Trump walks fine line on abortion, but allies and activists have big plans for a second term

CNN —

Few issues epitomize the astonishing nature of Donald Trump’s political success as much as abortion.

Over the past two decades, his public statements on one of the most divisive American cultural issues have swung like a pendulum.

Trump has compared his shift on abortion to that of Republican icon and former President Ronald Reagan. It was an evolution that by Election Day 2016 had driven Trump into making unprecedented promises to anti-abortion advocates and allies.

And then he won.

And he delivered.

A New York businessman and reality television star who was once an unabashed supporter of abortion rights became, in Trump’s own words, “the most pro-life president in American history.” It’s the rare statement from the former president that draws vigorous agreement from supporters and vehement critics alike.

Trump’s three Supreme Court appointments are the reason Roe v. Wade is no longer in place. Since the high court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, hundreds of lower-court Trump nominees are helping shape the legal landscape in an intensifying battle that has already had significant electoral effect: State-level ballot initiatives have almost uniformly resulted in positive outcomes for abortion rights supporters and, by extension, Democrats.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in the south Bronx, on May 23, 2024, in New York.

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For Trump, who has carefully tended to the anti-abortion Christian conservatives who form a cornerstone of his most dedicated supporters, the political realities have forced the appearance of a recalibration to mitigate any political risk.

After months