Donald Trump is facing major backlash after saying women who have banned abortions should be punished during an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews.
Here's how the convo went:
Matthews: Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle?
Trump: The answer is there has to be some form of punishment.
Matthews: For the woman?
Trump: Yeah, there has to be some form.
Matthews: Ten cents, 10 years, what?
Trump: I don't know — that I don't know.
You can see the exchange in the video above, but that's not even the worst part. Andrew Rafferty, an NBC political reporter, tweeted a transcript of the follow-up discussion, in which Trump said the fathers shouldn't be held to the same standards.
Guys, however, are fine if they get a woman pregnant, Trump tells @MSNBC [1] pic.twitter.com/hMA24c6fYB [2]
— Andrew Rafferty (@AndrewNBCNews) March 30, 2016 [3]
After outrage from people in both parties, Trump tried to do damage control and released this statement, according to the Washington Post [4].
"If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb. My position has not changed—like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions."
All of the presidential candidates — Democrats and Republicans — denounced Trump's comments.
Just when you thought it couldn't get worse. Horrific and telling. -H https://t.co/Qi8TutsOw9 [5]
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 30, 2016 [6]
We can't let someone with this much contempt for women's rights anywhere near the White House.https://t.co/OjU9gRwsxo [7]
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 30, 2016 [8]
Your Republican frontrunner, ladies and gentlemen. Shameful. https://t.co/y49Z8YfRgV [9]
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 30, 2016 [10]
We shouldn't be talking about punishing women; we should affirm their dignity and gift to bring life into the world https://t.co/OwWR96YTF0 [11]
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 30, 2016 [12]
.@JohnKasich [13] reacts to Trump's abortion comments: "Of course, women shouldn't be punished" for having an abortion https://t.co/bLyaNPVGoE [14]
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 30, 2016 [15]
This is the second day in a row the Trump campaign has come under fire — yesterday, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged with battery [16] for grabbing a female reporter by the arm.