A whirlwind 24 hours for Trump on abortion: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.

On today’s episode of Meet the Press, moderator Kristen Welker explains how reproductive rights remain a challenge for Donald Trump and the GOP. Plus, Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor examines how Kamala Harris is preparing for her first debate with Trump.

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Reproductive rights remain a A political minefield for Trump

By Kristen Welker

The past 24 hours have highlighted that the issue of abortion remains a major political land mine for Donald Trump and the GOP heading into the final stages of the election.

It started Thursday — the same day Vice President Kamala Harris sat for it first big interview As the Democratic presidential candidate – when Trump says NBC News’ Dasha Burns He said Florida’s six-week abortion ban was “too short” and that he would “vote that we need more than six weeks” when asked about a ballot measure that would expand access to abortion in his home state of Florida. His campaign clarified that evening that it had not yet taken a position on the proposed constitutional amendment.

And perhaps more importantly, Trump on Thursday told Burns that he supports not only protecting access to in vitro fertilization, but also having the federal government or insurance companies cover those costs.

Then, on Friday afternoon, after receiving a swift backlash from the right, he was out Against Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure.

“So I think six weeks is more than six weeks. I didn’t agree with it when I heard about it from the first primaries, I didn’t agree with it,” Trump told Fox News. “At the same time, Democrats are radical because nine months is just a ninth-month abortion.” It’s a ridiculous situation that you can do. … So I’m going to vote no on that.”

Florida’s amendment would prohibit restrictions on abortion until fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy, while providing exceptions to protect the health of the mother.

Trump’s comments on both abortion and IVF show just how difficult the issues are for the Republican candidate, even though he appears to be taking a more popular position among the general electorate, according to polls.

On the one political side, there were anti-abortion conservatives Erick EricksonTrump’s initial comments, which he scoffed at, warned he could win support from a critical slice of the GOP base. On the other hand, Harris’s campaign and Democrats supported Roe v., which left abortion up to the states. He continued to bash Trump for his role in the Supreme Court overturning Wade’s case.

And then there’s the financial side to Trump’s plans. with price tag At about $20,000 each for IVF treatment, the government’s cost would be billions of taxpayer dollars.

Reversal of Roe hurt Republicans and energized Democrats—just look at the 2022 midterms and recent statewide ballot measures.

But Trump’s last 24 hours have revealed just how problematic the abortion and IVF debate has become for Republicans, even for a presidential candidate doing his best to avoid the issues.

How Harris is preparing for Trump’s first debate

By Yamiche Alcindor

Kamala Harris has been preparing for the debate stage for months. Only, instead of facing the GOP VP nominee as originally expected, he’s preparing for his first battle with Donald Trump in less than two weeks.

Here’s a look at how Harris is preparing for the debate, according to four sources familiar with the Democratic nominee’s preparations.

Getting under Trump’s skin: A source told NBC News that as Harris’ team prepares to talk about a variety of issues, the campaign considers the optics of the debate very important. To that end, Harris and his team are focusing on how to nail Trump, the source said.

In that sense, the source said, it will be less about substance and more about showcasing Harris as a woman who is fearless and fearless, standing up to Trump and holding him accountable.

Strain on how to differentiate Biden: Differentiating between Harris and Biden is a source of tension, as some in Harris’s team feel he may have to respectfully but forcefully place blame at Biden’s feet for some problems, such as the Afghanistan withdrawal.

One source said the withdrawal in 2021 was seen as an “obvious weakness” that Harris was working out how to address.

Avoiding a Tulsi Gabbard moment: Harris and his team are mostly focused on one run at a time Democratic presidential primary debate In July 2019, when then-Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii launched a protracted attack on Harris’ prosecutorial documents.

Gabbard (who recently endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid) accused Harris of arresting more than 1,500 people for marijuana violations while he was a California prosecutor, adding that he “laughed it off when asked if he ever smoked weed.” caused applause from the audience.

Harris and his team were unprepared for the onslaught, and are working to ensure he can pivot quickly in the face of a similar approach from Trump.

Read more from Yamiche about Harris’ preparation for the debate →

That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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