Republican ideologues are concerned that the party platform may soften its stance on abortion due to pressure from former President Donald Trump, who fears losing this year’s races.
Trump has recently distanced himself from evangelicals who advocated for judges to overturn Roe v. Wade. After the landmark Supreme Court decision was overturned, Trump spent over a year boasting about his role in making it happen when other Republicans had failed. However, as the election approaches, Trump is now falsely telling rallygoers that “everyone” wanted the law returned to the states for a decision.
Trump’s conversations with lawmakers have made it clear that winning the election takes priority over the abortion issue. “We must win,” Trump said, according to The Associated Press. “We have to win.”
As the RNC platform is being crafted, hard-liners fear that Trump will demand a more moderate stance on abortion at a time when evangelicals want the party to double down. Two delegates have been stripped of their positions on the GOP platform committee, Politico reported Tuesday.
The move highlights a broader fear among evangelicals and other social conservatives that the party is poised to moderate its stance on abortion under Trump’s direction. Several RNC members told Politico that two South Carolina delegates were blocked from the committee and replaced with Trump loyalists.
According to official affidavits from longtime GOP activist LaDonna Ryggs and former state party chair Chad Connelly, “interference from paid RNC staff … to circumvent the will of the delegation” was the cause for their removal.
A Trump campaign official disagreed with Connelly and Ryggs, stating they were never on the platform committee to begin with and that “two other people were the ones properly elected.” Trump spokesperson Danielle Alvarez added that the platform committee hasn’t met yet.
Semafor reported earlier on Tuesday that the RNC plans to hold platform committee arguments in private, not airing the meetings publicly as they have done in the past. This change raises further concerns among party members about transparency and the direction of the GOP’s stance on key issues such as abortion.