- Donald Trump tells religious leaders that Republicans risk "losing big" due to its abortion stance.
- He told them to emphasize "exceptions" to bans, as he fears the GOP is "getting killed on abortion."
Former President Donald Trump is privately warning Christian leaders that he thinks Republicans risk "losing big" due to their stance on abortion, a report says.
Trump, who has reportedly been meeting with religious right leaders to shore up support amid his third presidential campaign, has told them in private conversations to change their messaging on the topic, Rolling Stone reported.
The former president had advised them to emphasize "exceptions" to abortion bans, such as in cases where of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother's life, the outlet said, citing two participants in the talks and another Trump source.
Trump has warned that this strategy is necessary to prevent Democrats from painting him as an "extremist."
Three sources told the outlet that they heard Trump complain that the GOP is "getting killed on abortion."
Trump has previously blamed Republicans' handling of the "abortion issue" for the party's poor performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
During recent off-the-record meetings with religious leaders, Trump has tried to emphasize his previous anti-abortion record and framed himself as the "most pro-life" president in US history.
The Supreme Court, to which Trump appointed three justices, voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, paving the way for Republican states to introduce laws banning or severely limiting abortion.
But some of the meeting participants, which included pastors and religious conservatives, have been left feeling under-whelmed by Trump's focus on his past actions, according to Rolling Stone.
One participant in a March conference call asked the former president to clarify his vague 2024 policy commitments, to which he replied by touting past achievements.
"Is Trump going to try to make us swallow getting next to nothing in return for our support?" one participant mused to Rolling Stone.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung defended Trump's anti-abortion record in a statement to Rolling Stone.
"President Trump's unmatched record speaks for itself — nominating pro-life federal judges and Supreme Court justices that overturned Roe v. Wade, ending taxpayer-funded abortions, reinstating the Mexico City Policy that protects the life of the unborn abroad, and many other actions that championed the life of the unborn. There has been no bigger advocate for the movement than President Trump," he said.
Despite Republicans' ongoing push to restrict abortion access, polling from last year found that 61% of American adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the Pew Research Center.