MAGA Republicans stooped to new lows this week with their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and — as President Biden would call it — malarkey. In case you missed it: Donald Trump endorsed prosecuting women who get an abortion, bragged about overturning Roe, and said states should be allowed to monitor pregnancies; Trump threatened political violence if he loses in November and promised pardons for violent January 6 rioters; Trump escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric by saying he’d use the National Guard to deport immigrants; and Trump railed against NATO (again).

Meanwhile, women in Arizona will continue to live under an extreme abortion ban; the RNC elevated another extreme election denier to leadership; JD Vance downplayed the violence of January 6; and House Republicans continued trying to defund law enforcement.

Trump endorsed prosecuting women who get an abortion and said he would allow states to monitor women’s pregnancies.

HuffPost: “Trump Is Fine With States Monitoring Pregnant Women So They Don’t Get Abortions”

Mother Jones: “Trump Says States Could Prosecute Women for Abortions Under His Watch”

The Hill: “Trump: It’s up to states to monitor pregnancies, prosecute abortions”

Interviewer: “Are you comfortable if states decide to punish women who access abortions after the procedure is banned?” 

[…]

Trump: “Again, that’s going to be—I don’t have to be comfortable or uncomfortable. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.”

[…]

Interviewer: “Prosecuting women for getting abortions after the ban. But are you comfortable with it?” 

Trump: “The states are going to say. It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.” 

Interviewer: “So just to be clear, then: You won’t commit to vetoing the bill if there’s federal restrictions—federal abortion restrictions?”

Trump: “I won’t have to commit to it.”

In Michigan and Wisconsin, Trump again bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade and claimed people were “thrilled” with the extreme bans that deny reproductive freedom to women across the country.

The Hill: “During both rallies, the former president also spoke about abortion, an issue that could prove to be a major vulnerability for Trump in November. The former president has repeatedly taken credit for ending Roe v. Wade through his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices.

“Trump said during his Wisconsin rally that people were ‘absolutely thrilled’ with the way states were handling abortion policy, even as states like Florida implemented restrictive laws that made it difficult for millions of women to obtain an abortion legally.”

Detroit News: “Trump praises high court overturning abortion rights during Michigan rally”

Spectrum News: “The former president enjoys bragging about appointing three of the six conservative justices whomade up the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. […]

“Trump’s remarks in Wisconsin came on the day Florida’s six-week abortion ban kicked in and the day Arizona lawmakers were working to repeal a near-total abortion ban that took effect earlier this year that was written in 1864. […]

“‘People are absolutely thrilled with the way that’s going on. I think we did a very good job,’ [Trump] added.”

Florida’s extreme abortion ban — made possible by Trump — went into effect this week, ripping away reproductive health care access for millions of women across the South.

The Hill: “Florida’s six-week abortion ban officially went into effect Wednesday, one month after the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the measure, turning the Southeastern region essentially into a desert of abortion access.

“The effects of this ban are expected to be felt across the region, as patients seeking to terminate their pregnancies in the South now have even fewer options previously. […]

“President Biden traveled to the state last week and condemned the six-week ban, laying the blame on former President Trump for its implementation.”

Palm Beach Daily News: “Hours after Florida’s six-week abortion ban took effect Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee put the blame squarely on former President Donald Trump.

“On Wednesday afternoon, the DNC flew a banner over the former president’s Mar-a-Lago Club that read ‘Trump’s Plan: Ban Abortion, Punish Women.’ […]

“‘Donald Trump is the reason for Florida’s extreme abortion ban, and for every abortion ban across the country,’ DNC spokesperson Jackie Bush said in a statement. ‘As women suffer, Trump claims overturning Roe and his extreme bans are working the way they’re ‘supposed to.’ Trump supports letting states punish women and their doctors. He’ll go even further with an extreme nationwide ban if given the chance. The stakes of this election are clear: the only way to restore and safeguard our freedoms is to reelect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.’ […]

“In addition to flying a banner over Mar-a-Lago Wednesday, the DNC launched a bilingual billboard campaign at high-traffic sites in Gainesville, South Florida, Tampa and Orlando.”

Thanks to Trump, women in Arizona have no respite from extreme abortion bans: An archaic 1864 ban will still go into effect for months, and Arizona’s current extreme ban with no exceptions for rape or incest remains on the books.

CNN: “The Arizona Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal the state’s 160-year-old near-total abortion ban, three weeks after the state Supreme Court revived the law and thrust reproductive rights into the political spotlight. […]

“The legislation would clear the way for the state’s 15-week limit to remain state law. That restriction, enacted in 2022, does not include exceptions for rape and incest.”

Associated Press: “‘Make no mistake, Arizonans are living in 1864 now because Donald Trump dismantled Roe v. Wade,’ Democratic state Sen. Priya Sundareshan of Tucson said in a news conference before the vote organized by the Biden campaign and the Arizona Democratic Party.”

Axios: “GOP suffers desert meltdown on abortion”

“A day after former President Trump thought he’d tamped down the GOP’s exposure on abortion, it popped back up in the key 2024 battleground of Arizona.

“Why it matters: Trump ushered in the end of Roe vs. Wade and its national protection of abortion rights, and now his party is suffering a massive voter backlash.”

Trump doubled down on his threats of political violence if he loses in November and refused to commit to accepting the election results.

NBC News: “Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday wouldn’t commit to accepting the 2024 presidential election results — echoing comments he made during the 2020 election campaign.

“‘If everything’s honest, I’ll gladly accept the results. I don’t change on that,’ Trump said Wednesday in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ‘If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country.’

“The presumptive Republican presidential nominee also repeated his false claim that he beat Joe Biden in Wisconsin in the 2020 election.”

Time: “Donald Trump Says Political Violence ‘Depends’ on ‘Fairness’ of 2024 Election”

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN: “Many people have lost American presidential elections over the last 230 years – Trump is the only one to say about violence if he loses ‘it depends.’”

Shane Goldmacher, New York Times: “Trump does not dismiss the possibility of political violence around the election. ‘If we don’t win, you know, it depends,’ he tells TIME. ‘It always depends on the fairness of the election.’”

Trump again pledged to pardon January 6 rioters, whom he praises and calls “patriots and hostages.”

NBC News: “Trump says he may free every Jan. 6 rioter. His team is eyeing ‘case-by-case’ pardons.”

Time: “Trump also tells TIME he might pardon the more than 800 men and women charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, most of whom have pleaded guilty. The assault left more than 140 law enforcement officers injured and sent lawmakers into hiding. More than 120 people have been accused of using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, and members of extremist groups were found guilty of seditious conspiracy.

“Trump has sought to recast the insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. ‘I call them the J-6 patriots,’ Trump tells TIME. When asked whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says: ‘Yes, absolutely.’”

​​Washington Post: ​​“Former president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. … Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem, and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month.”

The Hill: “Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’”

Washington Post: “Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected”

Trump escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric this week, saying that he would deploy the National Guard to conduct mass deportations.

Associated Press: “Donald Trump says he’d use the National Guard as part of efforts to deport millions of migrants across the country if he’s reelected, signaling that he’s doubling down on anti-immigration rhetoric that fueled his previous rise to power. […]

“U.S. military forces — both National Guard and active duty — have historically been used at the border to back up immigration personnel. However, using National Guard forces, or active-duty military, to help directly with deporting migrants, especially in the interior of the country, would be a drastic escalation of their use in the immigration sphere and would likely run into legal challenges. […]

“Trump has made cracking down on immigration a centerpiece of his reelection campaign, repeating a strategy that worked for him when he first ran for office.

“He’s accused migrants of ‘poisoning the blood of the country’ and referred to people in the U.S. illegally who are suspected of committing crimes as ‘animals.’ He’s vowed to end birthright citizenship and reimpose his travel ban that originally targeted seven Muslim-majority countries.”

Trump once again railed against NATO, doubling down on his threat to let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” to our allies.

Washington Examiner: “[Trump] continues to rail against the European members that he claims are not paying their fair share and expressed doubts that the alliance has any value to the United States. ‘I don’t think that NATO would come to our defense if we had a problem.’

“‘It’s a one-way street, even if they paid. I want them to pay. But I believe if we were attacked, NATO wouldn’t be there. Many of the countries in NATO would not be there,’ Trump said. He also doubled down on his threat to let Russia ‘do whatever the hell they want’ to NATO countries that don’t spend enough on their defense.

“‘That was said as a point of negotiation,’ Trump said. ‘I said, ‘Look, if you’re not going to pay, then you’re on your own.’ And I mean that.’” 

A recently indicted fake elector from Arizona was tapped to be a national RNC committeeman.

NBC News: “The Arizona GOP has selected state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a ‘fake elector’ indicted last week and accused of working to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Arizona, as a national committeeman for the Republican National Committee.”

CNN: “Arizona state senator indicted in fake electors scheme… [is] tapped for RNC position”

“Hoffman sent a two-page letter to former Vice President Mike Pence on January 5, 2021, asking him to order that Arizona’s electors not be decided by the popular vote of the citizens, but instead by the members of the state legislature.”

Arizona Republic: “Arizona GOP picks state Sen. Jake Hoffman, indicted fake elector, for national position”

Extreme MAGA Senator JD Vance shamefully downplayed the violence on January 6.

The Hill: “Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Wednesday he is ‘skeptical’ that former Vice President Mike Pence’s life was endangered during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol. […]

“‘OK, well, I’m truly skeptical that Mike Pence’s life was ever in danger. I think politics and politics people like to really exaggerate things from time to time,’ Vance replied.”

MSNBC: “As for the Jan. 6 rioters who literally chanted, ‘Hang Mike Pence,’ Vance said last night that ‘a few people’ said ‘some bad things,’ but he insisted it was ‘absurd’ to hold Trump accountable for his radical followers’ rhetoric.

“Vance’s comments come three years after Trump personally defended rioters’ ‘hang Mike Pence’ chants, describing the mantra as ‘common sense.’”

House Republicans continued to push their extreme MAGA agenda that would defund local law enforcement.

Los Angeles Times Opinion: “Republicans’ 2025 agenda tells you how they really feel about crime and cops”

“Given its members’ rhetoric about crime and public safety, it might surprise you to discover that the Republican Study Committee just released a new budget proposal for 2025 that actually cuts funding meant for local police departments.”

Bryan Metzger, Business Insider: “Rep. Don Bacon, for some reason, is promoting an article that criticizes him and other Republicans for signing onto the @RepublicanStudy budget, which includes cuts to some funding programs for local police departments…”