Donald Trump still says he’s proud that the Supreme Court justices he nominated overturned Roe v. Wade. Yet he again on Monday avoided tough questions about abortion, including whether he would support a national abortion ban should he return to the White House.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee tried to put to rest an issue widely seen as a general election liability. Instead, his video statement exposed the tough road ahead and inflamed leaders on both sides of the issue.
Religious conservatives said they were deeply disappointed. Progressives said he was lying. And there’s every indication that abortion will define the 2024 election no matter what Trump does or says — in large part because Republicans in Congress and in statehouses across the country continue to fight for new restrictions.
Here are some takeaways exploring the complicated politics of Trump’s latest statement.
…
The abortion issue has the power to prove to millions of cynical people what nothing else could: voting matters.
There’s too many moving parts in the government for me to think they’ll actually get something done. Maybe one district in some state flips red and suddenly there’s a Republican majority and nothing happens no matter how hard I press the button in my district.
Low expectations are key to not being disappointed.