Pro-lifers rage they were 'fooled' as Trump abandons them: 'We're not a cheap date!'
A year into his second term, President Donald Trump faces a furious backlash from anti-abortion leaders who say he's abandoned them.
Abby Johnson, a prominent anti-abortion advocate, railed to Notus on Friday that Trump has “done nothing for the pro-life movement."
"He’s made things significantly worse, just like he said he would,” Johnson bemoaned. “He said he wouldn’t restrict abortion, and he’s done exactly that.”
She didn't stop there.
“One day, the pro-life movement is going to realize that he’s not the pro-life president that they were hoping for. One day, they’re going to realize they have all been fooled by this man. They’re going to stop saying that he’s the most pro-life president that we’ve ever had,” Johnson raged.
The anger stems from a growing list of disappointments for the movement. The administration quietly restored Title X funding to Planned Parenthood, hasn't restricted abortion pills, and Trump's recently said he was "flexible" on the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding from being used on abortion.
Lila Rose, president of Live Action, blasted the idea of giving Trump and Vice President JD Vance platforms at this week's March for Life without action on abortion restrictions.
“I think it is problematic if the pro-life movement is a cheap date,” Rose said. “We’re not here to just enjoy ourselves” with “meetings at the White House. That’s not the point of the pro-life movement, the point of the pro-life movement is results.”
The backlash comes as Republicans face significant headwinds in the 2026 midterms. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America plans to spend $80 million and withhold support from candidates who don't toe the line, including the 17 House Republicans who voted to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies without abortion funding restrictions.
Trump's team insisted he's "the most pro-life and pro-family president in American history," citing expanded Mexico City Policy measures, which banned foreign aid from going to groups that promote or provide abortions.