Abortion was rarely mentioned in RNC speeches despite a concerted effort by Republicans to repeal protections.
The speaker lineup at the Republican National Convention was filled with leaders who have not been shy about voicing their anti-abortion views—yet this year’s speeches were remarkably silent on the topic of access to reproductive care.
In his 2020 RNC nomination acceptance speech, then-president Donald Trump trumpeted popular anti-abortion myths, saying that Democrats support “extreme late-term abortion of defenseless children up to the moment of BIRTH,” and adding, “tonight, we proudly declare that all children, born and unborn, have the GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO LIFE.”
On stage Thursday, Trump did not mention abortion once.
And he’s not alone—over the past few months, Trump has set a standard tone for his party to follow: In public, try to appear more moderate on abortion so as not to alienate the majority of Americans who support access in most or all cases. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, anti-abortion lawmakers and activists continue to plot what they can do with four more years of the GOP in the White House.
The RNC ran from Monday to Thursday last week, just days after the attempted assassination of Trump. Speakers came from across the country, including what the party describes as “everyday” Americans and big names like Kids Rock, Hulk Hoganand President of Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana White.
Representatives across the country who have long been staunch advocates for abortion bans in their states and nationwide chose not to use their precious minutes on the RNC stage, which at times drew more than 25 million viewers, to talk about plans to push for anti-abortion legislation in the future.
Arizona Senate Candidate Lake Kari—who has previously tried to misrepresent her support for the state’s near-total ban on abortion during the Civil War, which she called “a great law” that would “pave the way and set the course for other states to follow”—did not mention abortion. Greg Abbott—who signed a near-total abortion ban in 2021 and said he would “continue to work with the Texas legislature and all Texans to save every child from the consequences of abortion”—did not mention abortion. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee—who was rated A+ and then A+ by leading anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.Dobbspraised that “our work can continue without being arbitrarily constrained by the Roe era”—without mentioning abortion.
One of Trump’s leading men in Congress, the Speaker of the House Mike Johnsonalso followed the “mum’s the word” abortion strategy at last week’s RNC. Johnson—who voted for a nationwide ban, has blamed abortion, in part, for mass shootings, and compared access to reproductive health care to “an American massacre”—instead talked mostly about God and immigration.
And then there’s the Ohio Senator. JD VanceVance formally accepted the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night. In his speech, Vance leaned on his upbringing and used the time to discuss international wars and the economy—in both cases misrepresenting the facts. Notably, Vance did not draw from his previous arsenal of anti-abortion policy positions.
Vance, like his running mate, has tried to tone down his rhetoric as he prepares for the 2024 election. Earlier this month, he said he agreed with the Supreme Court’s recent rejection of an effort to restrict access to the abortion drug mifepristone. He has previously said he sees “something socially sick about a political movement that tells young women (and men) that killing their own children is liberating” and that he “certainly wants abortion to be illegal nationwide.”
