Former Trump administration official Matt Mowers said on CNN Thursday that former first lady Melania Trump’s defense of abortion may be beneficial for her husband, Republican nominee Donald Trump, ahead of the election.
The former first lady wrote in her memoir that it is “imperative” that women have the right to bodily autonomy without “any intervention or pressure from the government,” as well as releasing an ad Thursday confirming her defense of abortion. Mowers said Melania’s opinion on abortion may make her husband more relatable on the campaign trail as many spouses disagree on issues.
“In this case, Melania might have just wanted to make her position known and so that is I think the reason she did it. If you look at the impact it has, I think it actually in some ways helps Donald Trump, I think it makes him more relatable,” Mowers said. “I can tell you, I don’t agree with my wife on every issue. She agrees with me on even fewer issues and so I think this is actually pretty common.”
“In fact, there’s been some studies coming out lately on the difference of men and women going to vote this year compared to 2020. In 2020, they’re all sitting at the kitchen table looking over each other’s shoulders filling out the ballots, this year they’re going to the polling place on their own … So I think this actually broadens Donald Trump’s appeal potentially,” Mowers continued.
WATCH:
CNN senior political commentator Van Jones said Melania is either personally disagreeing with her husband or is trying to “soften him” on abortion to win over suburban women voters. He noted that Melania breaking from her husband on abortion is “bizarre” as no first lady in history has ever openly disagreed with their husband on a major issue.
“This is bizarre, I don’t think we’ve ever seen in the history of American politics, a former first lady or the wife of a candidate come out with a book and a video saying ‘I don’t agree with my husband’s party on a key issue.’ It’s never happened before, ever,” Jones said.
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Trump has taken a moderate position on abortion throughout his 2024 campaign by opposing strict bans, including Florida’s six-week ban, and by coming out against a national ban. However, Trump said he will vote no on a November Florida ballot initiative that expands access to abortion, according to NBC News. He vowed not to sign a national ban into law during an April 10 statement while opposing an 1864 law in Arizona banning all abortions except cases where the mother’s life is at risk.
The former president stated in an April 8 Truth Social post that abortion laws should be left up to the states, a stance the former president has received criticism from some pro-life activists and groups that have instead called for a national ban.
The Republican nominee appointed three Supreme Court justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — who overturned the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and returned abortion laws to the states.
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Polls have repeatedly shown that Vice President Kamala Harris leads Trump on abortion by wide margins. An Ipsos poll from Wednesday found Harris leading 45% to 27% on abortion, while a KFF poll from Sept. 10 showed Harris leading 53% to 34% on the issue.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.