Donald Trump has come under fire from some Christian conservatives online after suggesting the issue of abortion should go "back to the states" and speaking out against an Arizona Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that reinstated a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, one Christian conservative branded Trump's comments "unacceptable and depraved," while another said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee "overestimates how secure his evangelical voting bloc is."
Abortion has proven a tricky issue for Trump since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, a move he took credit for. Attempts to restrict abortion access have been rejected by voters in a number of states and the subject was widely linked to the Republican underperformance during the 2022 midterm elections, when a much anticipated 'red wave' failed to materialize.
In a video statement posted on his Truth Social website on Monday, Trump argued abortion access should now be "up to the states," which would pursue "different" policies. After the Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday reimposed an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions, Trump said the decision had gone "too far" adding: "it'll be straightened out."
The remarks sparked an angry response from some conservative Christian activists on social media. Among them was Ben Zeisloft, editor of The Republic Sentinel, who urged Trump to "reverse course on this wicked trajectory."
Zeisloft wrote: "I will not vote for Donald J. Trump unless something very drastic changes. He refuses to do his duty under King Jesus and use his federal power to protect all humans under his jurisdiction.
"He is now leading other Republicans down the ballot to distance themselves from attempted abortion bans and even weighing in on state abortion policy. This is unacceptable and depraved. He will face a terrible judgment day unless he repents, turns to Christ, and vows to govern justly."
I will not vote for @realDonaldTrump unless something very drastic changes.
— Ben Zeisloft (@BenZeisloft) April 10, 2024
He refuses to do his duty under King Jesus and use his federal power to protect all humans under his jurisdiction. He is now leading other Republicans down the ballot to distance themselves from… pic.twitter.com/NVgSCIQvvQ
Josh Daws, host of the "The Great Awokening" podcast, posted: "Time will tell, but I think Trump's statement on abortion was a serious miscalculation that overestimates how secure his evangelical voting bloc is."
Time will tell, but I think Trump’s statement on abortion was a serious miscalculation that overestimates how secure his evangelical voting bloc is.
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 10, 2024
Christian talk show host and author Steve Deace commented: "We thought Roe was a shibboleth of the damned for Democrats, but it was for both parties... Now that Republicans have a chance to show they are sincerely pro-life, and act on decades of speeches and promises, they are by and large punting and cowering -- starting with the guy responsible for overturning Roe itself.
This was never a pro-life party. It was just a party inhabited by pro-lifers that it was condescending to for votes. We thought Roe was a shibboleth of the damned for Democrats, but it was for both parties. For it also allowed Republicans by and large to lie to us for decades.…
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) April 10, 2024
"Now plenty of our own teammates are also showing they're fine sacrificing kids on the altar of personal convenience, just like all the single moms in the Democrat Party."
Lizzie Marbach, a former staffer on Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, wrote: "Christ is king, not Trump. Which means when he crosses the line & spits on God, we should call him out every time. Spread the word."
Christ is king, not Trump. Which means when he crosses the line & spits on God, we should call him out every time.
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) April 10, 2024
Spread the word.
Nathan Barnes, co-founder of conservative news website The Sentinel, commented: "Trump and his allies are making clear what we've been saying for a long time: When it comes to abortion, the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is one of degree, not of substance. Republican politicians don't actually believe that abortion is murder."
Newsweek contacted representatives of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election campaign by email at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday. This article will be updated if any wish to comment.
Writing on her blog Mary Trump, Donald Trump's estranged niece, said the video on abortion released by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Monday was one of the "biggest mistakes he ever made."
She wrote: "Donald might have thought he was making his anti-abortion rhetoric more palatable by suggesting he thinks abortion should be left to the states, but he managed to p*** off the two groups he needs: first is the right, who want him to pass a national ban; and second are independents, who don't want states to ban abortion. Nice job, Donald."
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About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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