President Biden’s campaign is set to release a new advertisement on Monday that directly targets former President Donald J. Trump’s abortion policy. The ad argues that Trump is largely responsible for the end of Roe v. Wade, according to a campaign official.
This advertisement, which will run on digital TV in battleground states, is part of the campaign’s $50 million ad push for July. It underscores Biden’s commitment to defending abortion rights, a critical issue for many voters.
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to appoint multiple anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court with the goal of overturning Roe. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion, Trump took credit for fulfilling his promise. The new ad, titled “Her Own” and obtained by The New York Times, quotes Trump from a recent presidential debate where he stated, “it’s been a great thing” that justices he appointed helped overturn Roe.
Social conservatives have long pushed for stricter national abortion restrictions, but these measures have been politically damaging for Republicans in federal, state, and local races since 2022. Trump has attempted to adopt a more cautious stance on abortion. During a recent debate, he suggested that abortion rights should be determined by individual states rather than through a nationwide ban.
The advertisement is also designed to address a weak moment for Biden during the debate, where his response to the abortion issue was seen as muddled. Since then, Biden has used campaign speeches to reinforce his promise to restore Roe v. Wade if re-elected, making it one of his campaign’s most enduring policy pledges.
Under intense scrutiny following his debate performance, Biden’s campaign has sought to maintain focus on Trump. The campaign has been releasing social media posts, a website, and ads centered around Trump and Project 2025, a Republican policy playbook developed by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation and other like-minded groups. The playbook proposes a radical overhaul of the federal government, including rejecting the notion of abortion as healthcare.
The Biden campaign’s strategy emphasizes the potential consequences of a second Trump term, which they argue would significantly curtail personal liberties. Although Project 2025 is not officially part of Trump’s campaign platform, Trump has distanced himself from the project, claiming no knowledge of it last week. However, the project has been written or supported by many close Trump allies and former Trump administration officials, some of whom continue to work for the former president.
The Biden campaign’s ad aims to draw a sharp contrast between Biden’s commitment to protecting abortion rights and Trump’s history and potential future actions regarding abortion policy. By highlighting Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade and associating him with Project 2025’s extreme proposals, the campaign seeks to galvanize support from voters who are deeply concerned about reproductive rights and the broader implications of a second Trump presidency.
As the 2024 election approaches, the debate over abortion rights is likely to remain a pivotal issue, influencing voter turnout and preferences. The Biden campaign’s strategic focus on this topic reflects its importance in shaping the political landscape and underscores the high stakes of the upcoming election.
