Abortion issue returns to haunt Trump's campaign
CBC
There's a reason Kamala Harris's presidential campaign is sending a bus laden with spokespeople to Florida next week. And it's not because she expects to win Florida.
Her plan is to draw national attention to that state's abortion referendum this fall, which has created an uncommon political migraine for her chief opponent.
When Donald Trump officially switched his primary residence to Florida a few years back, he could hardly have predicted that move would land him in an unhelpful dilemma at an unwelcome moment.
It was laid bare this week when Trump was asked about his state's referendum on the issue this November: Would he vote for Amendment 4, which would undo Florida's six-week abortion ban and, in effect, restore the pre-2022 status quo, allowing abortion until fetal viability, and even afterward if deemed necessary by a doctor?
Trump appeared to tell NBC News he would support it, which triggered a swift backlash from elements of his base. Within 24 hours, he performed a backflip, telling Fox News he'd, in fact, vote no on the amendment.
In a close election, the abortion dilemma poses a distinct threat to Trump, forcing him to navigate between two perilous options: Alienate his base, or the average voter.
"He's in a difficult position," said Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida who specializes in his state's politics.
Trump has tried washing his hands of the abortion issue throughout this election campaign, warning it's a potential vote-loser for Republicans, and saying each state can set its own policy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the religious right are aggressively fighting the amendment. But other Republicans support it: different polls suggest it could surpass the 60 per cent threshold required for enactment.
Within a day of his initial comments, Trump had contorted himself to please every position. He certainly sounded supportive of Amendment 4 on Thursday when an NBC reporter asked how he'd vote.
"I think the six-week [Florida ban] is too short. It has to be more time," he replied.
When the reporter followed up, asking for clarity: Will you vote for the amendment? Trump replied: "I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks."
That set off a tremor exposing cracks in his coalition. Hours later, his campaign issued a statement insisting he hadn't actually revealed how he would vote.
On Friday, he told Fox News the referendum question went too far, so he'd oppose it. He again criticized the six-week ban, but said he would vote to maintain it.
