A super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) presidential campaign is out with ads targeting former President Donald Trump's recent abortion comments as he stumps in Iowa, an important early nominating state, Wednesday.
Trump received widespread condemnation from conservatives when he called DeSantis's six-week Florida abortion ban a "terrible thing" and refused to say he would commit to signing a federal abortion ban into law during his Sunday appearance on NBC News's Meet the Press.
DESANTIS AIMS FOR $2 GAS IN NEW ENERGY VIDEO
“I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake," Trump said, referring to DeSantis's abortion law. Now, Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis, is geofencing the former president's campaign rallies in Maquoketa and Dubuque, Iowa, with a digital ad lambasting Trump's abortion stance.
The 40-second ad is part of a four-figure ad buy running on Facebook and features a clip of popular Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) signing the fetal heartbeat legislation, similar to the DeSantis legislation, into law before slamming Trump for not supporting the abortion measures.
"We have delivered in Florida on promoting a culture of life," DeSantis says during the ad. "And that means signing the heartbeat bill into law. It was the right thing to do. Don't let anyone tell you it wasn't."
States like Iowa, Florida, and South Carolina passed legislation protecting unborn babies with heartbeats from abortion. But instead of supporting the pro-life movement, Trump is attacking these successes as "terrible." pic.twitter.com/W0O4BwFQdq
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) September 19, 2023
Reynolds was one of the several Republicans who pushed back against Trump's abortion comments. "It’s never a 'terrible thing' to protect innocent life," she posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I’m proud of the fetal heartbeat bill the Iowa legislature passed and I signed in 2018 and again earlier this year."
It’s never a “terrible thing” to protect innocent life. I’m proud of the fetal heartbeat bill the Iowa legislature passed and I signed in 2018 and again earlier this year.
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) September 19, 2023
During his campaign stop in Maquoketa on Wednesday, Trump did not directly mention abortion in his speech, but in the wake of the widespread anger from the GOP, he took to social media on Tuesday to clarify his stance.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
"I was able to do something that nobody thought was possible, end Roe v. Wade," he wrote on Truth Social. "For 52 years, people talked, spent vast amounts of money, but couldn’t get the job done. I got the job done! Thanks to the three great Supreme Court Justices I appointed, this issue has been returned to the States, where all Legal Scholars, on both sides, felt it should be."
Officials with Never Back Down remain unconvinced of Trump's argument. “The people of Iowa believe in protecting and defending innocent lives," said Dave Vasquez, press secretary for the super PAC. "The only ‘terrible mistake’ here is choosing to abandon the pro-life movement.”