Planned Parenthood applauded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday following his most recent comments about the group, saying to cut off federal funding is just one of several “extreme positions that are way too far outside the mainstream for even him to take.”
On Monday, Trump told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that before defunding Planned Parenthood, he would “look at the good aspects” of the organization if he were elected president, but referred to the group as an “abortion factory.” (RELATED: Trump Calls Planned Parenthood An ‘Abortion Factory,’ But Stops Short Of Calling For Full Defund)
“The biggest problem I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation,” the real estate mogul told Cuomo. “I mean, it’s like an abortion factory, frankly.”
“I would look at the individual things that they do, and maybe some of the things are good and maybe, I know a lot of the things are bad, but certainly the abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government,” Trump continued.
But despite Trump referring to Planned Parenthood as an “abortion factory,” the organization praised Trump for changing his “extreme positions” about abortion and defunding the group.
“Donald Trump seems to have realized that banning all abortions, shutting down the government, and defunding Planned Parenthood are extreme positions that are way too far outside the mainstream for even him to take,” spokesman Eric Ferrero said, according to The Daily Beast.
“We hope that the rest of the GOP field will wake up and reconsider their extreme and unpopular positions on defunding preventive care, abortion bans, and the other economic issues that women and their families care about,” Ferrero continued.
TheDC reported Trump’s comments to Cuomo indicate a considerably softer opinion than in an interview with Hugh Hewitt last weak, when the mogul agreed that it would be worth shutting down the government in order to defund Planned Parenthood.
In 1999, Trump said he was “strongly for choice,” but last Thursday during the Republican presidential debates, he addressed his change of heart, saying, “since then, I’ve very much evolved,” and that, “I am very, very proud to say that I am pro-life.”