Unhinged Donald Trump calls himself the “father of IVF” at all-women’s town hall

Donald Trump inexplicably called himself the “father of IVF” while speaking at an all-women’s town hall event hosted by Fox News.

No one has been able to discern what Trump could have possibly meant by the claim. IVF has not only been around for decades, but Trump’s successful crusade to overturn Roe v. Wade has also directly threatened the availability of IVF in the United States.

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The claims are so blatantly absurd that it almost feels unnecessary to explain why they’re wrong.

“What is he talking about?” Kamala Harris wrote on X in response. “His abortion bans have already jeopardized access to it in states across the country—and his own platform could end IVF altogether.”

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Donald Trump called himself “the father of IVF.” What is he talking about?

His abortion bans have already jeopardized access to it in states across the country—and his own platform could end IVF altogether.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 16, 2024

Trump told moderator and Fox anchor Harris Faulkner that Republicans “really are the party for IVF,” before rambling, “We want fertilization, and it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them. So, we’re totally in favor.”

“It’s not just creepy, it’s flat out wrong. Donald Trump is why IVF access is at risk. Period,” wrote Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who has been leading the charge to protect IVF at the federal level. “If they wanted to protect IVF access, Republicans could’ve voted for my bill last month. Or in June. But they didn’t.”

It’s not just creepy, it’s flat out wrong.

Donald Trump is why IVF access is at risk. Period.

If they wanted to protect IVF access Republicans could’ve voted for my bill last month. Or in June.

But they didn’t. pic.twitter.com/u5lfIyaRrD

— Tammy Duckworth (@TammyDuckworth) October 16, 2024

Former Obama advisor David Plouffe called the comment “unhinged.”

“The father of IVF? He is the godfather of eliminating Roe V Wade, his proudest accomplishment. Has led to Trump abortion bans in 20 states. And his Project 2025 would give him unchecked power to enact nationwide bans on abortion.”

Trump is unhinged. The father of IVF?
He is the godfather of eliminating Roe V Wade, his proudest accomplishment. Has led to Trump abortion bans in 20 states. And his Project 2025 would give him unchecked power to enact nationwide bans on abortion.

— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) October 16, 2024

The battle to protect IVF – a treatment often utilized by LGBTQ+ people to have children – began when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that embryos have the same rights as children, opening the door for doctors to be charged with murder if they mishandle or mistakenly destroy an embryo.

The court acknowledged that its ruling effectively ended IVF treatment in Alabama, and many continue to fear that without the protections of Roe v. Wade in place, other states will follow suit.

Due to widespread public support for IVF from all political parties, Republicans have tried desperately to claim they are not against it. Yet in September, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have created a right to access IVF and required insurance companies to cover it.

Trump has also claimed he supports universal access to IVF and that, as president, he would order the government or insurance companies to cover the cost of IVF for all Americans – a claim Democrats have been quick to call out as a lie.

“Donald Trump’s own platform — listed publicly on his website — could effectively ban IVF. As President, he appointed an anti-IVF extremist to the federal bench, proposed a rule to allow health care workers to deny IVF to LGBTQ couples, and hosted the Alabama judge who banned IVF at the White House,” said out senior campaign spokesperson for Harris-Walz Kevin Munoz.

“Trump lies as much if not more than he breathes, but voters aren’t stupid,” Munoz added. “There is only one candidate in this race who will protect Americans’ freedoms to make our own health care decisions: Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Trump’s all-women’s town hall has also been called out for only inviting women who already support him, creating what the Independent called a “safe space” for the former president.

The comment is one example of what appears to be Trump’s continued mental decline. He has shown an inability to answer direct questions over the course of his 2024 campaign, often jumping from one subject to another – and to another and another and another – without finishing a complete sentence on any of them.

Another recent town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, took a truly bizarre turn when Trump ended the Q&A after just four questions and spent more than thirty minutes mostly swaying onstage while music played.

Former Trump communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin told The View on Tuesday morning, “I saw this [footage of the event] last night. I thought it was a deepfake.”

She added, “I could joke about it all day, but this is serious. This is not even the man I worked for, who had all sorts of problems. There’s a decline, and I worry the history books might say everyone was quick to call out Joe Biden’s age and issues, but we missed that someone else is just flying under the radar, clearly in decline.”

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