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A4 Thursday 31 March 2016
U.S. NEWSThursday 31 March 2016
Trump campaign walks back comments on abortion
The Associated Press Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks with a supporter as he checks images of the nature of that punish-
BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin himself at a campaign stop in Janesville, Wis. ment, Trump responded: “I
(AP) — Women who get haven’t determined what
abortions should receive (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) the punishment should
“some form of punish- be.” He also suggested
ment,” Republican front- that women could con-
runner Donald Trump said tinue to receive abortions,
Wednesday, without indi- but at “illegal places.”
cating specifically what Democratic front-runner
the punishment should be. Hillary Clinton quickly re-
The comments came in a sponded on Twitter, not-
heated exchange with MS- ing Trump’s comments
NBC’s Chris Matthews dur- and adding, “Just when
ing the taping of a town you thought it couldn’t get
hall in Wisconsin, which worse. Horrific and telling.”
holds its primary next week. Trump has often said he’s
“There has to be some form opposed to abortions ex-
of punishment,” Trump told cept in the case of three
Matthews in the exchange exceptions: rape, incest
over whether abortion and when the life of the
should be banned. The mother is at risk. He used to
subject remains highly con- describe himself as in favor
troversial decades after of abortion rights, but says
the Supreme Court legal- his stance has evolved
ized it. over the years.
Pressed by Matthews on Within hours, Trump’s cam-
paign sought to take back
his comments in two sepa-
rate statements, ultimately
saying the billionaire busi-
nessman believes abortion
providers — and not their
patients — should be the
ones punished.
“My position has not
changed,” Trump argued
in both statements re-
leased by his campaign.
“Like Ronald Reagan, I am
pro-life with exceptions.”
Even before Trump’s com-
ments, recent polls have
put his negative ratings
nearing or even eclips-
ing 70 percent among
women. The New York bil-
lionaire arrived in Wiscon-
sin fending off another
controversy. His campaign
manager, Corey Lewan-
dowski, was charged with
misdemeanor battery in
Florida on Tuesday over an
altercation with a female
reporter earlier this month.
Wisconsin’s April 5 primary
looks pivotal in the Repub-
lican race. If Texas Sen.
Ted Cruz wins, it would nar-
row Trump’s already tight
path to the nomination
and raise the prospect of
a contested party conven-
tion. q
