Donald Trump called on religious supporters to get out to vote in an address to conservative Christian activists on Saturday, but he made only brief mention of the politically sensitive issue of abortion, which is of central importance to the group.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Faith & Freedom Coalition in Washington, the former president reiterated his position that abortion restrictions should be decided by voters on a state-by-state basis.
This stance stands in contrast to the view of most conservative Christians, and Trump’s reluctance to push for or even discuss additional federal regulations shows how sensitive the issue has become for Republicans.
Trump has repeatedly said Republicans could risk electoral defeat if they take too tough a stance on abortion rights. The party’s dismal performance in the 2022 congressional midterm elections is widely attributed to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that year, which removed most constitutional protections for the abortion procedure.
“We’ve taken abortion out of the federal government and put it in the hands of the states. The people will decide, and that’s the way it should be,” Trump said.
“Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in exceptions for the life of the mother – rape and incest… You have to listen to your heart. You also have to remember that you have to get elected,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments on abortion were considered very cold by many. While he was discussing the topic, some in the crowd began chanting “No dead babies!”
But there was no indication that Trump’s staunchly pro-Trump audience would back another candidate as the general election reelection with Democratic President Joe Biden on Nov. 5 draws near.
Trump received heavy applause as he discussed a number of other proposals, including abolishing the Department of Education, a measure supported by many conservative Christians who accuse the federal government of attacking faith-based teaching methods.
Several times during his speech, Trump called on Christians to vote in November, prompting chants from the crowd of “Go vote!”
Trump has taken credit for appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision two years ago this Monday, marking a moment of triumph for conservatives and ending the nationwide right to abortion.
Trump has repeatedly said he would not support a federal ban on abortion, however, preferring to leave the issue to individual states.
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition and a prominent Trump ally, previously said his group would continue to work toward a ban at both the state and federal levels.
Towards Philadelphia
Later on Saturday, Trump will hold a campaign rally at Temple University, located in a historically black area of Philadelphia that has long been a stronghold for Democrats. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Trump received only 5% of the vote at campuses located within a half-mile of Temple’s main campus.
The Trump campaign has made it a priority to woo black and Hispanic voters, who represent more than half of Philadelphia’s population, encouraged by some opinion polls that suggest he is gaining ground among these voters.
Trump has little chance of winning the city, as President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won 81.4% of the vote in Philadelphia County in 2020. But Trump could increase his chances by closing the margin in Philadelphia and surrounding counties, which are very important to the overall tally in Pennsylvania, a battleground state that is hotly contested because it could lean either Republicans or Democrats.
Trump’s campaign said he would talk about Biden’s approaches to tackling inflation, the southern border and crime in his speech in Philadelphia, all key tenets of the Republican’s campaign for a second term.
William Rosenberg, a political science professor at Drexel University, said he believes Trump’s main goal is to reach out to black voters nationally, as he did when he held a rally in New York City’s Bronx borough last month.
“It’s a gimmick to show on national TV that you’re in Philadelphia to prove that this is a black community,” Rosenberg said. “Then maybe you can convince some voters that Donald Trump isn’t so bad.”
Democrats have placed posters, billboards and kiosks in Philadelphia and on the Temple campus to promote Biden’s policies, including his efforts to forgive student debt, while also criticizing Trump’s record with the black community.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democrat, said black voters remember Trump’s history promoting a radical conspiracy theory questioning whether Barack Obama, the country’s first African American president, was born in the United States, and the policies he pursued that harmed the black working class.
“Donald Trump is in a black place, but Donald Trump doesn’t care about black people,” Kenyatta said at a press event held at the Biden campaign office in Philadelphia, adding that Trump will get the city “the welcome he deserves.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
