On the Laura Ingraham Show on Wednesday, Donald Trump called Planned Parenthood an abortion factory and condemned the harvesting of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood as “like selling parts to an automobile”, and called for it to be defunded.
That marks at least the second time Trump has changed his mind on Planned Parenthood.
July 21st: Trump said, “absolutely, they should be defunded.”
August 3rd: Trump said the Republicans should shut down the government over Planned Parenthood funding (incidentally falling into the media trap on the issue).
August 12th: Trump said he supports the status quo on funding of Planned Parenthood for the “good aspects of it because I’m sure they do some things properly and good and good for women.”
August 16th: Trump said Planned Parenthood “has to stop with the abortions.”
August 26th: Trump told Ingraham they should be defunded.
Either Trump is being inconsistent, or he just doesn’t understand how the funding process works. Planned Parenthood is already theoretically barred from using the $500 million in taxpayer funds it receives per year on abortions, but anyone with a third grade education knows that money is fungible and that funding the alleged “good aspects” of Planned Parenthood (there aren’t many, by the way) frees up money for abortions.
If your father gives you $100 and says you can only put it into savings, not your checking account, so you deposit it into savings and then transfer $100 into your checking, your father has just added $100 to your checking account. It’s the same thing with Planned Parenthood — the government gives them $500 million, says with a stern look, ‘Don’t use this for abortions’, so Planned Parenthood goes ahead and puts it into a pool to use for abortions.
Trump is a smart guy — smart enough to make himself a billionaire. He should get this, right?
Thomas Valentine is a researcher for APIA and a junior at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
