Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that while the “abortion aspect” of Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be funded he “would look at the good aspects of” the group “because I’m sure they do some things properly, and good, and good for women” on Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day.”
Trump was asked if he owes women in general an apology or explanation for his previous comments about women, he responded, “No, I think Jeb Bush owes women an apology, because he made a terrible statement about women’s health issues. And it was a foolish statement, and perhaps a stupid statement. It’s a statement that should never have come up. It should never have been made, and I was shocked that he made it, and I think that will prove to be his 47%. … I think that when Jeb Bush made the statement on women’s health issues, that he wouldn’t fund them, you wouldn’t need the kind of money that we’re talking about, 500 billion, you wouldn’t need to kind of money, when that, actually, relatively speaking, is peanuts compared to the kind of money spent on lots of other things. I think that was a terrible mistake that he made. And I think he’s the one that has to apologize to women. Now, I will say this, he has gone back, he said, I misspoke, meaning not me, he, he said that he misspoke. Well, that’s an awfully big issue to mis[speak.] I will be so good to women. I cherish women. I will be so good to women. I will work hard to protect women. And, I’ll tell you what, work hard to protect everybody.”
Anchor Chris Cuomo then asked Trump, “Is that your way of saying that you think Planned Parenthood should be funded because of the healthcare that it provides, outside of abortions, to women, especially women of low means?
Trump answered, “the biggest problem I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. I mean, it’s like an abortion factory, frankly, and you can’t have it, and you just shouldn’t be funding it. And that should not be funded by the government. And I feel strongly about that. And that’s my biggest problem with Planned Parenthood. Because, it really, if you look at it and you look at the work they do, it really has become so heavily centered on abortion. And you can’t have that.”
Cuomo responded, “They say it’s only 3% of what they do, and the money that does go toward abortions, is not the money that comes from the federal government.” Trump then said, “Here’s what I’d do, if the time came, I would look at the individual things that they do, and maybe some of the things are good, and maybe — I know a lot of the things are bad. But certainly, the abortion aspect of it should not be funded, by government, absolutely.”
He added, “I would look at the good aspects of it, and I would also look, because I’m sure they do some things properly, and good, and good for women. And I would look at that. And I’d look at other aspects, also. But we have to take care of women. We have to absolutely take care of women. The abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood should not — absolutely should not be funded.”
Trump also said he disagrees with fellow Republican candidate Marco Rubio that there shouldn’t be exceptions on abortion for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, but that he respects Rubio for taking “a very strong stand.”
Trump was then asked if he agrees with Rubio “about when you have a person in the form of the unborn that should have rights to — attached to them. He says at conception, Roe v. Wade, as you know says 20 weeks, there are different theories that other people have. When do you believe that the unborn is a person who deserves the rights?” He answered, “Well, I certainly as the process goes along more and more, and a lot of people are talking about the 20 weeks and certainly there. But, absolutely, as the process goes along. But I am a person that feels very, very strongly about — you know, I’m pro-life, and I’m strongly about pro-life.”
When asked if he would pass equal pay legislation, Trump stated, “I’m looking into that very strongly. … And I’ll have a position on it in the not too distant future.”
Trump added, “I just don’t want it to be a negative where everybody ends up making the same pay. Because that’s not our system.” Trump also pointed to his business practices, such as paying women the same, and “in many cases” more than men, and putting women in charge of construction, which he stated he was one of the first, if not the first person to do with “major developments.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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