Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday accused former President Donald Trump of “flip-flopping” on the issue of abortion about two months out of the election as Republicans continue to attack Vice President Kamala Harris over her policy reversals.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Schiff was asked to explain how he feels about Harris reversing her position on the natural gas extraction method also known as fracking.
As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris said she was in favor of banning fracking, but has since reversed her stance, saying she would not outlaw it if she won in November.
Schiff defended Harris, saying that the vice president has proven her commitment to fighting climate change, including by working on the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The California lawmaker added that while he still supports a ban on fracking, “I’m not the vice president of the United States.”
“And I do think that, when you are representing the whole country, you have a different perspective,” he said.
Schiff then pivoted to Trump, saying that while Harris had shifted her stance on fracking four years ago, Trump has “changed his position four times on abortion in the last 48 hours.”
“That, to me, is a much more significant question, particularly as, when you’re talking about abortion and you’re talking about a right and freedom of the American people, to be so pandering, wishy-washy, flip-flopping, so disrespectful to the rights and freedoms of millions of American women, and do all that in a single day,” Schiff said, “that’s the contrast here.”
Schiff added that Trump’s latest stance on abortion indicates he “has no values.”
Trump suggested Thursday he would vote in favor of a Florida amendment in November that would amend the state’s constitution to allow abortion until fetal viability, which is usually around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. As of May, the state has banned the medical procedure beyond six weeks, with few exceptions.
However, Trump’s campaign almost immediately walked back his words, saying the candidate had yet to reveal how he is going to vote on the issue. Then, on Friday, the GOP presidential nominee announced he would vote against the measure, falsely claiming that Democratic-led states’ laws enable the killing of newborn babies.
“Some of the states like Minnesota and other states have it where you could actually execute the baby after birth,” Trump lied, “and all of that stuff is unacceptable. So I’ll be voting no for that reason.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, attacked Schiff over his criticism of the former president, calling the California Democrat “one of the most despicable and disgusting elected officials in Congress” in a statement shared with The Hill.
“This is just more disgusting gaslighting from a disgusting person who has no decency and lacks the character to actually be president,” Cheung said.
While Trump has continued to change his stances on issues ranging from abortion to whether the popular social media platform TikTok should be banned in the U.S., Republicans have been attacking Harris for doing the same, claiming she is a “dangerously liberal” candidate.
