Posted on 04/01/2016 4:29:09 PM PDT by ConservativeTeen
Donald Trump said Friday that he believes the laws regulating abortion should stay as they are, but he doesn't disagree with the proposition that abortion is murder.
The GOP frontrunner lit a fresh controversy this week with his shifting responses to a question on abortion policy. He said during an MSNBC town hall on Tuesday that he'd like to see the practice banned, and that women who undergo it should face "some form of punishment." But he quickly backtracked, explaining in a statement that while he believes it should be banned, the punishment should be levied on abortion providers, not the women seeking abortions.
Trump sought to clarify his position during an interview on Friday with "Face the Nation" moderator John Dickerson. The interview will air, in part, on Sunday's broadcast.
"A question was asked to me. And it was asked in a very hypothetical. And it was said, 'Illegal, illegal,'" Trump explained. "I've been told by some people that was an older line answer and that was an answer that was given on a, you know, basis of an older line from years ago on a very conservative basis."
Asked how he'd like to change the law to further restrict access to abortions, Trump replied, "The laws are set now on abortion and that's the way they're going to remain until they're changed."
"I would've preferred states' rights," he added. "I think it would've been better if it were up to the states. But right now, the laws are set....At this moment, the laws are set. And I think we have to leave it that way."
"Do you think abortion is murder?" Dickerson asked.
"I have my opinions on it, but I'd rather not comment on it," Trump replied.
"You said you were very pro-life," Dickerson followed up. "Pro-life means that...abortion is murder."
"I mean, I do have my opinions on it. I just don't think it's an appropriate forum," said Trump.
"But you don't disagree with that proposition, that it's murder?" Dickerson asked.
"No, I don't disagree with it," Trump eventually replied.
The back-and-forth over abortion wasn't the only political controversy involving Trump this week. He also stood by his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who's been charged with battery after allegedly grabbing a reporter's arm during a public event last month. And he suggested on Tuesday that he no longer feels bound by his pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, complaining that the party has treated him "very unfairly."
Despite a chorus of critics assailing both moves, Trump told "Face the Nation" it hasn't been the worst week of his campaign.
"I think I've had many bad weeks and I've had many good weeks. I don't see this as the worst week in my campaign," he said. "But certainly, I've had some weeks, and you've been reporting on them, where that was the end. And then the next week, you see poll numbers where they went up and everybody's shocked."
"So yeah, people want to stop me because I'm leading by a lot," he added.
For more of the interview with Trump, tune into "Face the Nation" on Sunday. Check your local listings for airtimes. © 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The guy who voted for a 2 trillion dollar open ended budget? Wrote TPA and backs TPP, Paul Ryan? Real freaking "conservative," huh?
Another slimey politician. He and Ted will partner real well selling out this country when Ted's president.
Not voting for anyone with that mindset. Nope...nada...not happening!
They had their chance and they blew it. Again, they lost thier own home states. Ryan couldn't even win Wisconsin in the general.
And if you are a Cruz fan
I don’t care about Trump’s adventures on the campaign trail. I care about where he really stands on the issues and if he will be consistent and be able to defend them. So far, it doesn’t look good. Just in the last week, he has wobbled on (or been unable to articulate) his position on taxes, federal healthcare, federal education, and abortion.
“So the left wing Trump has appeared.
He is losing me very quickly as second choice. He should have run as a democrat.”
****************************************************************************************
He’s still my 2nd choice. Rush discussed today the need (for ALL Republican candidates) to be prepared for “ambush” type questions and to know how to respond to their entrapment attempts. IMHO, Trump wasn’t prepared and “panicked”. For the time being, I’ll put his unsound answers down to panic & confusion. He did not do himself any good with his answers.
Not one thing you said was true, But Doros thanks you for parroting the propaganda.
It just seems to me he has not really thought this out. This is pretty embarrassing. He is running for president, and while the abortion issue may not be important to him, it is VERY important to a lot of people.
Do we trust his next position?
....”He keeps changing his mind”....
That’s ok mlizzy......Trump doesn’t know what he believes either..he has a ‘selective memory’ that borders on delusional ideas of who he is (a trait for a Narcissist of his type).... so ‘consistency’ is almost unattainable if they do not have control of their environment. The Political Environment he’s in currently is not that which he began with....he’s in the big leagues of Political fever and he’s out of his league and comfort zone and he knows it.....but he’s in too far in now he’ll be lucky if he can find a way of escaping ,or even if he can identify that he needs one. His massive ego has got the best of him at this point.
Let me share that the ‘National Security’ leadership didn’t just meet with Trump for a friendly sit down.....
The stealth operators? Yeah, Sept 2015, we know who the operator is here, newbie. If you don’t plan on voting for the nominee with the majority vote, then you are the enemy. If Trump gets 1237 delegates, then we will vote for him. If he doesn’t get 1237, but still wins the nomination, we will vote for him. If you care at all about the future of this country, you won’t let another democrat have 4 more years. All of you that say you won’t vote for the nominee, if it isn’t Trump, are the stealth operators around here trying to run our country into the ground.
I read the whole thing. I just didn’t like how the moderator had to basically ask three times for him to answer it, and that didn’t negate what he said about the law being set.
Legislating from the bench is what gave us legalized abortion. If he will appoint someone that will undo Roe vs. Wade, that’s a great thing. That’s what he had been saying since he announced, and that’s why his comment in that CBS interview was upsetting to me.
Sorry Charlie but your barking up the wrong tree.
BAM!
No comment on this clown’s New York Values!
We can write in Trump and he could still win.
......” If you dont plan on voting for the nominee with the majority vote, then you are the enemy”.....
Majority vote has not obtained any winner to date.....thus it may go to conference if one or the other doesn’t ‘win’ the count required and none have it.....
Not a chance.
Millions of us will write in Trump. Nothing will change that. :)
What values? The don’t call it a “New York state of mind” for nothing.
Nobody knows.
Trump doesn’t even know what he thinks until he wakes up in his New York apartment and tweets what he thinks.
Then he reads the tweet and goes, “Oh, so that’s what I think. Well, okay then, I’ll go with that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.