Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to remind us that it is thanks to him that the US Supreme Court made a historic U-turn on abortion, yet the former president is now deliberately distancing himself from the most hardline positions against voluntary termination of the pregnancy, knowing full well that they could cost him dearly at the polls.
Asked repeatedly about the possibility of banning abortion nationwide, the 77-year-old Republican had remained tight-lipped in mid-September, saying only: "That could be done at the state level or at the federal level ... to tell you the truth, I don't care." fully".
A few days later, at a pre-election rally, the former leader clarified: "I believe in three exceptions (for a woman to have an abortion): in case of rape, incest, or if the mother's health is in danger." And then he explained the reason: "Without these exemptions, it is very difficult to win an election."
"It's not popular"
Since the Supreme Court - whose composition was shaped by Trump when he was president - at the end of June 2022 struck down the constitutional protection of the right to abortion, the indicators for the Republican Party have been in the red.
This was seen mainly in a vote in the very conservative Kansas in favor of protecting access to abortion; in the electoral disappointments in the states of New York, Wisconsin and Ohio; or even in the very disappointing performance in the mid-term presidential elections in November 2022 which was mainly due to the mobilization of women and youth.
Conservatives continue to suffer at the polls as they are punished by Americans who overwhelmingly favor some access to abortion.
"Trump understands that (the Supreme Court's decision) is unpopular, as is the position of most Republicans on abortion," political scientist Kyle Kodick told AFP.
"He is therefore trying to give himself some room for maneuver in this matter, in view of the presidential elections", underlines this expert from the University of Virginia.
The candidate, who is the favorite in the primaries for the presidential nomination of the Republican Party, has also changed his mind more than once.
During a 1999 interview, the New Yorker, then a real estate mogul, bluntly stated, “I'm very pro-abortion”; then did a 180-degree U-turn to woo evangelicals in the 2016 presidential election. These are voters. who still remain largely loyal to him, according to public opinion surveys.
"to be exposed"
Trump now stands out from his rivals in the 2024 Republican primary because he avoids the abortion issue altogether.
For most of the claimants of the anointing have on the contrary clearly favored the imposition of additional restrictions.
First up is Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis, second in the polls, who passed a law in April to ban voluntary terminations of pregnancy in his state beyond six weeks — when many women don't even know they're pregnant.
A measure that was described as a "terrible mistake" by Donald Trump.
"I reject the idea that abortion opponents are responsible for the failures of the presidential midterms," Ron DeSandis responded in the second televised battle between the Republican candidates on Wednesday, calling out the former president, who has so far snubbed these televised appointments. , "expose" to defend his position.
"Date in 2024"
The Democratic Party revels in these fratricidal quarrels and instead bets on the issue of abortion as a central argument in the election campaign.
So in Kentucky, where an election for the post of governor is being held this year, the party of Joe Biden released a campaign ad focused on the testimony of a teenager who was raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years old.
"Americans have rejected Trump's anti-abortion extremism," Joe Biden campaign team spokesman Kevin Munoz said in a statement Wednesday night. "And they will do it again in 2024."
Source: RES-EAP
