In a recent town hall meeting, former President Donald Trump addressed a variety of concerns from female voters, promising to dismantle sanctuary cities and restore "normalcy."
The issues discussed ranged from crime and public safety to the economy and abortion rights.
According to Fox News, one participant, a mother of a University of Georgia student, questioned Trump about crime and public safety. This query was prompted by the murder of nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year. "My son is a Georgia Bulldog. He was on campus the day Laken Riley was murdered," she said. "Terrifying for all those kids, right? I wanted to know how quickly in a sanctuary city like they're calling Athens, Georgia how quickly can you remove those threats to our societies that our children can go out on a run as they rightfully should be able to do in a park in the daytime by themselves?"
In response, Trump pledged, "We can do things in terms of moving people out. We can move them out of the sanctuary cities. We're going to end all sanctuary cities in the United States, and we're going to go back to normalcy." He further added, "And we're going to have law and order."
For Republican voters, crime is a significant concern, second only to the economy, which is the primary motivator for constituents as they head to the polls. Recent polls indicate that Trump has a nine-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in terms of handling the economy, the most critical issue for voters in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
The economy is the top concern for Republicans and all Americans, according to a Gallup poll. However, it did not make the top five issues for Democrats. The poll found that 54% of Americans believe Trump is more capable of handling the economy, compared to 45% for Harris.
Another participant, a single mother, asked about the rising cost of living for families and his plans for the child tax credit. "I'm a single mom to two kids here, and just in three and a half years, my child tax credit has decreased by 80%," she said. "Last year, I had broken my neck, and I tried applying for any kind of assistance and was denied because I did not make less than $700 a month... what kind of realistic changes that do you think you can provide [to] single parents, married parents, any kind of parent to just simply afford children in today's world, with the way things are here?"
Trump responded, "I gave you the largest tax cuts in the history of our country. Larger than the Reagan cuts. Larger. I understand exactly what you're saying. We're going to readjust things so that it's fair to everybody, because it's really not fair to everybody We're going up higher, but we're also going to readjust because you have to make some readjustments."
Abortion, another critical issue for voters, was also discussed. One attendee asked, "Why is the government involved in women's basic rights?" Trump responded, "For 52 years, this issue has torn our country apart. Every legal scholar, the great ones, every lawyer but the Democrats, the Republicans, the liberals, and conservatives, they wanted it brought out of the federal government and brought back to the states for a vote of the people. And like Ronald Reagan, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother."
Trump also holds leads over Harris on immigration and foreign affairs, according to recent polls. However, Harris leads on top issues for Democrats, including health care, abortion, and climate change. These discussions and debates continue to shape the political landscape as the country prepares for the upcoming elections.
Login