Even Never Trumpers Think His Abortion Game Is a Smart Move

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

55% : Trump and his allies are almost certain to claim different things in different rooms.
53% : " That is just how Trump works, this operative said.
47% : While Donald Trump's long-awaited statement on abortion didn't commit to much -- neglecting to promise a national abortion ban while vaguely endorsing states' rights -- the former president still managed to piss off a healthy portion of the anti-abortion Republicans supporting him.
45% : Indeed, Trump seems much more consumed with the prospect of getting elected than imposing a national abortion ban.
40% : "The pro-life community is looking for more," Vander Plaats told The Daily Beast in an email, also deriding Trump for ceding leadership to the left.
40% : Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told reporters he thought Trump took "generally the right approach.
38% : " Farah Griffin noted Trump "has never had any core conviction on the issue," but his survival instincts came through in the statement.
37% : Trump has proven his anti-abortion credentials after appointing three Supreme Court justices who enabled the conservative majority to overturn national abortion rights.
34% : "Trump has never been as right-wing on the issue of abortion as some of his staunchest supporters in the pro-life community," a pro-Trump operative told The Daily Beast.
31% : " Still, with Trump giving himself so much latitude, there are Republicans who don't think the former president has done enough to quell voter concerns on abortion.
30% : Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) -- another staunch opponent of abortion -- also managed to seem to side with Trump, telling reporters "it's the voters who decide," not an unelected Supreme Court "decreeing a rule for everyone and disenfranchising the voters.
29% : Trump's abortion statement Monday, advertised as a major tone-setting event, was meant to neutralize one of the best Democratic talking points against him: that Trump would sign a national abortion ban.
21% : Despite the week-long anticipation over what Trump would say, the Never Trump campaign adviser said Trump landed himself right back where he started.
14% : " (True to form, Trump repeatedly lashed out at Graham, eventually saying in a post on Truth Social that, "I blame myself for Lindsey Graham, because the only reason he won in the Great State of South Carolina is because I Endorsed him!") While Trump's abortion statement drew some conservative criticism, he did find plenty of cover among MAGA hardliners in the Senate Monday night.

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