Trump says he’s ‘the father of IVF’ at event with female voters

Washington: Donald Trump has sought to close the gender gap with Kamala Harris by fielding questions at an all-female town hall where he declared he is “the father of IVF” and acknowledged some US abortion bans were “too tough”.

With less than three weeks until the election, Trump addressed an audience of women at the Fox News event, in which he also vowed to ban transgender athletes playing women’s sports. He said he would use presidential power to scrap sanctuary cities, where local authorities protect undocumented immigrants under law.

Donald Trump has claimed to be “the father of IVF” at an all-female town hall.Credit: AP

The comments come as the gender gap in voters’ intentions between Trump and Harris becomes one of the most defining features of the 2024 contest, with Trump struggling to win support from women, while Harris is facing similar challenges with men.

Part of the problem for Trump has been his role in gutting reproductive rights in the US, where about 20 states now have abortion restrictions in some form after conservative judges on the Supreme Court – three of whom he appointed – overturned federal protections.

However, speaking to a studio audience in Georgia, Trump suggested that some states with strict abortion bans would undo them because “they’re too tough, too tough”.

“And those are going to be redone because already there’s a movement in those states,” he said. “Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother.”

The Republican candidate also took on the issue of IVF, which is another area Democrats have used to galvanise their base.

It became another flashpoint this year after an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos are humans. This led to IVF clinics in the state pausing services for fear of being sued – something that left many couples wanting to have children deeply upset.

Asked by a participant about his stance on IVF, Trump described himself as “the father of IVF.” He also explained that he received a call from Alabama Republican senator Katie Britt earlier this year – whom he called “a fantastically attractive person” – letting him know women in her state were angered by the ruling.

“I said [to Britt]: ‘Explain IVF very quickly’. And within about two minutes I understood it, and I said; ‘No, no. We’re totally in favour of IVF’,” he said. “I came out with a statement within an hour. A really powerful statement ... We really are the party for IVF.”

The event was a friendly affair filled largely with Republican supporters, and the latest in a media blitz for both candidates.

Vice President Kamala Harris in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God in Detroit earlier this week.Credit: AP

Harris has spent much of the week courting black voters, culminating with a one-hour audio town hall in Detroit on Tuesday night with influential radio show host Charlamagne tha God, whose program The Breakfast Club is the most-listened-to hip-hop and R&B morning show in the country.

On Thursday (AEDT) Harris will sit down with Fox News’ Bret Baier in her first interview with a conservative news outlet since she became the Democratic nominee – and her first with the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox.

Until now, the risk-averse Harris has preferred making her case with scripted rally speeches, highly managed campaign stops and television ads.

However, the Democratic nominee has ramped things up this week as the race hits its final stretch, and as polls show the election is still too close to call.

According to a new Marist Poll released on Thursday, Harris leads Trump 52 per cent to 47 per cent among likely voters nationally. However, Trump leads Harris 54 per cent to 44 per cent among likely independent voters, the fastest growing voting block in key battlegrounds.

And in terms of the gender gap, Trump leads Harris among likely male voters 53 per cent to 47 per cent, while Harris holds a 57 per cent to 42 per cent advantage among likely female voters.

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