As primary voting for the 2016 presidential election draws closer, Donald Trump’s critics are getting worried, amping up the attacks on him as a “fake conservative,” and pointing out his inconsistencies on a variety of issues from abortion, to gun rights, to healthcare, and more — not to mention his ties to the leading Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
When these arguments come up, Trump’s go-to line usually involves the name “Ronald Reagan.”
“I mean, Ronald Reagan was a fairly liberal Democrat and he evolved over years and he became more and more conservative,” Trump said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” this past Sunday. “And he was not a very conservative person, but he was pretty conservative and he ended up being a great president. And I have evolved on many issues, and on some issues I am very much the same.”
However, Michael Reagan won’t let Trump get away with that comparison. In an editorial for the New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday, he said the similarities between Trump and his father were nearly non-existent.
“Ronald Reagan’s odyssey from Hollywood liberal to conservative backer took place over almost two decades,” he wrote. “My dad also served eight years as California’s governor. When he ran for President, he had a proven conservative track record.”
Reagan detailed Trump’s very inconsistent conservative track record, including past political contributions to Democratic candidates (including Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign), as well as previous positions backing strong gun control and abortion rights.
Trump’s flip-flopping on the abortion issue has been a source of much concern for conservative Christians and pro-life advocates.
Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life youth organization Students for Life, doesn’t trust Trump to stand firm on his pro-life position.
“Mr. Trump said in an interview in 1999 that he would not ban partial-birth abortion and that he was pro-choice ‘in every respect,’” Hawkins wrote in a recent column. “Granted, views can certainly change, and they do, but what has Mr. Trump done to assure us he has switched his view?”
She pointed out that as recently as last summer Trump has suggested the appointment of a pro-choice Supreme Court justice, and has gone back-and-forth on whether Planned Parenthood should receive taxpayer funding.
Trustworthiness in a candidate is one of the most important factors for millennials at the polls, which could explain why Trump’s favorability is lower with younger voters. But, unfortunately for millennials, the front-runner on the other side of the aisle might be even less trustworthy than Trump.
“I’d say that millennial voters are willing to forgive past transgressions, so long as that candidate is open and honest about a genuine change of heart,” said College Republican National Committee Chairman Alex Smith. “Remember: young voters aren’t focused on orthodoxy, but rather care about electing a problem solver who isn’t afraid to take on the big challenges of our time. The can also spot a phony from a mile away, which explains why Hillary Clinton is currently tanking with them. All of the Lena Dunham appearances in Iowa can’t win back the majority of young voters who don’t trust her.”
