Harris blasts Trump's promise to 'protect women' against their will

Speaking at a rally, Donald Trump said, 'I am going to do it, regardless of whether the women approve or not. I am going to protect them (women)'

Kamala Harris slammed Donald Trump on Thursday, for his statement that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not”. The US Vice President argued that Trump’s comments reveal his lack of understanding regarding women’s autonomy and rights, calling it a blatant disregard for women’s “agency, authority, and their ability to make personal decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies,” reported The Guardian.

 

“This is offensive to everyone, by the way,” Harris said, before setting off for campaign stops in Arizona and Nevada.

 

Trump, who appointed three conservative justices pivotal in overturning federal abortion rights in 2022, has continued to publicly emphasise his role in reshaping the Supreme Court and, by extension, reproductive rights in the United States. Amid the backlash, Trump has been vocal at events, claiming he would ‘protect women’ and make sure they no longer needed to ‘think about abortion’.

 

During a rally near Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Trump shared that his aides had advised him to drop the phrase as it could be perceived as ‘inappropriate’. He recalled dismissing their concerns, telling supporters, “I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.”

 

Harris characterised Trump’s statement as part of a broader pattern in his rhetoric towards women. “This is just the latest in a long series of remarks by the former president that reveal his views on women and their agency,” she said.

 

Trump and fellow Republicans continue to wrestle with framing their stance on abortion as state-level abortion restrictions intensify across the nation, leaving many women with limited options. Throughout his political career, Trump has issued conflicting remarks on abortion. In his 2016 campaign, he pledged to appoint Supreme Court justices with the intent of overturning Roe v Wade, and he identified as “pro-life”. More recently, he promised to veto a national abortion ban, arguing that individual states should control regulations on abortion care, and even expressed that some restrictive laws were ‘too tough’.