On Tuesday's CNN town hall, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said that he's evolved on the issue of abortion and now considers himself to be pro-life.
Trump said that as a businessman, he wasn't asked about abortion, and thus didn't have strong views on the issue.
Despite this claim, many on Twitter were quick to point out that Trump indeed had been asked about abortion in the past, and that he had vehemently proclaimed a pro-choice viewpoint.
Donald Trump was very specifically asked about his abortion stance in this 1999 interview. He just lied about it. https://t.co/lNpWVvzF0y
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) March 30, 2016
“Well, look, I’m — I’m very pro-choice. I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject, but you still — I just believe in choice,” said Trump. “Again, it may be a little bit of a New York background because there is some different attitude in different parts of the country. And, you know, I was raised in New York, and grew up, and work, and everything else in New York City. But I am strongly for choice and yet I hate the concept of abortion.”
Trump says he was never asked about whether he was pro-life or pro-choice before he was a politician. He's lying: https://t.co/0LjEYRE5E1
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) March 30, 2016
Trump literally wrote an entire book on policy in 2000 when he flirted w/running for president and said he was pro-choice.
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 30, 2016
This being said, Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczynski pointed out that Trump has evolved towards a pro-life position in the past.
He thought about enough to change his mind on partial birth abortion in 2000 book. https://t.co/io29WZNYBR pic.twitter.com/RAKQbQpFJT
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 30, 2016
I'd also offer this hilarious audio of Trump telling Howard Stern in 2013 he's pro-life. Stern replies in disbelief https://t.co/aQwHhj8t9o
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 30, 2016
Personally, I'm willing to believe Trump on this one. Improved sonogram technology, as well as medical advances that have saved the lives of many premature babies, has changed many hearts and minds on abortion. There's no reason why Trump's mind couldn't have been changed as well.
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