Trump To Make Virtual Appearance At Event With Group That Calls Abortion ‘child Sacrifice’

Donald Trump is courting a Christian advocacy organization that wants to ban all abortions and calls the procedure “child sacrifice,” a stringent position that contradicts his own less restrictive approach and stated intention to let states decide the issue.

Trump is scheduled to make a virtual appearance Monday at an event hosted by the Danbury Institute, an organization that also seeks to ban same-sex marriage and use the Bible to guide public policy, according to its website.

The scheduled appearance comes as Trump tries to navigate between appeasing parts of his base who fervently oppose abortion in all, or almost all, circumstances and a broader electorate that largely favors some access to the procedure.

In a statement to POLITICO, President Joe Biden’s campaign blasted Trump’s decision to appear at the event, with Ammar Mousa, director of rapid response for Biden’s reelection bid, saying Trump “loves campaigning with abortion ban extremists.”

The organization’s hardline position on abortion stands in contrast to that of the former president, who has said that the issue should be left to the states in the post-Roe era. In April, Trump disappointed many anti-abortion organizations by declining to endorse a national limit on abortion, saying instead that states should set their own policies.

“Talking about abortion is playing on your enemy’s home turf,” said Barrett Marson, an Arizona-based GOP strategist. “The people that Trump has to win over in Arizona are those suburban women who may even be pro-life but still don’t want an absolutist position on abortion. They will almost certainly bristle at this kind of language and certainly it would detract from a better conversation that could be had about immigration and the economy.”

The Danbury Institute, a Christian advocacy group established earlier this year by a coalition of churches, Christians and other organizations, on its website says that abortion “must be ended” and that it “will not rest until it is eradicated entirely.”

Asked about the former president’s leave-it-to-the-states approach on abortion, Sharayah Colter, a spokesperson for the Danbury Institute, said the organization is “grateful for the work President Trump did in nominating Supreme Court justices who eventually ruled in the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade” and that the former president “continually advocated for the sanctity of human life which Christians championed and were eager to support” during his presidency.

“While The Danbury Institute does not endorse candidates for political office, we acknowledge the historic support he has given to the pro-life movement and commit to praying that, if elected, he will govern in a way that honors the intrinsic value of every human being and the fundamental right to life,” Colter said.

A Trump campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, asked about the tension between his message on abortion and the Danbury Institute, said his messaging “has been very clear: he supports the rights of states to determine the laws on this issue and supports the three exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother. President Trump is committed to addressing groups with diverse opinions on all of the issues, as evidenced by his recent speech at the Libertarian Convention, his meetings with the unions, and his efforts to campaign in diverse neighborhoods across the country."

Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to address the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission in person on Tuesday, a day following Trump’s virtual remarks. Pence has broken with Trump on abortion policy, calling for a 15-week national ban and saying in a New York Times op-ed that his former running mate had “retreat[ed] from the pro-life cause.”