Kamala Harris says Trump’s comments on women ‘are offensive to everybody’

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump’s remark that he would protect women whether they “like it aliases not” shows that nan Republican statesmanlike nominee does not understand women’s authorities “to make decisions astir their ain lives, including their ain bodies.”

“I deliberation it’s violative to everybody, by nan way,” Harris said earlier she group retired to walk nan time campaigning successful nan Western battleground states of Arizona and Nevada.

The remarks by Trump travel arsenic he has struggled to link pinch women voters and arsenic Harris courts women successful some parties pinch a connection centered connected freedom. She’s making nan transportation that women should beryllium free to make their ain decisions astir their bodies and that if Trump is elected, much restrictions will follow.

Trump appointed 3 of nan justices to nan U.S. Supreme Court who formed nan blimpish mostly that overturned national abortion rights. As nan fallout from nan 2022 determination spreads, he has taken to claiming astatine nationalist events and successful societal media posts that he would “protect women” and make judge they wouldn’t beryllium “thinking astir abortion.”

At a rally Wednesday evening adjacent Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump told his supporters that aides had urged him to extremity utilizing nan building because it was “inappropriate.”

Then he added a caller spot to nan protector line. He said he told his aides: “Well, I’m going to do it whether nan women for illustration it aliases not. I americium going to protect them.”

Harris said nan remark was portion of a shape of troubling statements by Trump.

“This is conscionable nan latest connected a agelong bid of reveals by nan erstwhile president of really he thinks astir women and their agency,” she said.

Trump and Republicans person struggled pinch really to talk astir abortion rights, peculiarly arsenic women astir nan federation are grappling pinch obtaining due aesculapian attraction because of abortion restrictions that person had implications acold beyond nan expertise to extremity an unwanted pregnancy.

Trump has fixed contradictory answers astir his position connected abortion, astatine immoderate points saying that women should beryllium punished for having abortions and showcasing nan justices he appointed. During his successful 2016 campaign, he told voters that if he were elected, he would name justices to nan Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and said he was “pro-life.”

But successful caller weeks he’s promised to veto a nationalist abortion ban, aft many times refusing to make specified a pledge. He’s said nan states should modulate attraction and said immoderate laws were “too tough.”

Since 2022, nan patchwork of authorities laws connected abortion has created uneven aesculapian care. Some women person died. Others person bled in emergency room parking lots aliases became critically sick from sepsis arsenic doctors successful states pinch strict abortion bans nonstop pregnant women distant until they are sick capable to warrant aesculapian care. That includes women who ne'er intended to extremity pregnancies. Both babe and maternal mortality has risen.

Harris’ run has seized connected Trump’s statements astir women. In 1 run ad, a female who became gravely sick pinch sepsis aft a gestation complication stands successful beforehand of a reflector looking astatine a ample scar connected her abdomen, arsenic audio plays of Trump’s comments astir protecting women.

Harris hopes abortion will beryllium a beardown motivator for women astatine nan ballot box.

In early voting truthful far, 1.2 cardinal much women than men person voted crossed nan 7 battleground states, according to information from analytics patient TargetSmart.

That doesn’t needfully construe into Democratic gains. But successful nan 2020 statesmanlike election, location was a 9 percent constituent quality betwixt men and women successful support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, according to AP VoteCast, a study of much than 110,000 voters.

The Democratic summons was supported by 55% of women and 46% of men. That was fundamentally unchanged from nan 2018 midterms, erstwhile VoteCast recovered a 10-point gender gap, pinch 58% of women and 48% of men backing Democrats successful legislature races.

Liz Cheney, a blimpish Republican who has been campaigning for Harris, has noted connected nan way that ballots are concealed and suggested that Republicans who want to softly ballot against Trump tin do so. A caller run advertisement narrated by Julia Roberts shows a female entering nan voting booth and voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.

“You tin ballot immoderate measurement you want,” Roberts says arsenic nan elector exchanges a knowing glimpse pinch different woman. “And nary 1 will ever know.” As she leaves nan voting booth, her hubby asks, “Did you make nan correct choice?” to which nan woman says, “Sure did, honey.”

”Remember, what happens successful nan booth, stays successful nan booth,” Roberts says.

That advertisement inflamed immoderate Trump supporters, including Charlie Kirk, nan Turning Point USA laminitis who is cardinal to erstwhile Trump’s turnout cognition successful aggregate cardinal states.

Kirk, speaking connected blimpish Megyn Kelly’s podcast, called nan advertisement “repulsive” and “disastrous,” labeling it “the embodiment of nan downfall of nan American family.”

Kirk besides assumed, based connected thing expressed successful nan ad, that nan hubby “probably useful his tail disconnected to make judge that she tin spell and person a bully life and provides for nan family,” but “Harris and her squad judge that location will beryllium millions of women who undermine their husbands.”

Kirk’s web of organizations are captious to nan Trump campaign’s turnout operation, specifically moving statewide successful Arizona and Wisconsin, 2 cardinal plaything states.

Harris has rallies scheduled Thursday successful Phoenix, Reno, Nevada, and Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Trump is walking to New Mexico and Virginia successful nan campaign’s last days, taking a risky detour from nan 7 battleground states to walk clip successful places wherever Republican statesmanlike candidates person not won successful decades.