DNC billboards criticize Trump on abortion ahead of Pennsylvania campaign stop

Ahead of former President Donald Trump’s campaign trip to Pennsylvania on Saturday, the Democratic National Committee has put up billboards in Allentown criticizing Trump’s comments on abortion. 

The former president has boasted about appointing three Supreme Court justices who were instrumental in the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, saying in January  “[for] 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it. And I’m proud to have done it.” 

He expressed that sentiment again in a video on Monday, saying he was “proudly the person responsible” for overturning the landmark abortion rights law.

The billboards, in English and in Spanish, feature a photo of Trump and the words “Because of Trump, over 20 states have extreme abortion bans. If he gets his way, Pennsylvania could be next.” 

Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks, and Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged during his gubernatorial campaign that he would keep abortion legal, safe, and accessible in Pennsylvania. 

Abortion access in Pennsylvania became a focus during the 2023 general election, when a vacancy on the state Supreme Court drew attention from national abortion rights organizations. Democrats had a majority on the court, so the election of Republican Judge Carolyn Carluccio would not have changed the balance of power. But reproductive rights advocates sought to solidify Democrats’ majority well into the future by electing Judge Daniel McCaffery. 

How abortion became the central issue in Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court race

The presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president, Trump has spent the past week seeking to clarify his own position on abortion. In the video posted on Monday, Trump said he supported exceptions to abortion bans to allow pregnancy terminations in cases of rape, incest and the life of the pregnant patient and that abortion policy should be left to the states.

But on the campaign trail, Trump has said that he would support a 16-week nationwide abortion ban. On Wednesday, Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban. 

“Donald Trump is ‘proud’ of unleashing extreme abortion bans across the country, and if given the chance, he’ll force women in Pennsylvania to endure the same cruel bans millions of Americans live under already,” DNC spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement Saturday. “Make no mistake, Trump and his MAGA allies are already planning to ban abortion in Pennsylvania and every state across the country, but Pennsylvanians will put a stop to Trump’s extreme abortion bans when they reject him at the ballot box once again this November.”

On Saturday, Trump will headline a rally at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in North Whitehall Township, and attend a $2,500-per-ticket fundraiser in Bucks County. The trip is his third visit of 2024 to Pennsylvania, a key swing state viewed as crucial for presidential contenders to win.