Moderation is not Donald Trump’s primary virtue. And yet, this is now what he preaches when it comes to abortion. In recent weeks, he has refused to comment on a ban on abortion beyond fifteen weeks of pregnancy, defended by many conservatives. He criticized the law which, in Florida, prohibits abortion after six weeks, a period when many women are unaware that they are pregnant. In an interview on NBC News, he even called this measure a “terrible mistake”. A surprising statement, because the ex-president has always taken care to align himself with the Christian right. Donald Trump presents himself as the man of compromise. Once elected, he assures, he will bring together pro and anti-abortion people to “negotiate” and make “peace on this subject”. A laudable but utopian intention, given the ideological gap between the two camps.
2 out of 3 Americans support the right to abortion
This new positioning responds to an electoral calculation. The Republicans’ poor results in the midterm elections in November can be explained, according to him, by their overly extremist views on the subject. “It cost us dearly in the midterms“, he proclaimed during a meeting in Iowa. “If we continue to refuse exceptions in cases of rape, incest or risks to the mother’s health, it will be very difficult to win the elections.”
In 2022, the Supreme Court removed the constitutional right to abortion and left it up to states to legislate on the issue. A victory for the Republicans who, for more than fifty years, had made it their hobby horse. Now, around fifteen states have virtually banned this type of procedure and at least four others have banned it after six weeks. In Texas, anyone can file a lawsuit against the husband, nurse, taxi driver, and anyone else who helps a woman get to a clinic after six weeks of pregnancy. The informer will be able to receive a bonus of 10,000 dollars. Elsewhere, laws are passed to prevent American women from traveling to another state to have an abortion and to ban information sites on the procedure to follow.
These measures are unpopular: 2 out of 3 Americans say they are in favor of the right to abortion, and as many are opposed to a ban at six weeks. Obviously, the Democrats are exploiting this discontent to the fullest. In recent months, anti-abortionists have lost in all the states where a referendum was held on this subject. “Republican candidates are facing a dilemma,” says Mary Ziegler, professor at the University of California and specialist on the issue. They must satisfy their evangelical base without alienating the majority of voters. “In fact, many Republican elected officials would like to see this subject disappear discreetly,” summarizes David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former campaign strategist, on Twitter (renamed X). “They are entangled in a quagmire of their own making.”
Donald Trump is the only Republican capable of making such a turnaround. He no longer needs to court primary voters, since the polls show him the winner. He can therefore refocus. In addition, he has an unstoppable response to criticism: he appointed the three judges to the Supreme Court who made it possible to abolish the right to abortion. “He is preparing to betray you,” said his rival Ron DeSantis, who governs Florida. The president of Students for Life Kristan Hawkins, for her part, deplores Trump’s positioning. “This is incredibly disheartening,” she wrote in an open letter. But anti-abortion organizations are walking on eggshells. If they don’t appreciate his positions, they don’t want to alienate the ex-president either.