In Iowa, Donald Trump says GOP needs to find the right abortion message to win in 2024

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Former Republican president Donald Trump took credit for ending Roe v. Wade while campaigning in Iowa Wednesday, but he cautioned that Republicans can't win in 2024 unless they "learn how to properly talk about abortion."

"You have to follow your heart. You can’t do it for just the election," he said at a campaign event in Dubuque. "But you have to follow your heart. At the same time, you have to win elections, otherwise, we’ll be back where we were."

He reiterated his belief that abortion hindered Republicans' chances in 2022 — comments that have rankled some Iowa faith leaders.

"This issue cost us unnecessarily but dearly in the midterms," he said. "It cost us dearly, really, and unnecessarily."

His visit comes after he gave a controversial interview to NBC's Meet The Press, where he criticized Florida's six-week abortion ban as "a terrible mistake." That law closely mirrors Iowa's six-week abortion law, which Republicans have cheered.

The comments have frustrated prominent conservatives, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who posted to social media Tuesday that “It’s never a ‘terrible thing’ to protect innocent life."

More: Donald Trump to campaign in Iowa amid Republican backlash to his recent abortion comments

Trump didn't discuss a six-week ban or other policy proposals while campaigning Wednesday. But he said Republicans must be willing to cast Democrats as the "radicals" on abortion.

"Like Ronald Reagan before me, I believe in the three exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother," Trump said. "I believe in that. I think it’s very important. Without the exceptions, it is very difficult to win elections. We would probably lose the majorities in 2024 without the exceptions and perhaps the presidency itself."

But even as some Republicans express concern that Trump may be backtracking on his support for the anti-abortion movement, Democrats have been adamant that his past record should indicate what he's likely to support in the future.

Trump, who appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices and laid the path for the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, has drawn fire from anti-abortion activists for saying "I think both sides are going to like me" on the issue.

One prominent group has called on Republican presidential hopefuls to support at least a 15-week federal ban on abortion.

Craig Kolwaski of Dubuque, who attended Wednesday, told the Register that he is "pro-life" and the former president's comments were concerning but wouldn't be enough to stop supporting him in the caucuses.

"I'd like to agree with him on 100% of the things," said Kolwalski, who is hosting a "President Trump Unity Rally & 2020 Election Denial Conference" next week in Wisconsin. "It's not gonna happen. But on the big ones, you know, in the MAGA base ain't moving."

That was a common sentiment among others who attended Wednesday's events.

Mary and Wayne Wagoner, who attended the Maquoketa rally, both said they were hoping to "hear more" from him on the issue of abortion, which he did not mention. But he remained their first choice in the caucuses.

Donna Jean Knickrehm of Eldridge, when told about Trump's recent comments, referenced his history on abortion during his first term and said she believed he would remain a leader on the issue.

"I'm confident that he will be the right man, absolutely," she said. "I mean, he sorted us out previously. He will do the same."

That sentiment was echoed by Ronald Horan of Maquoketa, who acknowledged that there was "room for negotiation" on the issue of abortion when it comes to exceptions for the mother's health, rape and incest.

"I'm pretty confident he's still going to do what we want to do," said Horan, who supports Iowa's abortion restrictions that start at around six weeks.

DeSantis said in an interview with Radio Iowa on Monday that Trump's remarks on abortion show "the danger" in reelecting him — an uncommon instance of direct, named criticism from the governor who has previously closely allied himself with Trump on policy and politics.

The frontrunner is set to skip the second presidential debate Sept. 27 as he did the first, instead planning to visit Detroit to address auto workers as the UAW strikes against major manufacturers.

August's Iowa Poll found that Trump holds a commanding lead over the remainder of the field — a more than 2-to-1 lead over his closest challenger in DeSantis.

Ahead of Trump's visit Wednesday, Iowa Democrats criticized Trump, with chair Rita Hart arguing that he was "facing the reality that his unpopular abortion record isn't defensible."

"In Iowa, we almost saw a near-total ban go into effect because Donald Trump nominated the three justices that realized the MAGA goal of overturning Roe v. Wade and stripping away the constitutional right to abortion that Americans have relied on for nearly 50 years," Hart said.

In Maquoketa, Donald Trump turns his attacks on Joe Biden

Earlier in the day at a Maquoketa campaign stop, Trump criticized President Joe Biden on both policy and personality here Wednesday as he rallied supporters to prepare for what he believed would be a "historic" turnout and victory.

"We want to get through the caucus, we want to get through it right away," Trump told several hundred supporters who gathered at an event center on the Jackson County Fairgrounds. "We're going to win the Iowa caucuses in a historic landslide."

Trump's speech, the first of two he was delivering in eastern Iowa Wednesday, showed he remains confident in his frontrunner status in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, continuing to lead the pack over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other rivals.

And while he did criticize DeSantis — attacking the Florida governor's record on ethanol and cuts to Social Security and Medicare with the nickname "DeSanctimonious" — much of his ire was directed at Biden and the wider Democratic Party. His Republican challengers, he said, had "crashed and burned."

He lamented the Biden administration's approach to immigration and foreign policy, declaring that Democrats are "no good at policy, they're no good at borders," while promising to bring back "the greatest economy" with lower gas prices and a hard line on international affairs.

"We have stupid people running our country, very stupid," Trump said.

And he mocked Biden's energy and approach to the press, touting his recent interviews during which Trump said he sat for an hour and took "32 questions."

"Biden can't do that," Trump said, before holding up a binder, squinting at it and reading the ABCs.

"Isn't it nice when you have a president who doesn't have to read a script?" he said.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Donald Trump campaigns in Maquoketa, Dubuque, Iowa amid abortion heat