Trump accused of ‘brazen flip-flops’ over marijuana and IVF access by Harris: Live

After leaving Mass in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday evening, President Joe Biden was asked about Donald Trump’s behavior leading to an altercation with staff at Arlington National Cemetery.

A visibly angry Biden responded: “I don’t want to answer because I might tell you what I think.”

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the Democratic National Convention finds that Vice President Kamala Harris has a slight lead over former President Donald Trump among Americans who plan to vote in November’s election, statistically unchanged from earlier in August.

Harris leads Trump 50:46 per cent among both all adults and registered voters, and that lead grows to six per cent (52: 46 per cent) among likely voters.

Robert F Kennedy Jr’s departure from the race and endorsement of Trump makes no difference to most Americans.

On the topic of campaigns, a majority feel Harris is running her campaign well, while fewer feel the same about Trump (56: 42 per cent).

Americans continue to trust Trump more than Harris on the economy, inflation, immigration, and the Israel-Hamas war. Harris leads on health care, protecting democracy, Supreme Court appointments, gun violence, abortion, and race relations. The candidates are tied on crime.

Yet, Americans still feel Harris, rather than Trump, is more qualified and physically and mentally fit to serve in office.

Compared to pre-convention results, Harris has retained her lead on personal attributes. These include favorability (46:33 per cent versus Trump) and being seen as qualified for the office, (53:47 per cent over Trump).

In a list of other attributes, Harris leads Trump by a broad 32 points on having the physical health for the job (57:25 per cent), 18 points on honesty and trustworthiness (43:25 per cent), 10 points on mental acuity (47:37 per cent), eight points on understanding the problems of people like you (41:33 per cent) and seven points on representing your personal values (41:34 per cent). All these closely reflect pre-convention results.

You know, like people avoid carbs because of solar…

Kamala Harris’s campaign has accused Donald Trump of flip-flopping on several policy issues including IVF treatment and the recreational use of marijuana.

In a memo sent out on Saturday, the campaign said: “Trump must be held accountable for his brazen flip-flops wholly at odds with how he governed as president.”

Noting that Harris has been subject to significant media scrutiny of her own policy positions and that they were a focus of her first interview on Thursday, “at the same time, former President Donald Trump has made several bewildering ‘policy proposals’ that deserve real scrutiny”.

They accuse Trump of saying one thing after having done another, and list:

• As a candidate in 2024, he suggests he is for decriminalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses.
• As a candidate in 2024, he has thrown out a vague promise to pay for everyone’s IVF treatment – despite the fact his own platform could effectively ban IVF, and his own running mate voted against IVF protections on the Senate floor just a few months ago.
• As a candidate in 2024, he keeps proclaiming “no tax on tips” – after pushing regulations as President that would have stolen more than $700 million a year from tipped workers to let bosses keep their workers’ tips.
• As a candidate in 2024, he and his running mate JD Vance say they want to expand the Child Tax Credit – but for years, Republicans have blocked doing that.

Senior campaign spokesperson Ian Sams writes: “Let’s be blunt: Trump is just making stuff up. And he hopes we will all memory hole his actual record and only pay attention to his shallow words.”

More specifically on marijuana, Sams writes: “Trump now suggests he is for legalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses.

“Trump’s Administration took marijuana reform backwards, withdrawing guidelines to limit prosecutions of marijuana offenses that were legal under state laws. Trump even proposed removing medical marijuana protections.”

And on the especially hot-button issue of in vitro fertilization, he says: “Trump claims he will provide free IVF treatment – but his platform could effectively ban it.

“Donald Trump’s own platform – linked on his campaign website – could effectively ban IVF by establishing so-called “fetal personhood.”

Sams further explains: “Fetal personhood bestows the same rights currently reserved for people to embryos from the moment of fertilization. The GOP platform said the party supports ‘mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).’ It does not explain how they plan to support IVF while also supporting fetal personhood policies that would render it illegal.”

The former president and Republican nominee attacked the vice president’s record before a crowd in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, claiming she doesn’t “have any common sense” before noting that both his wife and Reverend Franklin Graham have asked him to not use “foul” language.

Donald Trump appears to now be in favor of decriminalizing marijuana after his JUstice Department cracked down on its use while he was president. He now calls for prohibition in public spaces as Florida looks set to join many other states in permitting its use.

the former president writes on Truth Social:

As everyone knows, I was, and will be again, the most respected LAW & ORDER President in U.S. History. We will take our streets back by being tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime. In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities. At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana. We will make America SAFE again!