Trump Barely Mentions Abortion Ruling at Pennsylvania Rally

Not a man who is good at keeping his mouth shut. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Donald Trump barely acknowledged abortion during an appearance at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Friday night, despite the emergence of a leaked draft majority opinion indicating the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade — which would deliver Trump a victory, albeit a post-presidential one, that Republicans have lusted after for decades.

Trump, who is nothing if not a braggart, spent less time alluding to the end of abortion rights during his 90-minute speech than he did discussing Alec Baldwin. Only at the very end of his speech did he vaguely mention protecting “innocent life,” cite the three conservative judges he nominated to the Supreme Court, and note, “And they’re making a very big decision now.” Trump was at the rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to campaign for Senate candidate and fellow reality-television character Mehmet Oz.

The former president is not the only Republican to conspicuously avoid mention of the main point of this week’s monumental Supreme Court news — the looming end of the constitutional right to an abortion, which will upend the lives of countless Americans. In recent days, most GOP talking heads have made what seems to be a coordinated effort to change the subject to supposed outrage targeting whoever leaked the draft majority opinion in the first place. Trump did the same, briefly telling Politico on Wednesday that “nobody knows what exactly [the draft opinion] represents, if that’s going to be it. I think the one thing that really is so horrible is the leaking … for the Court and for the country.”