Donald Trump is under fire from US conservatives for betraying the anti-abortion movement, changing his stance on the issue, which is emerging as a key issue in the run-up to November’s presidential election, in order to respond to attacks by his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.

The Republican presidential nominee often boasts that he helped overturn in June 2022 the US Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed women’s constitutional right to abortion as he appointed three conservative justices.

“I managed to kill it Roe v. Wadewrote last year in Truth Social referring to the landmark 1973 decision that was recently overturned by the Supreme Court. “Without me the ‘pro-lifers’ would constantly lose.”

But in the face of repeated criticism from Democrats and polls showing a majority of Americans favor abortion rights, the former president is trying to portray himself as a champion of women’s “reproductive rights.”

“My administration is going to be amazing for women and their reproductive rights,” she assured Truth Social last week, shortly after Harris criticized Republicans for “losing it” on abortion during a speech at the National Convention of the Democratic Party in Chicago.

This statement by Trump, however, caused strong reactions from the conservative media. “Trump’s abandonment of ‘pro-lifers’ is complete,” the National Review magazine complained of abortion opponents.

This Republican’s comment was “his worst statement” since he launched his first election campaign in 2015, estimated Jeremy Boreng co-founder of the website The Daily Wire.

It’s hard “not to interpret this as anything other than a very pro-choice statement,” commented Philip Klein of the National Review, using the term used to describe those who support abortion rights.

“If someone supports reproductive rights, that means they want more expanded access to abortion,” he added.

But now the abortion issue seems to be a burden on the Republican party and has pushed many voters to turn to the Democrats, who have pledged to restore this right for women on a national scale.

Meanwhile, the anti-abortion movement is asking Trump to go even further, with some members attacking assisted reproduction and others calling for a nationwide ban on the treatment.

Change of attitude?

The former president, who is seeking re-election in November, appears to be changing his stance, or at least putting water in his wine: He is avoiding taking a position on the issue of a nationwide abortion ban, stressing that it is up to each state to decide on the issue.

Also yesterday, Thursday, he advocated covering the cost of assisted reproduction treatments by the state, so that Americans “make more babies.”

“We want to make babies in this country, don’t we?” he said at a campaign rally in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

On the same day in an interview with NBC News further confused voters by implying that he would vote in favor of an amendment to the Florida state constitution that would protect women’s right to abortion and repeal the existing ban on abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.

“I will vote that we need more than six weeks,” Trump said.

But his campaign team was quick to clarify, explaining that the Republican has not yet decided whether to vote for or against the amendment, which is strongly opposed by anti-abortion groups that support his candidacy.

In the same interview, he accused Harris and Democrats of wanting to “execute” babies.

At the same time, J. D. Vancewhom Trump has chosen as his running mate, said the Republican president would veto a bill that would ban abortion nationwide if it passed Congress.

His stance will simply “alienate the ‘pro-lifers’ a little more and divide his party, without convincing pro-choice people,” Philip Klein estimated.

Disillusioned conservatives won’t vote for Harris, but Trump risks losing some of his most loyal voters.

“Our cause is much more important (…) than Donald Trump,” emphasized Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “It will shape the Republican party even after the Trump period,” he emphasized.