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Donald Trump appeared unfamiliar with the widely used and extremely safe abortion drug. Mifepristonewhen a reporter asked him a question about it Thursday afternoon at his press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Critics are slamming his comments.

The former president, who is currently trailing in the polls as Vice President Kamala Harris changed the trajectory of the election, pressed his response even as he left the impression he would support banning the drug, effectively moving the country closer to a near-total nationwide abortion ban while supporting a national vote by the general public on the issue.

Trump has repeatedly boasted that he has finished Roe v. Wade By placing three right-wing justices on the US Supreme Court who eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, Trump has sought to circumvent that right, angering anti-abortion activists and his evangelical Christian base.

On Thursday, when asked if he would “order the FDA, for example, to revoke access to mifepristone,” Trump interrupted the reporter to give an answer (video below).

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“There are things that can be done to complement the situation, of course. And those things are quite open and humane, but you have to be able to vote, and all I want to do is give everyone the possibility to vote, and the vote is going on right now, as we speak. There are many things that can be done from a human point of view besides that, but you also have to give a vote and the people will have to decide.”

Trump appeared to be suggesting that he would order the FDA to ban the abortion drug Mifepristone, while claiming that alternatives exist, defeating the purpose of a ban. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of all abortions in the U.S. are performed via medication abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In 2020, that figure was 53%.

There is no medical evidence to justify banning mifepristone.

The former president also seemed to ignore that, outside of a constitutional amendment and elections, the United States has never held a national referendum on any issue, and there is no constitutional method for “casting a vote” so that “the people” can decide the matter.

A strong majority of Americans support abortion rights, and an even stronger majority opposes a national abortion ban, the Associated Press reported last month.

Many who saw the former president on Thursday and commented on social media expressed astonishment at his response.

“Before the question,” noted Los Angeles Times columnist Jackie Calmes, “Trump says Harris is not smart. Then he addresses the issue of mifepristone: He clearly has no idea what he’s talking about — the drug used in two-thirds of current abortions — and seems to suggest that, yes, his FDA will repeal it (as the right wants).”

“It’s like a bad ad-lib at this point,” said U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.). “He’s not funny, he’s not present, he doesn’t understand the word that the audience just tried to say to him … but he’s overconfident in his skills.”

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“He has no idea what mifepristone is,” commented columnist and former Jezebel editor-in-chief Laura Bassett.

“Trump’s response is complete gibberish. He has no idea what mifepristone is or what he’s talking about,” wrote communications strategist Laura Chapin.

“Oh my God!” exclaimed communications professor and McClatchy News columnist Isaac Bailey. “This guy is trying to trick people into answering important political questions that they clearly know next to nothing about.”

“Yes,” wrote Jessica Mason Pieklo, executive editor and senior vice president of Rewire News Group, “this man has no idea what mifepristone is lol.”

“He tried to frame it in ambiguous, nonsensical language,” noted political strategist Maya Rupert, “but here’s Trump confirming that he’s going to order his FDA to revoke access to medication abortions COUNTRY-WIDE. This is a national abortion ban. This is what we’re voting on.”

“If any other presidential candidate gave such an incoherent answer, it would be news for five days,” said author and University of Pennsylvania professor and scholar Brian Rosenwald. “I’ve seen little kids be more coherent. Do you know what mifepristone is?”

Watch Trump’s video below or at this link.

Reporter: Would you order your FDA to revoke access to mifepristone?

Trump: There are things that could be done to complement the situation. Of course. And those things are quite open and humane… image.twitter.com/963ovR6MRR

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 8, 2024

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