Trump's 'whether thewomenlike it or not' comment was 'very offensive,' Harris says

Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump's comment about protecting womenwhether they "like it or not" showsthe former U.S. presidentdoes not understand women's right"to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies."

"It actually is very offensive," Democratic nominee Harris said about the remark,before she set out to spend the day campaigning in the Western battleground states of Arizona and Nevada.

"This is just the latest on a series of reveals by the former president of how he thinks about women and their agency."

Speaking about the border during part of a rally Wednesday evening near Green Bay, Wis., Republican nominee Trump talked about his intent to "protect women" from immigrants crossing into the U.S.He told his supporters that aides had urged him to stop using the phraseabout protecting womenbecause it was "inappropriate."

He said he then told thoseaides,"Well, I'm going to do it whether thewomenlike it or not. I am going toprotectthem."

Trump's remarks come as he has struggled to connect with female voters and as Harris courtswomenin both parties, with a message centred on freedom. She's making the pitch thatwomenshould be free to make their own decisions about their bodies, and that ifTrumpis elected, more restrictions will follow.

WATCH | Trump and Harris have packed schedules in swing states:

Backlash after Trump says hell protect women whether they 'like it or not

9 days ago

Duration 2:07

Donald Trump is again facing backlash, this time after promising to protect women whether they 'like it or not at a rally in the swing state of Wisconsin. Kamala Harris used the comment to attack Trump, saying he does not believe women should have agency over their bodies.

Trumpappointed three of the justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who formed the conservative majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, which for decades had protectedfederal abortion rights for people across the country.

As the fallout from that 2022 decision spreads, Trumphas taken to claiming at public events and in social media posts thathe would "protectwomen,"and make sure they wouldn't be "thinking about abortion."

Trumpand Republicans have struggled with how to talk about abortion rights, particularly aswomenaround the nation are grappling with obtaining proper medical care because of the restrictions, whose implications go far beyond just the ability to end an unwanted pregnancy.

Trump inconsistent on abortion

Trumphas given contradictory answersabout his position on abortion, at some points saying thatwomenshould be punished for having them, and showcasing the justices he appointed. During his successful 2016 campaign, he told voters that if he were elected, he would appoint justices to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and said he was "pro-life."

But in recent weeks he's promised to veto a national abortion ban, after repeatedly refusing to make such a pledge. He's said the states should regulate care and said some laws were "too tough."

Since 2022, the patchwork of state laws on abortion has created uneven medical care.Somewomenhave died. Others have bledin emergency room parking lotsor became critically ill from sepsis as doctors in states with strict abortion bans send them away until they are sick enough to warrant medical care. That includesthose who never intended to end their pregnancies. Both infant and maternal mortality has risen.

Harris's campaign has seized on Trump's statements about women. In one campaign ad, a womanwho became gravely ill with sepsis after a pregnancy complicationstands in front of a mirror looking at a large scar on her abdomen, as audio plays of Trump's comments about protectingwomen.

Harrishopes abortion will be a strong motivator forwomenat the ballot box.

Women outvoting men so far, firm data suggests

In early voting so far, 1.2 million morewomenthan men have voted across the seven battleground states, according to data from analytics firm TargetSmart.

That doesn't necessarily translate into Democratic gains. But in the 2020 presidential election, there was a ninepercentage-point difference between men andwomenin support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, according toAP VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters.

The Democratic ticket was supported by 55 per cent ofwomenand 46 per cent of men. That was essentially unchanged from the 2018 midterms, when VoteCast found a 10-point gender gap, with 58 per cent ofwomenand 48 per cent of men backing Democrats in congressional races.

Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican who has been campaigning for Harris, has noted on the trail that ballots are secret, and suggested that Republicans who want to quietly vote againstTrumpcan do so.

Harris has rallies scheduled Thursday in Phoenix, Reno,Nev., and Las Vegas. Meanwhile,Trumpis traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in the campaign's final days, taking a risky detour from the seven battleground states to spend time in places where Republican presidential candidates have not won in decades.