With less than two months remaining until Election Day, former President Donald Trump is making a concerted effort to appeal to women voters. In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that reproductive rights will become a non-issue if he is re-elected, asserting that women’s lives have significantly deteriorated under current circumstances.
In an all-caps message posted on September 20, Trump claimed that women today are “miserable” and promised to enhance their lives, emphasizing a desire to shift focus away from abortion. He asserted, “Women are poorer than they were four years ago, are less healthy than they were four years ago, are less safe on the streets than they were four years ago, are more depressed and unhappy than they were four years ago, and are less optimistic and confident in the future than they were four years ago!”
Trump continued, vowing to address these issues quickly. “I will fix all of that, and fast, and at long last this national nightmare will be over. Women will be happy, healthy, confident, and free! You will no longer be thinking about abortion, because it is now where it always had to be, with the States, and a vote of the people.” He also reiterated a controversial and false assertion that Democrats support the “execution of a baby after birth.”
The following day, Trump held a campaign rally in North Carolina, reiterating his messages aimed at women. He declared, “I will protect women at a level never seen before. They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe, and secure. Their lives will be happy, beautiful, and their lives will be great again. So women, we love you. We’re going to take care of you.”
However, Trump’s efforts may be complicated by his standing with women voters. A recent NBC News poll reported that he is trailing Vice President Kamala Harris by 21 points among women, a decline from his deficits of 12 points in 2016 and 15 points in 2020. This downward trend raises concerns for Trump’s campaign as he seeks to regain lost ground.
The backdrop to this political maneuvering includes the first presidential debate, held on September 10, where Trump and Harris clashed on reproductive rights. During the debate, Harris pledged to reinstate Roe v. Wade, while Trump lauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn it. “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to believe the government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling women what to do with their bodies,” Harris argued.
Just hours before Trump sought to connect with female voters, Harris criticized him for contributing to what she called a reproductive rights “crisis.” Speaking at a rally in Atlanta, she highlighted the suffering caused by state abortion bans, stating, “It’s happening every day in our country: an untold number of people suffering, women, who are also being made to feel as though they did something wrong.”
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Harris reassured those affected by the recent changes in abortion law, saying, “So to those women, to those families, I say on behalf of what I believe we all say: We see you, and you are not alone, and we are all here standing with you.” She went on to frame the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a “healthcare crisis” and placed the blame squarely on Trump, calling him “the architect of this crisis.”
As the election draws closer, reproductive rights are expected to be a significant topic for both campaigns. Trump’s attempts to reframe the narrative around women’s issues may resonate with some voters, but it remains to be seen whether his messaging can effectively counteract the established concerns women have regarding their rights and wellbeing under his administration.
This election cycle is shaping up to be crucial for both parties as they seek to mobilize their bases and attract undecided voters. With reproductive rights at the forefront of the political conversation, the strategies employed by candidates will likely influence the outcome in key battleground states.
As the campaign intensifies, it will be essential for both Trump and Harris to articulate clear policies that address the needs and concerns of women voters, as their choices could very well determine the next president.
