Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) criticized former President Donald Trump for taking pride in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade came last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, with three Trump-appointed justices voting to reverse the precedent in a 5-4 decision.
In a recent interview on Univision, Trump claimed credit for stopping what he referred to as a “very radical agenda” and expressed confidence that something new would be “worked out” in the aftermath of the decision.
During a guest-hosting appearance on CNN’s OutFront, Brianna Keilar played a clip of Trump’s interview and asked Walsh about the political implications of Trump’s bragging about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Walsh, who identifies as pro-life, responded by calling Trump “an idiot” and criticized his lack of strategic discretion on the issue. Walsh argued that discussing the abortion issue is detrimental to Republicans in various states, including blue, purple, and red ones, because the party doesn’t know how to navigate the topic effectively. He acknowledged that the issue is energizing Democrats.
The critique highlights the ongoing challenges within the Republican Party concerning the abortion issue and its impact on electoral dynamics, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
“Everybody thought Roe v. Wade wouldn’t ever happen, and now it did,” Trump said. “We stopped a very radical agenda. And something will be worked out now because of what we were able to do. That was a tremendous thing when we did that.”
“So, look, he does get the credit here,” Keilar told Walsh. “He got the court to where it is so that it was set up to overturn Roe. But politically, that issue has so far backfired for Republicans. Is his bragging about this a smart strategy?”
“No,” Walsh answered. “Trump’s an idiot. He doesn’t know when and when not to talk about this issue. You’re right. This issue is killing Republicans in blue states, purple states, and red states. Republicans across the spectrum do not want to be talking about this issue because, Brianna, they don’t know how to talk about it. I mean, and I say that as someone who’s pro-life. We don’t know how to deal with the position we’re in right now. It’s energizing Democrats.’
