WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump vowed to stand with anti-abortion activists Friday as he became the first sitting president to speak at the March for Life.
Trump called it his “profound honor” to appear at the event, which is one of the movement’s highest profile and most symbolic events.
He told a crowd of thousands that, “Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.”
He also used his speech to attack Democrats as embracing “radical and extreme positions.”
Trump once described himself as “pro-choice in every respect,” but on Friday, he was hailed by speakers and on signs as “the most pro-life” president in American history.
As he heads into the 2020 election, the move is Trump’s latest nod to the white evangelical voters who have proven to be among his most loyal backers.
And it makes clear that Trump is counting on the support of his base of conservative activists to help bring him across the finish line.
Past presidents who opposed abortion, including Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, steered clear of personally attending the march to avoid being too closely associated with demonstrators eager to outlaw the procedure.
