Potential Trump VP reverses course, now calls himself “pro-life Democrat”

There has been much speculation regarding who Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick will be. Many names have been tossed around as possibilities, but one name in particular drew heavy criticism: retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Trump is reportedly considering choosing Flynn, even though he is a Democrat. As former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and Trump’s foreign policy director, it isn’t a surprising pick. However, his stance on abortion has caused pro-lifers to, once again, doubt Trump’s commitment to the pro-life cause. Flynn described himself as pro-choice, saying that he thought abortion should be for a woman to choose.

The backlash was immediate, with pro-life leaders saying that Flynn should be disqualified as a potential vice presidential candidate. Now, just one day later, Flynn is claiming that he is actually a pro-life Democrat. His new position was released in a series of tweets from Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin…

Jennifer Griffin

@JenGriffinFNC

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EXCLUSIVE: LTG Mike Flynn tells me he is "a pro-life Democrat," clarifies abortion comments by phone. "I believe the law should be changed."

3:53 PM · Jul 11, 2016

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Jennifer Griffin

@JenGriffinFNC

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.@GenFlynn tells me "This pro-choice issue is a legal issue that should be decided by the courts. If people want to change the law, vote.

3:55 PM · Jul 11, 2016

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Jennifer Griffin

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Mike Flynn tells me: "If people are going to decide election on abortion issue they should just stay home." Says he is "pro-Life Democrat."

3:58 PM · Jul 11, 2016

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The sudden flip-flop on the pro-life issue is not likely to help Flynn’s reputation among the pro-life community. Many pro-lifers already doubt the veracity of Trump’s pro-life conversion because, to this day, he still praises Planned Parenthood and, in the past, has supported partial-birth abortion. He also chose an attorney who has previously defended Planned Parenthood and who was, like Trump, an advocate of partial-birth abortion.

Like Flynn, Trump has recently said that we shouldn’t change abortion laws, as well as pushed the GOP to broaden their platform to allow for more abortions. Choosing a running mate who can’t seem to make up his mind on whether or not he supports abortion will not endear many pro-lifers to the Trump ticket, and could be viewed as even more reason to have delegates choose Trump’s running mate for him.