Donald Trump procrastinates on abortion and disappoints the radical fringe of his supporters

Seven months before the American presidential election, the Republican candidate was cautious on this flammable subject. With the primaries in hand, he must now speak to all Americans if he wants to win on November 5 against Joe Biden.

“Donald Trump cautious” are not words we are used to throwing around. And yet,fter weeks of ambiguity, the former president, who aspires to become one again, took a position on abortion. In a video, published Monday April 8 on his Truth Social platform, he finally ruled out any plan to ban abortion across the United States. Yet this is what his most radical supporters, within the ultra-conservative Christian electorate, were demanding.

The Republican candidate prefers to leave control to each state. “They will be the ones to decide, by referendum or by law.”whether abortion is legal and after how many weeks of pregnancy, explains Donald Trump. You know the political proverb: “to bury a problem, create a commission”. Trump version, it gives: “to bury a problem, send it back to the States”. Immediately, Joe Biden mocked his rival’s balancing act. “He got entangled”believes the Democratic president.

Of course, Donald Trump still gave assurances to anti-abortion activists. In the video, he recalls that he himself has appointed very conservative judges to the Supreme Court. This has already made it possible to unravel the legislation on abortion in several states. But the SBA association, fiercely anti-abortion, expressed its “a huge disappointment” after the former president’s position.

“A minefield” for Donald Trump

If Donald Trump has chosen to show temperance on this issue, at the risk of displeasing his fans, it is first a question of calendar. The Republican primary is tilted in his favor. Donald Trump therefore no longer needs to specifically address the most conservative electorate. He must now speak to all Americans and convince moderate voters if he wants to win on November 5 against Joe Biden.

Donald Trump also knows that this theme of abortion, “a minefield” he said privately, divides his camp and unifies the one opposite, the Democrats. Moreover, at the polls in recent months, each time a local vote came down to the theme of abortion, its defenders won. Including in conservative states, like Ohio and Kansas. This is why, in another less commented passage of his video, Donald Trump justified himself to the hard-line fringe of his electorate: “Certainly, on this subject [l’avortement]you have to listen to your heart, but don’t forget that you also have to win the election”.