No president has ever attended the March for Life. On Friday, President Trump will become the first.
“See you on Friday…Big Crowd!” he announced on Twitter, revealing that he will be the only president to address the pro-life march in person since it began in 1974.
This is big news. In 2017, Vice President Mike Pence became the first vice president to attend the march, and Trump has addressed the crowd remotely for the past three years. That’s not surprising; George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan both phoned in to the march. Trump’s in-person appearance, however, is a big step.
Trump may be trying to boost his electability — the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List and its super PAC have promised to contribute $52 million to help reelect Trump and keep Republicans in the Senate. But while his motives for holding pro-life positions are unclear, you can’t argue with the results. Trump’s history on the abortion issue was mixed when he ran, but during his time in the White House, he has amassed a strongly pro-life record.
After promising to nominate pro-life judges, Trump has nominated two Supreme Court justices and more than 150 judges who have been confirmed. He signed a bill that allows states to block Title X federal funding for “family planning” from going to organizations that also perform abortions, such as Planned Parenthood. Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City policy, which prevents foreign aid from supporting organizations that provide or endorse abortions.
During the Trump administration, the State Department removed taxpayer funding for the United Nations Population Fund, a family planning organization that has financed forced abortion and sterilization in China.
Whether or not Trump is “the most pro-life president ever,” as some supporters argue, he does have a strong record on pro-life issues, even though he used to be pro-choice. In a 1999 Meet the Press interview, Trump described himself as “very pro-choice.” He even said he opposed a ban on partial-birth abortion, emphasizing: “I am pro-choice in every respect.”
Fast-forward 20 years, and Trump’s stated beliefs have evidently changed. “As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions — Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan,” he tweeted last year.
Trump’s appearance at the March for Life will be divisive for non-Republican pro-lifers, as well as for Republicans who don’t trust that his change of conviction is sincere. But whether or not Trump simply has his eye on the ballot box, he’s taking a public, pro-life step that no Republican president before him has. He deserves credit for it.
“We are deeply honored to welcome President Trump to the 47th annual March for Life,” march President Jeanne Mancini said in a statement, adding that members of the organization are “excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn.”
With many of his policies, and with his presence at the march, Trump lends strength and political clout to the pro-life cause. This will set an influential precedent; now, the default for future GOP presidents will be to address the March for Life in person.
Trump is the first president to show up for the March for Life. He won’t be the last.
