Donald Trump sought to present himself as the "father of IVF" on Wednesday, as he told an all-female audience at an election campaign event he supported a fertility treatment that Democrats say he has put under threat.
The Republican candidate did not explain what he meant, but his remarks were the latest in a series of conflicting stances he has taken on reproductive rights, a key weakness in his push for the White House.
"I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question," Trump told Fox News in the closely-watched swing state of Georgia as the topic turned to in vitro fertilization.
"We really are the party for IVF. We want fertilization, and it's all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it and we're out there on IVF even more than them."
Ahead of the November 5 vote, Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris have been reaching beyond their traditional support to woo undecided voters who do not consume traditional media.
The former president was in front of a friendly crowd but it was still considered a challenging topic as women have been turned off by his statements on reproductive rights, and by his campaign more broadly.
Trump has been all over the map on the issue in the last 15 years, initially describing himself as "pro-choice" before calling for "some form of punishment" for women seeking abortions.
He announced in August that in a second term he would ensure free IVF, provoking a backlash over a procedure that many in the anti-abortion movement want to see curbed.
At the same time, he boasts about appointing Supreme Court justices who ended federal protections for abortion access in 2022 -- although more recently he has begun to worry that Republicans are out of step with voters.
Reproductive rights activists fear that the Supreme Court decision threatens IVF and were given cause by a February ruling in Alabama that frozen embryos could be considered people, leading to several clinics briefly pausing treatments.
Harris, who has made the defense of reproductive rights a centerpiece of her election platform, attacked Trump over his claims to support IVF.
"What is he talking about?" Harris said on X. "His abortion bans have already jeopardized access to it in states across the country -- and his own platform could end IVF altogether."
She told reporters on her plane that her opponent should "take responsibility for the fact that one in three women in America lives in a Trump abortion ban state."
Numerous states have enacted crackdowns on the procedure since the Supreme Court's ruling and Trump conceded that some had been "too tough," pledging that even Republican states would moderate over time.
Georgia, which shattered records on the first day of early voting Tuesday, is one of the country's most hotly-contested battlegrounds, and the election is deadlocked in polling.
© 2024 AFP
29 Comments
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plasticmonkey
Doesn't matter. His cult followers will laud this as genius and put it on a T-shirt.
TaiwanIsNotChina
He really meant to say he is the "Father of IVF Restrictions".
Capuchin
A picture's worth a thousand words.
Cards fan
He really has a way with words. Lmao
bass4funk
He did. He said he supports it.
Cards fan
Yes, because if you support something, that makes you the father of it.
Makes total sense.
Ah_so
I would love it if one of Trump's fans on Thurs sure could explain what he actually meant when he said he was the father of IVF, because to anyone else, they are the ramblings of a mad man.
Imagine if Biden had uttered those words...
konjo4u
He fathered children with multiple women. Three that we know about. That is kind of a throwback for civilized society. Caveman, actually.
lincolnman
Just look at that pic - when a Fox talking head looks at you like; "What did this crazy %^&* just say", you know you're melting down...
"I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question," Trump told Fox News in the closely-watched swing state of Georgia as the topic turned to in vitro fertilization.
I'm assuming by IVF he doesn't mean Invitro Fertilization but Ida Von Faulkenberg - his child from one of his "dalliances"...
Really, our MAGA-friends here have worn out every ridiculous excuse they could come up with to try to dodge and weave from his clear mental breakdown - you ain't foolin' no one... The guy's three tacos short of a lunch plate...
And the last time I checked our "life begins at conception" folks here all believe a fertilized embryo is a "person", so IVF, which could kill the "person" when it fails is "child murder"...
So Trump just confessed to supporting killing babies - the same as with his 15th week abortion ban...he's just alienated all his evangelical supporters...
MAGA-world is crumbling and burning...
wallace
From a guy found liable for sexual abuse. End of Roe vs Wade. Women can't trust Trump.
bass4funk
So how would decide Nick Cannon?
Bob Fosse
He could ask kari lake about it. In her senate debate this week she proclaimed her support for ‘UVF’ multiple times. Another flip flopping fake.
Phoneys.
bass4funk
The left are the last people to call anyone fake flipping or phony, ROFL!
wallace
The interview was for an all-female audience. Female issues were at the forefront. Abortions. IVF. Sexual abuse.
wallace
We all know that Trump is a danger to women.
wallace
In her new book, Melania Trump comes out with full support for abortions.
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom. What does my body, my choice really mean?” the former first lady said in a video posted on X.
Bob Fosse
I’m not ‘the left’.
The biggest mistake you and black make is assuming everyone has a team. I grew out of teams when I left high school.
Just because I don’t like your team doesn’t mean I belong to one.
lincolnman
OK, prove it...
Do you still believe life begins at conception? Or have YOU FLIPPED and now support Trump's view permitting abortions until the 15th week?
https://apnews.com/article/trump-abortion-ban-15-weeks-91a9e0ce87d11dff0fa761f327bd0566
Do you agree with Trump when he says he will be the best at "protecting a woman's reproductive rights? Or do agree with his previous statement when he said women should be prosecuted if they get an abortion?
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/24/trump-abortion-reactions-00176276
Since IVF is transplanting a live embryo, should the parents and doctors be charged with murder if the procedure fails?
stormcrow
Trump is the father of big government being in Maude of a woman’s uterus, especially as it pertains to abortion.
ulysses
donald is the father of IVF, Kari Lake the mother of UVF. Between them fertility treatments are DVF, dying very fast!!!
stormcrow
Should say “inside of”
self correct run away with itself
Ken
wow that was Fox affiliated and he still managed to lose voters from his weird responses
Underworld
bass4funk
Doesn't matter. His cult followers will laud this as genius and put it on a T-shirt.
And yet he single-handedly endangered it.
That’s what people will remember.
Jimizo
Eh?
I think playing music and swaying is more suitable for the old man these days.
Downward spiral. Picking up speed.
bass4funk
If you think so, you are free to do that.
lincolnman
Still waiting....
Blacklabel
Waiting for what? I have answered your repetitive question dozens of times over the past years.
lincolnman
I was referring to the person that posted this at 08:02; "The left are the last people to call anyone fake flipping or phony, ROFL!"
But since he's gone MIA, pls answer them....we're waiting...
Blacklabel
Ask your questions coherently and concisely and I will answer them. Again:
waiting…..
bass4funk
You already got your answer. Anything else you want to add to the discussion other than just Trump bashing? Yaaawn...