Exclusive: DNC hits Trump on abortion in billboard campaign ahead of Fox News town hall
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Photo: DNC
The Democratic National Committee is blanketing the battlegrounds with billboards hitting former President Trump over reproductive rights, tying him to the abortion bans that have been linked to some women's deaths.
Why it matters: The billboards come before Trump's Fox News' town hall in front of a women-only audience is set to air as he seeks to appeal to a key demographic where Vice President Harris has a clear advantage.
- Polling shows that Harris has a distinct edge among women voters, particularly on the politically salient issue of abortion.
Driving the news: The DNC billboards will run in major metro areas in the seven major swing states of Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, per the DNC.
- The DNC is zeroing in on Trump's claim earlier this year, when he said that leaving abortion to the states is a "beautiful thing to watch."
- The billboards, which feature a picture of Trump, read: "While women are dying, Donald Trump calls abortion bans 'a beautiful thing."'
- "Our Rights are on the Ballot. Vote for Kamala," the billboards say.
Between the lines: Harris last month blamed Trump for the death of a Georgia woman who was denied immediate access to care due to the state's abortion law.
- Georgia bans abortions when cardiac activity has been detected in an embryo, which is usually around six weeks.
Zoom out: Democrats have repeatedly hit Trump on abortion, which has been a winning issue for the party every time it's been on the ballot in the post-Roe era.
- Democrats have highlighted Trump taking credit for appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court instrumental to overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Polling continues to show that abortion is a top issue for women voters. A KFF survey out earlier this month showed that 65% of women voters said that the election will have a 'major impact' on access to abortion and reproductive health care.
State of play: Trump said earlier this month that he would veto a national abortion ban, after waffling on the issue. He had previously said that abortion regulations should be left to the states.
What they're saying: "Women are dying because of Donald Trump, who enabled the extreme abortion bans we're seeing MAGA Republicans enact in the states — ones that Trump calls 'a beautiful thing to watch,'" Democratic National Committee spokesperson Maddy Mundy said in a statement.
- "Voters know that they can't allow Trump back into the White House to attack even more of their fundamental freedoms, and that's why they'll vote for Vice President Kamala Harris — the only candidate on the ballot committed to protecting and restoring women's rights across the country."
Go deeper: Trump to join Fox News town hall with only women in audience
