Donald Trump in abortion and punishment row
In a heated exchange with MSNBC host Chris Matthews at the taping in a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin that aired last night, Trump was asked whether he believes that abortion should be outlawed in the country.
After an extended back-and-forth, the billionaire businessman said “you have to ban” them and that, “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who violate that restriction.
Pressed by Matthews on the nature of that punishment, Trump responded, “I haven’t determined what the punishment should be.”
Trump also suggested that women could continue to receive abortions, but at “illegal places.”
“You know you’ll go back to a position like where they had where people perhaps will go to illegal places,” he said.
Asked to clarify his position, Trump’s campaign issued a statement after the taping saying that he believes the issue should rest with the states.
“This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination,” Trump said. “Like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions, which I have outlined numerous times.”
Trump has often said that he’s opposed to abortions with three exceptions: rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk.
Trump has been criticised by some conservatives for his flip-flop on the issue of abortion. Trump used to describe himself as in favour of abortion rights, but says his stance has evolved over the years.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has taken aim at Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies as well as violent incidents at some of his rallies in a new television ad campaign set to run in New York.
Democratic hopeful Mrs Clinton claims in the ad that while some people say America’s problems can be solved by “building walls” and “banning people based on their religion”, New Yorkers know better.
The TV spot shows a clip of a man being punched at a recent Trump rally and briefly flashes a sign from one of the billionaire’s new hotels.
New York holds its Democratic and Republican primaries on April 19.
While Mrs Clinton still faces a strong challenge from Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, it is notable that the ad focuses on Mr Trump, the Republican frontrunner and a native New Yorker.
Meanwhile, none of the three Republican presidential candidates have committed to support whoever the party chooses to fight the election later this year.
This contradicts the stance that Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich took early in the campaign.
Latest @MULawPoll shows @tedcruz leading @realDonaldTrump by ten points in #Wisconsin https://t.co/5eZpSDPReM pic.twitter.com/mIhG4ImEwR
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) March 31, 2016
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