Trump Says He'd Punish Women Who Get Abortions, Then Says He Wouldn't

While being taped for an MSNBC town hall set to air Wednesday evening, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump told host Chris Matthews "we have to ban" abortion. That isn't exactly shocking given where the reality TV star's party stands on the issue, and his many claims to being "pro-life." Conservative champions from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush have worn their fervent opposition to abortion rights on their sleeves. But GOP orthodoxy has always called for the ban on the procedure to legally impact doctors—not patients.

In case you haven't been paying attention, Donald Trump is not most Republicans.

When pressed by Matthews about the nuts and bolts of banning abortion and how he would enforce it, Trump eventually conceded that when it comes to women who get the procedure, "the answer is that there has to be some form of punishment, yeah."

The internet quickly went apeshit over the remark, with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton jumping at the opportunity to strike a contrast:

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse. Horrific and telling. -H — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton)March 30, 2016

It's hard to say if this is just another example of Trump saying the first thing that pops into his head and rolling with it. But unlike most of them, this offering was quickly followed by a campaign statement attempting, and failing, to clarify.

"If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman," the statement said. "The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb. My position has not changed—like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions."

The problem for Trump is that he's getting closer and closer to a general election where women—and especially single women—comprise a potent voting block. Those voters are already disinclined to support Trump, and walking back an explosive statement like this one doesn't prevent Clinton or whoever the Democrats nominate from using it in a TV spot.

"Look, you know—I think probably Donald Trump will figure out a way to say that he didn't say it, or he was misquoted or whatever, but I don't think so," GOP also-ran John Kasich said Wednesday. "I don't think that's an appropriate response, and it's a difficult enough situation then to try to punish somebody."

Photo via Flickr user Matt Johnson