US election: Trump attacks Harris on abortion, an issue he rarely discusses

By Stephanie Lai
 

Donald Trump attacked Democrats on abortion, seeking to position himself as a moderate voice on the issue as he pivoted to a new general election challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris.
 

“She is a radical, crazy person,” Trump said at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday evening, his first since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris as his successor — the latest twist in an already volatile presidential election. 

“When you compare my position on abortion to that of Kamala Harris, my position is eight points higher in the polls,” Trump said, without specifying the basis for that assertion. Surveys generally show that people say they trust Democrats more than Republicans on the issue.

 

The former president focused on abortion in a winding speech in which he spent much of his energy attacking Harris and seeking to neutralise her strengths as a candidate. Trump assailed her record as a prosecutor, arguing that she was soft on crime, as well as her stances on immigration and gun rights, providing a glimpse at how he is shifting his messaging to adapt to a new opponent.

He has generally shied away from talking about abortion on the campaign trail, an issue where he is out of step with many of of his evangelical supporters who are pushing for a federal ban on the procedure. He didn’t mention the issue in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention last week.

Harris has been an unapologetic voice for Democrats on abortion access, an issue she is more comfortable discussing than than the 81-year-old Irish Catholic president. Reproductive rights are likely to play a central role in her campaign.

Trump wants to restrict access to abortion, but said he prefers that states get to vote and decide. On Wednesday, he pointed out that Ohio and Kansas — both Republican leaning states — voted for “liberal” policies on reproductive rights.

Abortion focus
 

Democrats are seeking to make abortion access a top issue in the election, highlighting Republican efforts to pursue federal bans and restrictive state-level policies in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court ruling to strike down the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed abortion rights nationwide for roughly half a century.

The ensuing debate has been a political quagmire for Republicans, many of whom find their support for restrictions increasingly out-of-step with the public. Trump and his campaign for months have tried to neutralise the issue. On Wednesday, he reiterated his stance to allow exceptions for women seeking in cases involving rape, incest and when the mother’s life is at risk. 

Trump nominated three conservative justices to the bench, who sided with the majority repealing the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. 

His advisers have publicly downplayed the effect of Democrats replacing Biden, who was beset by worries about his age and fitness, with a candidate who at 59 is more than two decades younger. But the shakeup has put Republicans seemingly on the backfoot, testing new attack lines as they rush to recast a new opponent to voters with less than four months until the election.

One attack line Trump and allies appear to have settled on is linking Harris to the crisis on the US-Mexico border, where an influx of migrants has strained communities across the country. Voters have cast the border as a signature issue and Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations if elected — and floated using the military to do so.

“Kamala’s handling of the border should be disqualifying. She should never be trusted,” Trump said. “If border czar Harris stays in charge, every week will bring in blood thirsty rapists to go after our sons and daughters.”

Dealing with the root causes of migration was one of the topics in Harris’ portfolio at the start of the administration, and she faced mounting criticism as the border situation worsened and lawmakers and the White House failed to agree on a legislative solution. Biden eventually took executive action to curb asylum claims after Trump pressured Republicans to kill a bipartisan deal that would have provided more border resources.

Trump has labeled Harris the “border czar” even though other officials had greater — and direct responsibility — for the situation such as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Recent days have seen some Trump allies cast the ticket switch as a coup, while others have questioned Biden’s ability to continue serving out his term. 

Republican leaders in the House urged lawmakers to avoid any racist or sexist attacks against Harris, already an historic figure as the first woman, Black and Asian-American vice president, after one of their members, Representative Tim Burchett, derided her as a “DEI vice president,” using the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Trump in Truth Social posts has mocked Harris, calling her “Dumb as a Rock,” dubbing her “Lyin’ Kamala Harris,” and complaining that his campaign must now “start all over again” after months spent fighting against Biden. 

New opponent
 

The rally in swing-state North Carolina — a battleground Trump won narrowly but where Democrats have been committing more resources — comes amid a burst of campaign activity for the former president. 

In the last month, Trump, 78, has survived an assassination attempt at a political rally, received a rapturous welcome at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — an event highlighting his hold on the party — and unveiled his vice presidential pick, Senator JD Vance of Ohio. He also plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. 

Harris has quickly sown up the support of enough pledged delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination and hit the campaign trail — touting her background as a prosecutor to lambaste the first former president in US history convicted of a felony.