights stance appeared like his least unhealthy play in a crappy hand. The worst choice, it appeared, can be endorsing a nationwide ban of any form.
The Biden marketing campaign ran with it, hanging every horrific statewide abortion ban round Trump’s neck.
Tuesday: Arizona’s extremist Supreme Courtroom upholds a near-total abortion ban that dates again to 1864, without exceptions for rape, incest, or the well being of the mom (except her life is in jeopardy).
Biden once more saddles Trump with one other Draconian ban.
Wednesday: Trump, asked whether Arizona went too far, says “Yeah, they did,” including, “That’ll be straightened out. And I am positive that the governor and everyone else are going to carry it again into cause and that will probably be taken care of, I feel, in a short time.”
Nope, responded Arizona Republicans, who instead killed Democrats’ repeal efforts and abruptly ended the legislative session.
Friday: Trump urgently tweets that the Democratic governor and Republican-led Arizona Legislature “should” repeal the regulation. (Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has repeatedly referred to as for its repeal.)
“The Supreme Courtroom in Arizona went too far on their Abortion Ruling, enacting and approving an inappropriate Regulation from 1864,” Trump wrote on Reality Social. “So now the Governor and the Arizona Legislature should use HEART, COMMON SENSE, and ACT IMMEDIATELY, to treatment what has occurred.”
“Bear in mind,” he added, “it’s now as much as the States and the Good Will of people who signify THE PEOPLE.”
And by “States,” Trump actually means “me.”
Trump deferring to the states should have appeared like choice Monday, however by Friday that wasn’t so clear. Trump is now on the hook for each lunatic transfer made by GOP state lawmakers—as Arizona so exquisitely proved. And Trump has resorted to begging them to take the difficulty off the desk for him, whereas the Biden marketing campaign hammers one easy message: “Trump did this.”
All in all, a stellar week for Trump, who heads to trial Monday in New York to defend himself towards a felony conviction on 32 counts of fraud—for making hush-money funds to an grownup movie star.
Trump’s lose-lose scenario on abortion one way or the other acquired worse this week after he launched a video making an attempt to spin a place on the polarizing problem. What does this imply? Unhealthy information for the Republican Celebration, already in disarray.