Former President Trump’s attempt to walk a political tightrope on abortion could be tested by Thursday’s debate, which offers an opportunity for moderators — and President Biden — to try to pin him down on specifics of his policy. Trump has tread carefully on the explosive issue, as he and other Republicans try to placate their base without losing moderate Republicans and independents. There have been no explicit campaign promises from Trump about abortion, despite the lobbying by anti-abortion groups.
The former president has settled on abortion as an issue for the states but has avoided talking about more details, including on the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. Still, Trump regularly takes credit for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and has criticized blue states that have enacted abortion protections.
He’s also assailed red states like Florida and Arizona that he said went too far with their restrictions. Trump has a history of avoiding taking a direct stance on controversial issues, often leaving himself room to change his position or backtrack when politically expedient. Strategists expect him to stick to the same playbook during the debate.
“I expect Jake Tapper and Dana Bash to really try to press him down and get his stance, but pressing him down is like trying to press Jell-O against a wall,” said Michael Starr Hopkins, an alum of Hillary Clinton and former President Obama’s presidential campaigns and an opinion writer for Th.
