Trump: I May Have ‘Misspoke’ On Abortion But Question Was Convoluted

CORRECTS DATE IN SECOND SENTENCE - FILE - In this March 21, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Washington. Republican and Democratic presidential candidates clashed over the rol... CORRECTS DATE IN SECOND SENTENCE - FILE - In this March 21, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Washington. Republican and Democratic presidential candidates clashed over the role of government, and its limitations, in enforcing U.S. national security Tuesday, March 22, 2016, following deadly attacks on the Brussels airport and metro system. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Donald Trump on Thursday night acknowledged that he may have misspoken while discussing whether women who seek abortions should be punished if the procedure is banned.

“It could be that I misspoke but this was a long, convoluted subject,” Trump told Fox News’ Eric Bolling.

During a town hall on MSNBC, Trump said that if abortion were illegal, then women who get abortions should be punished. He quickly walked his comments back in a statement saying that doctors would be punished for performing abortions if the procedure were illegal, not women.

On Thursday, Trump repeatedly blamed the length and confusing nature of the discussion about abortion for his comments about penalties for illegal abortions.

“This was a long, convoluted question. This was a long discussion. And they just cut it out, and frankly it was extremely — it was really convoluted,” he said.

He later added that it was a “very long, convoluted discussion, which frankly they don’t run on television because it’s too long.”

MSNBC said in a statement to Mediaite that Trump’s conversation with Chris Matthews was not edited and was aired in full.

“The town hall interview with Donald Trump was taped in advance and then aired in its entirety. Absolutely no part of the exchange between Trump and Chris Matthews was edited out,” an MSNBC spokesman said.

Watch Trump’s interview via Fox News:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. translation…

    when I’m asked questions with words containing three syllables or more I get confused… even if it’s a policy issue I should’ve already given thoughtful consideration to…

  2. Which iteration of “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them” are we on now? I can’t keep track.

  3. Politics is convoluted, Donald.
    Life is convoluted, Donald.
    Grow a pair.

  4. “I am very sorry for stating the anti-abortion views that every Republican politician believes in and that every pro-life organization tries to inflict on this country. Now, can you motherfuckers in the press shut up and just report on that whore wife of Ted Cruz?”

  5. Funny, about 99% of Donald Trump’s base can’t even spell “convoluted”, let alone define it. They probably think it’s some sort of obscene sexual term. “He performed convolution on his girlfriend, even though it is against the law in the state of Mississippi.”

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

132 more replies

Participants

Avatar for fess Avatar for anniew Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for ncsteve Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for mik8888 Avatar for rockgolf Avatar for inthefloodzone Avatar for geofu54 Avatar for bostonianinbrooklyn Avatar for tao Avatar for dickweed Avatar for jcblues Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for floydmaster Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for eddycollins Avatar for tiowally Avatar for greenlynn Avatar for home_invader

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: