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Year: 2024

Trump risks losing some pro-life voters unless he changes ‘his tune’ on abortion, activist warns

Trump risks losing some pro-life voters unless he changes ‘his tune’ on abortion, activist warns

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump’s shifting stance on some of his abortion policies to attract independents and some disillusioned Democrats could alienate those who helped get him elected in 2016 – his pro-life base. But his growing support from middle-of-the-road voters could make up for it. “No one owns the pro-life vote,” leading pro-life organization Live Action founder Lila Rose told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. “It has to be earned.” Rose stirred controversy on X, formerly Twitter, Monday by reposting a clip from Sen. JD Vance’s recent “Meet the Press” interview, where he pledged that a Trump-Vance administration would likely veto a federal abortion ban. “If you don’t stand for pro-life principles, you don’t get pro-life votes,” Rose said in the post. JD VANCE VOWS TRUMP WOULD NOT IMPOSE FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, VETO IT IF IT COMES ACROSS HIS DESK When asked about the post, Rose said that as of now, Trump doesn’t have her vote – and he could be at risk of alienating others in the pro-life movement. She said she hopes she will be able to vote for him come November. “We’re over two months out of this election, and Trump has changed his position in the past, as everyone knows, and I think that he’s changing it now to support abortion,” Rose said. “Thankfully, the election is not today, and he has two months to change his tune.” “I hope that Trump changes course,” Rose said. “I think it’s politically foolish and morally wrong what he’s doing. I think he’s not winning any pro-abortion people to his side. Kamala Harris spent an entire week at the DNC cheerleading for the abortion industry to shore up her base, and then President Trump comes out and throws his base under the bus and tries to cheerlead for Kamala’s base.” REP. MAXINE WATERS DODGES QUESTION ON CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION PROCEDURE This election cycle, Trump has countered Democratic attacks by stating he would leave abortion access to the states, as determined by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and opposes a federal abortion ban. The Republican Party also abandoned its long-standing position of advocating for abortion limits in July. However, Trump has remained opposed to late-term abortions. “President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion and has been very clear that he will NOT sign a federal ban when he is back in the White House,” Trump-Vance campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. “President Trump also supports universal access to contraception and IVF. Contrarily, Kamala Harris and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and forcing taxpayers to fund it.” NEWSOM DODGES QUESTION ON HARRIS PRICE CONTROLS: ‘SHE HASN’T PUT OUT THE DETAILS’ But Rose says the opposition to not supporting a federal ban is precisely the problem, because “the whole point of the pro-life movement politically, is to restrict abortion to save human lives.” “Increasingly, his platform and his rhetoric is pro-abortion and that should disturb and concern the pro-life movement as it is,” she said. To earn her vote, she said, Trump would need to champion pro-life laws and oppose Amendment Four – the right to abortion initiative – in Florida. On Friday, Trump also upset anti-abortion activists when he posted on his Truth Social platform, “My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.” He has also indicated he would not restrict access to abortion prescriptions.  Meanwhile, Trump continues to make gains with independents and former Democrats. On Sunday, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump, and a day later, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard also endorsed the former president. Both politicians are now signed on to Trump’s “transition team,” according to the campaign. 

Harris gains on Trump on economy and crime, poll finds

Harris gains on Trump on economy and crime, poll finds

Former President Donald Trump’s edge over Vice President Kamala Harris on the topics of crime and economic policy is slipping, according to a new poll.  The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, released on Tuesday, shows Trump now maintains a slim 3% lead against Harris on employment and economic issues — 43% against Harris’s 40%.  In late July, Trump was leading Harris on economic issues by 11 points in the same poll. 2024 COUNTDOWN: HARRIS HAS POST-DNC MOMENTUM BUT TRUMP IS BURNING UP CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH 10 WEEKS LEFT The gap is closing between the candidates on other key issues as well. Trump and Harris are now tied at 40% on the issue of tackling crime and corruption.  Last month, Trump led Harris by 5 percentage points on the issue.  The margin of error for the August poll is +/- 4%, meaning even Trump’s economic policy advantage is too close to be considered a solid lead. CURRENT POLLS ACTUALLY SHOULD GIVE HARRIS BACKERS REASON TO WORRY ABOUT HER CHANCES: DEM STRATEGIST Political operatives and pollsters are working desperately to build a reliable model of U.S. voters heading into the November presidential election, but accuracy remains a concern following 2016 and 2020. Democratic pollsters also fear the prospect of another polling error, even though several of the party’s top firms got together in an attempt to diagnose the problem after the two past elections. “Every year, we’ve had different curveballs. This is a difficult industry,” John Anzalone, the lead pollster on Biden’s 2020 campaign, told Politico. “Something’s gonna happen in 2024. You and I, right now, don’t know what that is.” While Trump won in 2016 and failed to win re-election in 2020, the former president greatly outperformed his polling numbers in two close elections — a fact that is not lost on Democrats heading into the last stretch of 2024. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted between Aug. 23 and Aug. 25. The group surveyed 1,028 adults, 902 of whom were registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

RFK Jr. cannot remove name from ballots in 2 key battleground states

RFK Jr. cannot remove name from ballots in 2 key battleground states

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cannot remove himself from the ballot in the two key battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, despite discontinuing his independent run for president and the dynastic Democrat endorsing former President Trump days ago.  Kennedy will remain on the ballot in Michigan as a candidate for the Natural Law Party, which nominated him for president during their convention this year.  “Minor party candidates cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot in the November election,” Cheri Hardmon, senior press secretary for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, said in a statement to NBC News.  The Wisconsin Elections Commission, meanwhile, voted Tuesday to keep Kennedy on the presidential ballot, despite his request to be removed, and also rejected a Democratic attempt to oust independent candidate Cornel West. A move by Democratic elections commissioners to keep Green Party candidate Jill Stein off the ballot also failed.  TRUMP ADDS RFK JR., TULSI GABBARD TO HIS TRANSITION TEAM AS HE RECRUITS SUPPORTERS ‘ACROSS PARTISAN LINES’ Trump added Kennedy and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team on Monday.  Kennedy’s campaign sent the Wisconsin Elections Commission a letter dated Friday asking that his name be removed from the ballot.  Although Kennedy has said in his speech formally dropping out of the race Friday that he would try to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states where his candidacy could be a spoiler, he added that he wasn’t formally ending his bid and said his supporters could continue to back him in the majority of states, whether red or blue, where they are unlikely to sway the outcome. “In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name, and I’ve already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me,” Kennedy said. “Our polling consistently showed by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues.”  Republican members of the commission in Wisconsin pushed to grant Kennedy his wish to no longer be on the ballot after he suspended his campaign last week and endorsed Trump. The commission was deadlocked under opposition from Democrats, who pointed to Wisconsin state law that says once a candidate has filed for office, they must remain on the ballot unless they die. RFK JR RESPONDS TO DRAMA WITHIN KENNEDY FAMILY, WIFE’S DISCOMFORT AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT “We know Trump and Kennedy are playing games,” Democratic elections commission member Mark Thomsen said, according to the Associated Press. “Whatever games they’re playing, they have to play them with Kennedy on the ballot.” “The statute literally says, ‘Any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in case of death of the person,’” Ann Jacobs, the chair of the commission, said, according to video of the proceedings published by the nonprofit public affairs network known as the WisconsinEye.  “You’re giving me this touchy-feely: ‘I feel like this shouldn’t be the law.’ The law in this case is crystal clear,” she added. “I don’t disagree with you — it’s weird, but I don’t see we have any discretion here.”  Republican commissioner Don Millis said he struggled with the state law requiring candidates to be on the ballot once they have filed. After his motion to remove Kennedy failed on a 3-3 vote, Millis and one other Republican commissioner sided with all three Democrats in voting to place Kennedy, West and Claudia De la Cruz of the Socialism and Liberation Party on the ballot as independents. Ultimately, the commission approved eight presidential candidates for the ballot in Wisconsin: Democrat Kamala Harris; Republican Donald Trump; Randall Terry of the Constitution Party; Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party; De la Cruz, Kennedy, West and Stein. The presence of independent and third party candidates on the ballot could be a key factor in a state where four of the last six presidential elections have been decided by between 5,700 votes and about 23,000 votes. The Associated Press contributed to this report.