Harris seizes on Trump's pledge to protect women 'whether they like it or not'

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed erstwhile President Donald Trump connected Thursday, saying his campaign rally promise to protect women "whether they for illustration it aliases not" was "offensive to everybody."

"It's conscionable -- it's really is, I think, very violative to women successful position of not knowing their agency, their authority, their correct and their expertise to make decisions astir their ain lives, including their ain bodies," Harris told reporters successful Wisconsin.

Harris quickly rephrased her statement, saying, "It is violative to everybody."

During nan rally astatine Green Bay, Wisconsin, connected Wednesday night, Trump attempted to entreaty to women voters.

"I want to protect nan women of our country," said Trump.

He said his remarks went against guidance from his advisers, whom he claimed had called nan connection "very inappropriate."

Donald Trump gestures aft speaking astatine a run rally astatine Resch Center, Oct. 30, 2024, successful Green Bay, Wis.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

"I said why? I'm nan president. I want to protect nan women of our country," Trump said to large applause.

The erstwhile president added, "I said, 'Well, I'm going to do it whether nan women for illustration it aliases not. I'm going to protect them, I'm going to protect them from migrants coming in, I'm going to protect them from overseas countries that want to deed america pinch missiles -- and tons of different things."

With little than a week until Election Day, some candidates are moving to sway undecided voters and make their last pitches successful their bid for nan White House.

Trump made nan comments astir protecting women successful Wisconsin, a battleground authorities wherever Harris narrowly leads, according to an study of nan latest polls by ABC News' 538. Both candidates are moving to entreaty to women successful a twelvemonth that abortion is simply a cardinal elector issue.

Polling shows that Harris leads Trump by 9 points (56% to 42%) among women, according to a caller ABC News/Ipsos poll.

Democratic statesmanlike nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of nan media successful Madison, Wisconsin connected October 31, 2024.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Harris quickly pounced connected Trump's remarks, saying successful a connection she posted Wednesday nighttime on societal media, "Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions astir what you do pinch your body. Whether you for illustration it aliases not."

Sarafina Chitika, Harris' run spokesperson, besides took to societal media, posting, "Donald Trump thinks he knows amended than nan women of America. To him, our choices don't matter, our decisions are his to control, and he's going to prohibition abortion nationwide whether we for illustration it aliases not."

On Thursday, Harris continued to blast Trump's comments.

"This is conscionable nan latest connected a bid of reveals by nan erstwhile president of really he thinks astir women and their agency, whether he has said -- arsenic he has -- that women should beryllium punished for their choices, whether he has talked astir his pridefulness successful taking distant a basal correct from women, whether it beryllium really he has really created a business successful America wherever now 1 successful 3 women lives successful a Trump abortion prohibition authorities and has ineligible restrictions connected nan correct she rightly should person to make decisions astir her ain body," Harris said.

Harris added, "Each day, I deliberation location are besides indications that we are receiving from my force that verify, validate and reenforce nan truth that he's not going to beryllium fighting for women's reproductive rights, he does not prioritize nan state of women and nan intelligence of women to make decisions astir their ain lives and bodies."

Trump showed up to Wednesday's Wisconsin rally successful a garbage motortruck base his sanction connected nan broadside and wearing a fluorescent-orange vest, for illustration those worn by sanitation workers, to make a constituent astir President Joe Biden's remarks astatine a run telephone this week during which he seemed to nexus Trump supporters and "garbage."

Biden and nan White House tried to clarify his remarks, saying he was specifically referring to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a "floating land of garbage" astatine Trump's Madison Square Garden rally connected Sunday.

Trump and different Republican leaders pounced connected Biden's comment, claiming they believed that Biden was talking astir each "Trump supporters" alternatively than a circumstantial "Trump supporter's" narration to garbage.

Earlier this week, Nikki Haley, who served arsenic U.N. ambassador successful nan Trump administration, said successful an question and reply pinch Fox News' Bret Baier that she believes nan erstwhile president is nan champion prime for nan nation's economy, nationalist information and for her ain family.

"With Donald Trump we cognize what we're going to get. We lived nan system nether Donald Trump. We cognize really beardown he was connected nan border. We cognize really power ascendant we were, and past we besides cognize what our nationalist information looked like," Haley said successful nan interview, which aired Tuesday.

Haley cautioned nan Trump run to stay disciplined and focused connected nan issues.

"This is not a clip to person anyone knock Puerto Rico aliases Latinos," Haley said. "This is not a clip to get overly masculine pinch this bromance point they've sewage going. Fifty-three percent of nan electorate are women. Women will vote. They attraction astir really they are being talked to and they attraction astir nan issues."

Trump voiced his comments astir protecting women nan pursuing day, which was besides astir six months aft a New York assemblage recovered Trump liable for battery and defamation successful a civilian lawsuit brought against him by writer E. Jean Carroll, who claimed Trump sexually abused her successful a Bergdorf Goodman section shop dressing room successful nan 1990s.

The assemblage awarded Carroll a full of $5 cardinal successful nan lawsuit. The sheet recovered that Trump did not rape Carroll but sexually abused her, and awarded damages of $2 cardinal successful compensatory damages and $20,000 successful punitive damages for battery. The assemblage besides awarded $1 cardinal successful damages: $1.7 cardinal for estimation repair and $280,000 successful punitive damages, for defamation.

Trump has denied nan accusations leveled against him by Carroll.

In May, Trump was recovered blameworthy connected each 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush-money costs to big movie character Stormy Daniels to support her silent astir an affair, marking nan first clip successful history that a erstwhile U.S. president has been convicted connected criminal charges. During nan trial, Trump's erstwhile lawyer Michael Cohen testified that he made nan hush-money payments to Daniels connected behalf of Trump to boost Trump's electoral prospects successful nan 2016 statesmanlike election.

During nan 2016 statesmanlike campaign, Trump was caught connected a basking mic boasting to erstwhile "Access Hollywood" big Billy Bush astir really he grabbed women by nan genitals. Trump later dismissed his remarks arsenic "locker room banter."

ABC News' Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.