Former first lady Melania Trump said in a new video posted Thursday that she believes there is “no room for compromise” when it comes to a woman’s “individual freedom,” after The Guardian reported excerpts from her forthcoming book in which she says she supports abortion rights “free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth, individual freedom. What does my body, my choice really mean?” the former first lady said in a video posted on X.
https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/Y9MT3uj97b
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) October 3, 2024
Republicans muddied the waters in this way twenty years ago. Just before Labor Day 2004, delegates to the Republican convention approved a platform that called for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. President George W. Bush had announced his support for such an amendment in February. But a few days before the convention, Vice President Dick Cheney expressed support for same-sex couples.
At a campaign rally ... Cheney spoke supportively about gay relationships, saying “freedom means freedom for everyone,” when asked about his stand on gay marriage.That year, Republicans placed a referendum on the ballot in the then-swing state of Ohio calling for a state ban on same-sex marriage. Whether or not it actually helped Bush win the state -- there are differences of opinion on this -- it's clear that the referendum was intended to help Bush win the state.
“Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue our family is very familiar with,” Cheney told an audience that included his daughter. “With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone. ... People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to...."
... Addressing Bush’s position on the amendment, Cheney said: “At this point, say, my own preference is as I’ve stated, but the president makes policy for the administration. He’s made it clear that he does, in fact, support a constitutional amendment on this issue.”
But Cheney's well-timed statement probably assured some moderate voters that the party wasn't completely controlled by cruel fundamentalists. I assume that's what Melania's video is intended to do now. I don't think it's a coincidence that this was timed for just after the vice presidential debate -- J.D. Vance has been much more of an anti-abortion zealot than Donald Trump, and while Tim Walz hit Vance fairly hard on this subject, I imagine Republicans thought he'd bloody Vance a bit more. Vance has tried to sound reasonable on abortion during this campaign, but he's on record as an anti-abortion zealot:
From JD Vance's Senate campaign website. Up as late as yesterday. Since removed.
— Bob Mann (@bobmann.bsky.social) October 2, 2024 at 10:17 AM
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Maybe this will lose Trump a few votes in the evangelical community -- remember, those folks not only oppose abortion but believe husbands should do the talking in every couple. But I'm worried that it will further confuse moderate voters, some of whom are telling pollsters that they plan to vote for referenda that uphold abortion rights while also voting for anti-abortion Republican candidates.
My guess is that it won't have much impact either way -- but J.D. Vance's nice-guy act at this week's debate gave the party one victory in its effort to conceal how much Republicans hate the rest of us and want to compel us to live our lives their way. I don't want the GOP to get another win like that.
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