Maggie Haberman Calls BS on Trump Not Pushing Abortion Ban If He Wins: ‘Turns The Issue Over’ To Anti-Abortion Activists

CNN commentator and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman called BS on the idea that former President Donald Trump would oppose a national abortion ban if he wins, saying he typically “turn(s) the issue over” to anti-abortion activists.

Trump released a widely-covered announcement in which he took great pains to convey that his actions have left the issue of abortion to the states, giving the impression he opposes or does not favor a national abortion ban. President Joe Biden’s campaign pushed back hard on that impression in a series of statements and on a press call.

On Tuesday night’s edition of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Haberman called out Trump’s original announcement as “A statement that was not clarifying.”

In a segment hosted by Anderson Cooper and featuring Republican pollster Frank Luntz, Haberman went on say that Trump thinks he has the “credibility” with evangelicals, and has “historically reverted” to putting the activists in charge once he’s in office:

COOPER: And Maggie, I mean, if Trump is elected in November, do you think he would change his position to support a federal abortion ban? I mean, I guess there’s – I mean, of course, he’s certainly open to changing his position on a lot of things.

HABERMAN: Right. Anderson, I think that’s the point. And I think that’s what you will hear Democrats say and point to a lot that Trump has been in several different places on abortion.

He does have credibility with evangelicals because of what he did in terms of appointing conservative justices to the Supreme Court and throughout the federal courts. Those justices in the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That was something Trump said in 2016 he was going to do. That did happen.

And so Trump believes that he has enough credibility to not really take a stand here. But Trump has historically reverted on the issue to turning the issue over to conservative activists who are against abortion.

And so I don’t think anyone should assume that they have any idea what he would do on this as president.

COOPER: He also – you had evangelicals, you have a former president – Vice President Pence coming out saying this was a slap in the face yesterday when he said that. Do you think that actually matters at this stage of the Trump campaign? I mean, is that – where are they going to go if they don’t vote for Trump?

LUNTZ: He’s got the evangelical, no matter what happens in his life, he’s proven that, that evangelicals will stand behind him. No matter what happens in his life, he’s proven that economic conservatives can trust him on economic issues, social conservatives. But in the end, it’s that center. It’s the 5 percent who haven’t made up their minds. They tend to be younger rather than older. They tend to be a little less educated, a little less likely to follow the news. And for these people, an issue like abortion matters a little bit more than the population overall. That’s what I’m focused on, undecided voters, and this is going to play big time among younger women.

COOPER: Frank Luntz, thanks so much. Maggie Haberman as well.

Watch above via Anderson Cooper 360.

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