Former President Donald Trump opined lasty month that abortion “seems to be much less of an issue, especially in those [states] where they have exceptions” for rape, incest and the life of the mother. “I think the abortion issue has been taken down many notches.” He also promised on social media that “My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.”

Trump knows that a substantial majority of Americans strongly oppose the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. His attempts to appeal to both supporters and opponents of reproductive rights demonstrate that he will say just about anything to get elected.

Identifying himself as “pro-choice” for most of his adult life, Trump declared he was “pro-life” when he began to consider running for political office. In 2016, he proposed that women who got abortions should receive “some form of punishment,” then walked that back. In 2022, he hailed the Dobbs decision as “the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation,” and gave himself credit for appointing the justices responsible for the decision.

In April 2024, Trump signaled support for a federal abortion ban: “people are agreeing on 15 [weeks], and I’m thinking in terms of that, and I’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable.” A month........

© The Hill