DeSantis: Trump’s Going Soft on Abortion, He Opposes Heartbeat Bill
During a portion of an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network set to air on Friday’s “700 Club” that was released on Thursday, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that rival 2024 candidate former President Donald Trump is going soft on the issue of abortion.
CBN News Reporter David Brody asked, “[T]o Evangelicals, they’re looking at a country that’s gone to hell in a handbasket, many others have as well. What is your message to them? Because, let’s be honest, in 2016, they liked Donald Trump a lot. In 2020, they did too…they might still want to go with Trump, so why you rather than Donald Trump, who was very successful with Evangelicals?”
DeSantis answered, “Well, one, I think in Florida, we’ve taken a purple state and turned it into a red state through bold leadership. We need to do the same thing nationally. We’ve got to beat Biden. We were able to win Florida by 20 points, I had a record percentage of Evangelicals here in Florida, but I also had a record with Hispanics and a record for a Republican with women voters, and that’s with bold colors, not with pale pastels, we led. So, I think that that’s important, because if Biden gets in again, the left is going to absolutely destroy this country even more than it is now.”
DeSantis continued, “The other thing is, I don’t think there’s any elected official in the country who’s not only stood up for the values that we all share, but has actually beat the left back on these things.” And “I think there have been a lot of Republicans through the years who have said they would do things, but when it really gets tough, are you able to stand your ground and do it? Right to life, we were able to deliver the heartbeat bill, which was a big, big deal. And while I appreciate what the former President has done in a variety of realms, he opposes that bill. He said it was ‘harsh’ to protect an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat.”
Brody then asked, “You mentioned abortion, do you feel the former President’s going soft then on abortion a little bit, especially in this area that you mentioned?”
DeSantis responded, “I think so. I was really surprised, because he’s a Florida resident. And I thought he would compliment the fact that we were able to do the heartbeat bill, which pro-lifers have wanted for a long time. He never complimented, never said anything about it. Then, he was asked about it and he said it was ‘harsh.'”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
E. Jean Carroll 2nd Defamation Trial Against Trump Set for Start of GOP Primary in January 2024
A federal judge scheduled E. Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial against former President Donald Trump for January 2024, just days before Republican primary voters will begin the presidential nomination process.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan set Carroll’s civil trial against Trump for January 15, 2024, in a brief scheduling order.
The scheduling comes days after Kaplan allowed Carroll to amend her second defamation lawsuit against Trump to seek up to $10 million in damages.
Last month, a nine-member jury found Trump liable for sexual battery and defaming Carroll and granted her an award of $5 million in damages. The jury awarded Carroll $2 million in damages for the sexual battery claim and $3 million for defamation.
Carroll’s second lawsuit stems from comments Trump made in 2019 regarding her accusations of rape. Kaplan allowed Carroll to amend her lawsuit to include Trump’s comments at a recent CNN town hall, where he insisted he had “no idea who this woman is” and that her allegations are a “fake” and a “made-up story.”
Watch: E. Jean Carroll Attorney Kaplan: We Are Exploring Options to Sue Trump Again for CNN Town Hall Comments
“We maintain that she should not be permitted to retroactively change her legal theory, at the eleventh hour, to avoid the consequences of an adverse finding against her,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a statement after Kaplan allowed the lawsuit to be amended.
Notably, Carroll’s defamation trial is set to start days before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Republican primary caucus on January 22, 2024. A January trial date would “undoubtedly affect the race for the Republican nomination, both by distracting the current frontrunner, and by tarnishing him relative to other candidates in the race,” as Breitbart News’s Joel Pollak explained.
With Carroll’s January trial scheduled, Trump faces at least three trials within the next 12 months. New York Attorney General Letitia James scheduled her office’s civil lawsuit for fraud against Trump and his company for October. Then, Trump faces a criminal trial in March 2024, weeks after the GOP primary’s “Super Tuesday,” stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into Trump’s alleged falsification of business records.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation resulted in federal criminal charges against Trump this week, but no trial date has been set in that case thus far.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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