Harris launches ad targeting Trump for his role in overturning Roe v Wade as he flip-flops on abortion
WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign recently dropped a bombshell TV ad targeting former President Donald Trump.
Released on Saturday, September 7, the 30-second ad reminds voters of his role in overturning Roe v Wade. The commercial isn’t just a gentle nudge; it’s a full-on call-out aimed at a growing number of voters who now rank abortion as their top concern.
The ad will air on both broadcast and cable networks in some of the most critical swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Even Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District isn’t safe from its reach.
While the Harris campaign has already committed to a massive $370 million advertising blitz, they’re still keeping mum on just how much they’re throwing behind this particular abortion ad.
What's Kamala Harris' campaign's new abortion ad all about?
The commercial opens with some rather intense, almost ominous music before playing a 2016 clip of Donald Trump saying that "there has to be some form of punishment" for women who seek abortions.
It then fast-forwards to 2023 when the GOP nominee boasted, "For years, they were trying to get Roe v Wade terminated and I did it, and I’m proud to have done it."
A narrator subsequently chimes in, warning viewers that Trump "wants to go further, with plans to restrict birth control, ban abortion nationwide, even monitor women’s pregnancies."
Trump’s 2016 "punishment" remark was made during a forum with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and was perceived as a major gaffe from someone who was pretty new to the political game, according to The New York Times.
The MAGA spearhead has repeatedly bragged about how his appointment of three Supreme Court justices led to the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, nullifying the constitutional right to abortion and leaving the decision up to individual states. Since then, 22 states have banned abortion or put severe restrictions on it.
Some of the more ominous warnings in the ad about Trump’s future plans come from Project 2025, a set of conservative policies cooked up by some of his allies. However, the former president has distanced himself from this blueprint.
On one hand, he’s flirted with the idea of a 15-week federal abortion ban, but on the other, he’s said he wouldn’t sign off on a national ban. As for birth control, Trump has claimed he doesn't support restricting it, albeit he’s left the door open for states to impose their own rules.
Of course, Trump’s camp wasn't going to sit back and simply let this ad fly without a response. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt accused Vice President Harris of "lying about President Trump’s position on abortion," adding, "President Trump has been unequivocally clear: He does not support a federal ban on abortion."
Donald Trump continues to flip-flop on abortion stance
It’s crystal clear that Kamala Harris' team is looking to tap into voters’ discomfort with the Republican Party's stance on abortion. And the efforts might just pay off as polling shows that more and more voters in swing states are saying that abortion is a make-or-break issue for them come election time.
According to a New York Times/Siena College poll, abortion has become the top issue for women under 45, even surpassing the economy.
In an August poll focusing on voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, a lot more people said they trusted Harris on the issue of abortion. In fact, she led Trump by a whopping 24 percentage points in those states when it came to abortion.
The GOP nominee apparently knows this is a problem. Behind closed doors, he’s reportedly confided to his advisors that the abortion issue could tank his party in the upcoming election.
Just last week, Trump sent some seriously mixed signals about his stance on abortion. At first, he seemed to suggest he might back a Florida ballot measure that would expand abortion rights. But just a day later, he flip-flopped, saying he would vote against it.
Having said that, the aforementioned ad couldn’t have dropped at a more crucial juncture. It’s just four days before a high-stakes debate between Harris and Trump on ABC News. The abortion issue is undoubtedly going to come up, and it’ll be interesting to see how both sides handle it.
