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On today’s episode, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker discusses how reproductive rights remain a difficult issue for Donald Trump and the GOP. Plus, Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor examines how Kamala Harris is preparing for her first conversation with Trump.
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Reproductive rights remain a political minefield for Trump
Author: Kristen Welker
The past 24 hours have highlighted how the abortion issue remains a major political landmine for Donald Trump and the GOP heading into the final stages of the election.
It began Thursday — the same day Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for her first major interview as the Democratic presidential nominee — when Trump told NBC News’ Dasha Burns that Florida’s six-week abortion ban was “too short” and that he would vote “we need more than six weeks” when he was asked about a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in his home state of Florida. His campaign clarified that night that he had not yet taken a position on the proposed constitutional amendment.
And perhaps more importantly, Trump also told Burns on Thursday that he not only supported making IVF safe, but that the federal government or insurance companies would cover those costs.
Then on Friday afternoon, after a swift backlash from the right, he opposed Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure.
“So I think six weeks, you need more time than six weeks. I disagreed with that right from the primaries, when I heard about it, I disagreed with it, Trump said in his comments to Fox News. – At the same time, the Democrats are radical because nine months is just a ridiculous situation , where you can have an abortion in the ninth month. … So I vote no for this reason.”
Florida’s amendment would ban restrictions on abortion before the fetus is viable, around the 24th week of pregnancy, while ensuring exceptions to protect the mother’s health.
Trump’s statements on both abortion and IVF show how difficult the issues are for the Republican nominee — even though he appears to be taking a position more popular with the general public, according to polls.
On one political side were anti-abortion conservatives like Erick Erickson, who derided Trump’s initial comments, warning they could cost him support from a critical segment of the GOP base. On the other hand, the Harris campaign and Democrats continued to bash Trump for his role on the Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade, which left the issue of abortion up to the states.
And then there’s the economic side of Trump’s plans. With a price tag of around $20,000 for IVF treatments, the government would cover the cost in the billions of taxpayer dollars.
Roe’s U-turn has hurt Republicans and energized Democrats — just look at the 2022 midterms and the results of recent state ballot measures.
But Trump’s last 24 hours revealed how the abortion and IVF debate remains problematic for Republicans, even for a presidential candidate who is trying his best to sidestep the issues.
How Harris is preparing for his first Trump debate
Author: Yamiche Alcindor
Kamala Harris has been preparing for the debate stage for months. Instead of facing off against the GOP vice presidential nominee as originally expected, she is now preparing for her first showdown with Donald Trump in less than two weeks.
Here’s a look at how Harris is preparing for the debate, according to a source familiar with the preparations for the four Democratic candidates.
Getting under Trump’s skin: A source told NBC News that while Harris’ team is preparing to speak on a variety of topics, the campaign is placing a high priority on the optics of the debate. To that end, the source said, Harris and his team are focusing on learning how to pin Trump down to rattle him.
In that sense, the source said, it’s less about content and more about presenting Harris as a woman who’s not afraid and won’t fall, who stands up to Trump and holds him accountable.
Excitement on how to separate from Biden: The separation between Harris and Biden is a source of tension, with some on Harris’ team taking the approach that he may have to respectfully but forcefully lay the blame for some problems, such as the Afghanistan withdrawal, squarely at Biden’s feet.
One source said the 2021 withdrawal is seen as an “obvious vulnerability” that Harris is preparing to address.
Avoiding a Tulsi Gabbard moment: Harris and his team are most focused on avoiding the moment in the July 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate when Tulsi Gabbard, then a member of the House of Representatives from Hawaii, launched a lengthy attack on Harris’ prosecutorial record.
Gabbard (who recently endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid) accused Harris of incarcerating more than 1,500 people for marijuana offenses during her time as a prosecutor in California, adding that she “laughed it off when asked if she ever smoked marijuana.” received a standing ovation from the audience.
Harris and his team were unprepared for the onslaught and sought to ensure he could quickly pivot in the face of a similar approach from Trump.
Read more from Yamiche about Harris’ debate preparations →
🗞️ Today’s top stories
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📺 ICYMI: Here are the best takeaways from Harris’ first sit-down interview since he topped the Democratic ticket. Read more →
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📬 Miscellaneous messages: Elon Musk has attacked voting by mail, but records show he’s done it twice in California. And his super PAC has been sending out letters asking Wisconsin voters to seek absentee ballots to support Trump. Read more →
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📸 Look at this photo: Trump said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg “will spend the rest of his life in prison.” if he does "nothing illegal" influence the presidential election, according to excerpts from the former president’s upcoming photo book. Read more →
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🗳️ Enemy of my enemy: The New York Times reports how some Democratic operatives are agitating for an anti-abortion third-party presidential candidate in hopes of eating into Trump’s support. Read more →
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👀 Inflation Watch: Inflation was slightly higher last month, a measure favored by the Federal Reserve, ahead of expected rate cuts. Read more →
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⚾ Play ball: Rudy Giuliani’s defamed Georgia election workers are trying to seize his multimillion-dollar homes in New York and Florida, as well as some of his prized personal possessions — including three Yankees World Series rings. . Read more →
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⛳ Ahead! Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to put golf courses in a state park with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Read more →
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
