Cathi Herrod is shocked, SHOCKED, that she can't trust Trump on abortion

Cathi Herrod, president of the powerful Center for Arizona Policy, has been the de facto head of the Arizona Republican Party for nearly two decades and, when elections go her way, the de facto governor of Arizona.

Her blandly named nonprofit organization has the means, the money and the influence to cause Arizona’s GOP politicians to waddle along behind her like a row of ducklings.

Among many other things, Herrod’s group has heavily influenced the GOP’s assault on public education, its attacks on the LBGTQ community and, most importantly, the effort to ban abortion.

She’s a smart woman, fervent in her beliefs and ruthless in her politics.

So I don’t believe — no matter what she says — that she’s breaking up with Donald Trump.

Trump goes fake soft on abortion

During the former president’s recent interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump tried to come off as warm and conciliatory on abortion, not the hardliner who appointed anti-abortion zealots to the U.S. Supreme Court, much to the glee of people like Herrod.

Following that interview Herrod posted a dear John message to Trump on X, formally Twitter, along with a video of the interview.

She wrote, “Former President Donald Trump has abandoned the pro-life movement. Watch this in its entirety. He criticizes @RonDeSantis for signing heartbeat bill. Won’t commit to a position. Unacceptable. Time to move on.”

Nice try, but no.

Perhaps if Herrod has said it was time to move on … for now.

Or time to move on until … after the Republican primary.

It's all about about getting elected

If Trump winds up with the GOP nomination Herrod will be back in the fold, perhaps calling Trump the lesser of two evils, but backing him nonetheless.

I don’t believe Herrod ever thought Trump was committed in a philosophical, religious or moralistic way to the anti-abortion crowd.

Arizona group wants you: To decide the abortion issue

Being the smart woman she is, I’d guess Herrod understands that Trump is only fanatical about Trump.

He needed people like Herrod to get elected, so he used them.

And he’s using them still.

Push an 1864 abortion ban and lose

Herrod has been a gung-ho proponent of winding the state’s clock back to 1864, a time when the Arizona Territory had a law banning abortion that includes prison time for anyone who violates it.

A law that could now be reinstituted by the Arizona Supreme Court if Herrod and her kind have their way.

Herrod said, “The only reason that law has been unenforceable since Jan. 22, 1973, was because of (Roe v. Wade). Now that Roe has been overturned and the Supreme Court has said it’s up to the people, through their elected representatives, to decide abortion law, that pre-Roe law should be enforceable in Arizona.”

Meantime, Trump knows that pushing for an abortion ban is a losing proposition. So, these days he saying what he believes he must say in order not to turn off borderline voters.

He won’t talk specifics, of course, but told Welker he’d meet with both sides of the abortion issue and find a compromise.

Herrod will still support Trump

Trump said, “What’s going to happen is you’re going to come up with a number of weeks or months. You’re going to come up with a number that’s going to make people happy.”

Adding, “I think they’re all going to like me. I think both sides are going to like me.”

No.

Neither side will like him. Trump knows that. He doesn’t care.

Because he also knows that if his legal troubles or the 14th Amendment don’t keep from him from being the Republican nominee, people like Herrod will look at the alternative and — no matter what they said about moving on — support him.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump's abortion views may offend Cathi Herrod, but she'll support him