MSNBC’s Chris Matthews attacks Trump on abortion issue

MSNBC’s Morning Joe was prepared with a network veteran to cover Election Day on Tuesday Chris Matthewswho played a key role in a pivotal moment for the former president Donald Trump’s many positions on the issue of abortion.

In 2015, then-candidate Trump did an interview with Matthews in which he said women should be punished for having an abortion. He later walked back the comments (though he still supported abortion bans), but when asked by Matthews, “Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no?” Trump said, “The answer is that there is some form of abortion.” There must be some punishment.” Matthews tried to get him to clarify by asking, “For the women?” Trump said, “Yes, there has to be some form.”

It was a soundbite that made it into several VP campaign ads Kamala Harris election campaign, including in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, from which Matthews broadcast on Tuesday.

MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire Matthews asked what he was seeing in Pennsylvania as far as the ground game was concerned, but Matthews turned the conversation back to the abortion issue, which has been a major voting issue for women since the fall of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade Thanks to Trump’s conservative representatives:

[T]The message that has been received is what we have been talking about. They talked about it so many times on the show, Joe and Mika, that Trump said, “What I’m going to do.” He has that 1940s aspect to it. He says what he will do. He said, “There must be some form of punishment.” Punishment! What a strange thing to say about voters. “I want them to be punished. Women who have an abortion [should] be punished.” This incredible language that keeps showing up in the ads here in Philadelphia, certainly in this embattled state, over and over again people look and say, “Wait a minute, he’s talking about me.” He’s talking about me and my body.” This is “all politics is local,” folks. This is as local as it gets. This is your body. And this guy says, “I’m going to punish you.” It’s extraordinary.

And the fact that they brought that back from the interview with me from Green Bay on September 19, 2015 means that he really means it. And that’s why he sent these three people to the Supreme Court, these three people. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. Everything that’s going on in this country, all the horror that’s going on in these states across the country, it’s all happening because Trump wanted it to happen. He wanted to cause pain, suffering and punishment. I’ve never heard a politician like that. “I want to punish women.” That’s more than half of the voters! And you’re talking about punishing them, and that’s all over the place. I mean, they’re his words, no one else’s. He said it. He promised and he did it.

Watch the video above via MSNBC.

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