During his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, President Trump plans to invigorate his most conservative, evangelical supporters by incorporating anti-abortion language into his speech, Politico reported.
The plan to spotlight abortion follows criticism the President faced after his decision to temporarily cave to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and reopen the government without his wall funding.
According to four people familiar with the speech plans who spoke to Politico, the Trump administration also believes the rhetoric could grab the attention of some moderate voters who are dismayed by New York’s new abortion law that allows abortions to be completed beyond the 24-week mark for health risk reasons.
“The president wants to reaffirm his commitment to pro-life things,” a Republican close to Trump told Politico.
As a main prong of the evangelical agenda, Christian leaders have even encouraged Trump to address the new law publicly, including Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, an early and ardent supporter of Trump.
“The legislation in New York and Virginia is really forcing his hand and he’s reacting to people who have just gone off the rails. I don’t think he’s going to mention it for political reasons because I don’t think it will help him much politically,” Falwell told Politico. “I think he’s doing it because he really believes it’s important to protect life.”
Read the full report here.
