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Why Did This Meet the Press Panelist Lie About Youngkin's Record?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  August 21, 2023 1:00 PM

As it looks increasingly likely that former and potentially future President Donald Trump will win the Republican presidential nomination, those against another Trump presidency are looking for another candidate. It may not be Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), given how some donors are looking to other candidates. One of those candidates they're looking to might be Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who has not even declared. Nevertheless, the idea was mentioned during the Sunday panel discussion on NBC News' "Meet the Press" as the panelists about the upcoming RNC debate and the state of the primary. 

Not only did USA Today's Susan Page scoff at the idea, she also lied about Youngkin's record on abortion by claiming he signed an abortion ban when he did no such thing.

"Well, as you can tell, donors don't like what they're seeing," host Chuck Todd said, speaking directly to Page. "The Glenn Youngkin, and to a lesser extent [Georgia Gov.] Brian Kemp, sort of wish list, whether it's Rupert Murdoch, a lot of coverage this week. Rupert Murdoch claiming he wants somebody. Other donors were disappointed in DeSantis, giving Youngkin money," he continued, as the screen showed headlines from The Washington Post, Axios, and the Washington Examiner. Todd then brought up the issue of statewide elections coming up in November. "First of all, they better hope Youngkin has success in the Virginia midterms, which if abortion is the main issue, good luck. But is there room," he asked her.

"Oh, please," Page said, laughing off the idea. "Glenn Youngkin? I mean, he ran a good race. He ran against a competitive candidate once," she continued, referencing the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial campaign. "He signed an abortion ban, that – as did Governor Burgum, who didn't talk about it. He says he won't get in until November. Two of the four early states will have passed their filing deadline," she added.

Page later emphasized that "this seems like a fantasy to me and a sign of what desperate straits some of these donors feel they're in."

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The governor and his office have long maintained that his priority has been on making Virginia a place where residents can succeed. Regardless of what he ends up doing for the 2024 November election, Youngkin is focused on this November.

Youngkin has not signed an abortion ban, as one has not come across his desk yet, given that pro-abortion Democrats control the state Senate. What he has done is express support for protecting life at 15 weeks, as he did when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of last year with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. Youngkin had also tasked the General Assembly with finding a consensus on the abortion issue.

To many, that "consensus" is at 15-weeks, at which point unborn children can feel pain by. The procedure at this point also becomes increasingly barbaric, and more dangerous for the woman. 

A 15-week abortion ban is popular with Americans, including with Virginians. 

Broken down by trimester, surveyed Americans also believe that, at most, abortion should be legal until the first trimester, which ends before that 15-week period. 

It was also further disingenuous for Page to compare Youngkin to North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is running in the Republican presidential primary and was a guest earlier on the program. Burgum signed a bill into law banning abortions in his state once a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks.

The role of abortion in the Virginia state elections was not further mentioned, just as how extreme Virginia Democrats are on the issue was also not discussed. This is not merely to do with blocking a 15-week ban, but also legislation that would mandate providing medical care to babies born alive from abortions. Former Gov. Ralph Northam, Youngkin's Democratic predecessor, infamously spoke about denying such babies medical care in January of 2019, but state Democrats more recently blocked such legislation as well. 

State Democrats also had tried to bring Virginia in the opposite direction, in that they pushed for a constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion for any point in pregnancy. 

This upcoming November, Virginia Republicans will be defending their majority in the General Assembly and look to take back control of the state Senate. Youngkin, whose coattails helped Republicans win control of the General Assembly in 2021, is investing heavily in the 2023 elections, including through the Secure Your Vote Virginia initiative. Spanish language ads were released last Friday. 

When surveyed on issues, Virginians don't seem to care much about the abortion issue, especially not in comparison to economic issues. Virginia has also become a battleground for parents' rights, which Younkgin made a priority of his campaign--an important issue to voters and one he won on--and it's remained a priority during his administration as well. 

Page not only outright lied about Youngkin's record, she also seriously downplayed the significance of his win in November 2021. Before Youngkin, the last Republican governor to be elected had been Bob McDonnell in 2009. Voters also elected Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, the latter who defeated the Democratic incumbent, and gave Republicans control back of the General Assembly, as mentioned above. State Senators were not up for election that year.

Youngkin had run against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who was elected as the Democratic governor in 2013. The state constitution barring governors from serving back-to-back terms had made him ineligible to run in 2017. McAuliffe was not only something of an incumbent then, but had mostly led in the polls until the final few weeks of the campaign.

It was an intense race that made national news, including as Youngkin and McAuliffe met and clashed on the debate stage over the issues. Who moderated that first debate between Youngkin and McAuliffe? That would be Susan Page.