Donald Trump is fighting to convince a sceptical Republican Party he can improve his standing among women, even as he took back an explosive comment about abortion and attacked the credibility of a female reporter police say was illegally grabbed by the billionaire’s campaign manager.
It took Mr. Trump’s campaign just hours to backtrack on Wednesday after he said that should abortion become illegal, women who undergo the procedure should face “some sort of punishment.” The plan sparked an immediate backlash from both sides of the debate, prompting Mr. Trump to release two statements clarifying his position. His second statement said only those who perform abortions would be “held legally responsible, not the woman.”
“The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb,” Mr. Trump said. The flap comes as he works to hold off a challenge from chief rival Senator Ted Cruz in Wisconsin’s high-stakes primary on Tuesday.
