Donald Trump’s shifting stance on abortion is squarely aimed at swing-state voters — and it’s putting off everyone else. But first, you should know:
- The mic might be too hot for Trump at a debate against Kamala Harris next month.
- Trump put the blame for the messy US withdrawal from Afghanistan on Harris and Joe Biden.
- Prosecutors are pushing to reinstate the criminal case against Trump for mishandling classified documents.
Trump’s Abortion Shift Angers Both Sides
Donald Trump spent recent days portraying himself as a champion of women’s reproductive rights, a pivot from previous his message to voters — that abortion is an issue best left to the states.
Last week, Trump said on social media his administration would be “great for women and their reproductive rights.” He vowed to not enforce a 150-year-old law that bans mail delivery of contraceptives, and running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Trump would “absolutely” veto any federal abortion ban passed by Congress.
The shift comes as Trump’s campaign struggles with how to talk about the abortion restrictions he’s championed for years without alienating key swing-state voters. But in softening his rhetoric on the issue, he risks drawing the ire of a key bloc of his base: the religious right. Democrats also pounced, saying the pivot is an insincere ploy to win over voters.
Trump’s new approach coincides with Kamala Harris cementing herself as a formidable candidate in the race. The vice president made abortion access a rallying cry of her campaign, and she’s much more comfortable discussing the issue than President Joe Biden, an 81-year-old Irish Catholic. Read More
Trump Floats Skipping Debate with Harris
Donald Trump may back out of a debate with Kamala Harris in September over a hot mic rule.
Trump criticized debate host ABC News on his Truth Social platform Sunday, criticized ABC News — the host of the Sept. 10 debate — accusing the Sept. 10 debate host of bias in favor of Harris, and asked why he would “Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”
Harris’ team said they’re disputing whether the microphones should be muted when the other candidate is speaking. “We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast,” Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon said in a statement today.
Trump said his team “agreed to the same rules” as Trump’s previous debate with President Joe Biden when asked Monday whether he wanted the mics muted, adding “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“I’d rather have it probably on, but the agreement was that it would be the same as it was the last time. In that case, it was muted. I didn’t like it the last time, but it worked out fine,” he added. The clash threatens the only debate the candidates agreed to so far, with just over two months until Election Day. Read More
Trump Seeks to Put Afghan Exit Blame on Harris
Donald Trump blamed rival Kamala Harris alongside President Joe Biden for the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and said he’d demand the immediate resignation of any government officials involved with that decision.
“We’ll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day,” the former president said during the National Guard Association conference in Detroit.
Trump has regularly assailed the Afghanistan withdrawal, claiming he would have led a more orderly exit that protected American lives, the country’s image abroad and prevented the Taliban from seizing the billions of dollars in US military equipment left behind.
The White House acknowledged in a 2023 report that the turbulent withdrawal underscored the need to more quickly implement evacuations from conflict zones, even as aides sought to put much of the blame on Trump, who forged a 2020 deal with the Taliban — but not the Afghan government — that set a timetable for a US withdrawal. Read More
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