Trump faces fallout on IVF proposal and abortion comments

SAYING THAT THIS COMPLETELY UNDERMINES HIS POSITION ON ABORTION. MY NBC NEWS COLLEAGUE GARRETT HAAKE , AND SAHIL KAPUR WITH THE REACTION FROM THE ANTIABORTION GROUP ON MR. TRUMP'S COMMENTS. -- BOWMAN WITH ME ONSET. ALSO, SHE COVERS THE ISSUE OF ABORTION FOR THE WASHINGTON POST. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH ME ON THIS BIG FRIDAY. GARRETT, LET'S KICK IT OFF. THIS IS A STUNNING ANNOUNCEMENT BY FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. IT'S BEEN ABOUT A DAY SINCE HE MADE THOSE COMMENTS TO DASHA BURNS. WHAT DOES THE CAMPAIGN THINK THE IMPACT WILL BE? >> Reporter: I THINK ON THE ABORTION ISSUE, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, HIS CAMPAIGN WANTS TO CLOSE THE BOOK ON ABORTION AS AN ISSUE. BUT EVERY TIME HE MAKES HIS POSITION MORE CONFUSING, NOT LESS, IT GUARANTEES THAT PRESS WILL CONTINUE TO ASK ABOUT IT. THE REFERENDUM COULD BE DEFENSIBLE. ON THE IVF CONCEPT, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT REPUBLICANS WILL PROBABLY SUPPORT. TRADITIONAL PAUL RYAN REPUBLICANS WILL BE ASKING QUESTIONS. THAT HAS NOT BEEN A CONCERN OF THIS VERSION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. I THINK THEY WILL FOLLOW TRUMP ON THIS. WE CALL THAT A PLAN IN THE OPEN OF THE SHOW. IT'S NOT A PLAN. IT'S AN IDEA. WHO WILL ACTUALLY DO THIS, WHERE THE MONEY WILL COME FROM, AND WHO WILL ACTUALLY BE ELIGIBLE. THERE WILL BE 1 MILLION FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. >> YEAH, GARRETT. WE ARE WRITING A LIST OF FOLLOW- UP QUESTIONS. IT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. YOU ARE RIGHT, THERE ARE STILL SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS HERE. THAT AMENDMENT, WHICH WOULD BASICALLY OVERTURN IT. HOW HE WOULD VOTE, HIS CAMPAIGN TRYING TO DO A LITTLE DAMAGE CONTROL. DO YOU ANTICIPATE THE CAMPAIGN WILL HAVE TO PUT OUT ANOTHER CLARIFYING STATEMENT? QUITE FRANKLY, HOW HE WILL VOTE. >> IT WAS WHAT? LESS THAN A MONTH AGO WHERE DONALD TRUMP TOLD REPORTERS THAT HE WOULD REVEAL HOW HE WOULD VOTE ON THAT. HE HASN'T GIVEN A CLEAR ANSWER. ONLY A CLEAR DEFINITIVE ANSWER. HE AND HIS CAMPAIGN ARE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT IT. >> GREAT REPORTING, GREAT TALKING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET ME TURN TO YOU NOW. WHAT DO YOU HAVE? >> THEY ARE MOUNTING PRETTY SERIOUS BACKLASH. SOME OF THESE VOTERS MIGHT END UP STAYING HOME, THEN YOU WILL HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM ON HIS HANDS IF HE DOESN'T CLARIFY WHAT HE MEANT. A PROMINENT ANTIABORTION ADVOCATE CALLED TRUMP YESTERDAY. HE TOLD HER THAT SHE TOLD HIM IN THE PRIVATE CONVERSATION THAT IT'S IMPERATIVE TO BE CLEAR, THAT HE MAY BE IN SUPPORT OF THAT. YOU SEE THIS ON THE SCREEN. SHE SAYS SHE SPOKE TO TRUMP. THAT IT WOULD UNDERMINE HIS POSITION AGAINST LATE-TERM ABORTION. WHETHER THEY WOULD DO SIX WEEKS, OR 15 WEEKS. THIS IS INCLUDING EXCEPTIONS FOR THE WOMAN'S HEALTH. >> YEAH, THE POLITICS OF THIS IS SO FASCINATING, SAHIL. LOOKING AT HIS ABORTION VIEWS IN THE PAST, DO YOU THINK THIS COULD HURT HIM POLITICALLY? ARE DOES IT NOT WIND UP HAVING ANY IMPACT? OH THAT'S IF HE DOESN'T PLAY HIS CARDS RIGHT. THEY NEED EACH OTHER. THEY ARE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY RIGHT NOW. THEY COULD CONTINUE TO PUSH THESE MEASURES TO RALLY THEIR BASE. WITHOUT ANY RISK OF A BACKLASH. NOW THEY ARE FIRING WITH REAL BULLETS, AND NOT BLANKS. THEY HAVE TO DO THIS WHILE KEEPING THEIR VOTERS ENTHUSIASTIC AND ENGAGED. HE IS THE ONE, WHO AS HE FREQUENTLY BRAGS ABOUT, WAS ABLE TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE. >> SAHIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET ME TURN TO YOU. AS MENTIONED, 10 DIFFERENT STATES ARE EXPECTED TO VOTE ON AN ABORTION MEASURE. THERE AMONGST THESE DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS. >> A LOT OF THEM LOOK VERY SIMILAR. I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH ANTIABORTION ADVOCATES WHO ARE FEELING REALLY DOWN. THEY REALLY THINK THAT THE MEASURES ARE GOING TO PASS, AND WILL RESHAPE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THIS COUNTRY. FLORIDA IS THE BIGGEST ONE THEY ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO. THAT WAS BEFORE THIS LATEST BAN TOOK EFFECT. THERE WERE 80,000 ABORTIONS TAKING PLACE. THAT IS THE ONE ALL THE ADVOCATES ARE FOCUSED ON. THAT WILL BE ANOTHER BIG ONE TO WATCH. >> THEY ARE NOT A SLEEP STATE. ARE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE NUMBERS? 75% FOR YES IN NEVADA? >> I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH A LOT OF PRO-CHOICE WOMEN WHO ARE GETTING OUT THERE, TRYING TO VOLUNTEER. THEY ARE FOR ABORTION RIGHTS. IT'S A VERY EMOTIONAL ISSUE, VERY PERSONAL ISSUE. BUT THEY STILL SAY THEY ARE VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP. >> AND THAT POINT IS THE CRITICAL ONE TO KEEP IN MIND. MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY THEY SUPPORT ACCESS TO ABORTION. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS PLAYING OUT? >> WE'VE SEEN IN POLL AFTER POLL. THAT INCLUDES ABOUT A THIRD OF REPUBLICANS. WE'VE SEEN THAT CONSISTENTLY IN POLLING. THEY'VE BEEN UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT. THEY SHOW REALLY CLOSE RACE IS STILL IN ARIZONA AND NEVADA. >> BRIDGET, HISTORY TELLS US PART OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE. IN SPECIAL ELECTIONS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT'S HAD AN IMPACT. >> ABOUT A QUARTER OF VOTERS, THAT ABORTION WAS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR THEM. 3 IN 4 SUPPORTED THIS. REPUBLICANS I'VE TALKED TO SAY THIS IS A PROBLEM. THEY WANT TO BE MORE PROACTIVE. >> IT REALLY DOES. BRIDGET TOUCHED ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT. WE'VE SEEN TURNOUT IN VOTERS. NAVIGATING THESE VERY TRICKY WATERS. HE TOLD ME THAT TRUMP WOULD VETO A FEDERAL BAN ON ABORTION. DO THE MIXED MESSAGING CONFUSED VOTERS? >> IT'S FASCINATING. I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH WOMEN, THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT TRUMP IS ACTUALLY PRO-CHOICE. AND I SAID, WELL, WHAT ABOUT ROE V. WADE? THE ONES THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO, THEY SAY, OH, HE DOESN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. LOOK AT THE THINGS HE'S SAYING NOW. I DO THINK THIS IS SORT OF BACKPEDALING, THAT VOTERS SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE. DO YOU THINK THIS IS MORE OF AN IDEA THAN A PLAN? WE STARTED TO SEE THIS FIGHT PLAY OUT ON CAPITOL HILL EARLIER. A NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS VOTING AGAINST EXPANDING ACCESS? >> YES, EXACTLY. AND THAT INCLUDED JD VANCE. THESE ARE EARLY DAYS FOR THIS POLICY BEING AROUND. THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN TO SO FAR I JUST A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED. I THINK A LOT WILL HANG ON A COUPLE OF WEEKS. I THINK VOTERS WILL BE INTERESTED. >> BRIDGET, TO THAT POINT, VOTERS FAVOR EXPANDING IVF. TRUMP KNOWS THAT. >> THAT'S RIGHT. WE DO SEE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT. WE ALL AGREE ABOUT THIS, RIGHT? THIS IS A BROADER PUSH DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING AGAINST REPUBLICANS. WE HAVEN'T SEEN TRUMP BE ABLE TO MOVE THE NUMBER ON THIS ISSUE. WE'VE SEEN HARRIS CONTINUE TO HAVE A BIG ADVANTAGE. IT'S ONE OF, IF NOT THE BEST FOR HER. >> REALLY BECOMING THE PERSON --