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DeSantis tries to find room on Trump’s right in abortion fight

First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day’s most important political stories and why they matter.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former President Donald Trump.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former President Donald Trump.Getty Images file

If it’s THURSDAY… President Biden arrives in Japan for G-7 gathering, meets with Japan’s prime minister… 5th Circuit appeals court appears skeptical of keeping full access to abortion pill… House votes to refer expulsion of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., to Ethics committee… And Donald Trump needles Ron DeSantis over endorsement defeats.

But FIRST… The Donald Trump vs. Ron DeSantis fight over abortion has begun.

It started this week when The Messenger published an interview Monday in which the former president took a shot at the six-weeks abortion ban the Florida governor signed into law.

“If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh,” Trump said.

DeSantis responded in remarks on Tuesday, accusing Trump of not having taken a position on a federal abortion ban in last week’s CNN town hall.

“I think that as a Florida resident, you know, he didn’t give an answer about ‘would you have signed the heartbeat bill that Florida did.’ It had all the exceptions that people talk about. The legislature put it in. I signed the bill. I was proud to do it. He won’t answer whether he would sign it or not.”

And then Trump released a statement yesterday on his social-media platform, taking credit for Roe v. Wade’s demise and DeSantis’ ability to sign that six-weeks ban — while articulating no policy position past that.

“After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone, and for the first time put the Pro Life movement in a strong negotiating position over the Radicals that are willing to kill babies even into their 9th month, and beyond. Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing. Thank you President TRUMP!!!”

Bottom line: After originally downplaying Florida’s six-weeks ban, DeSantis is now touting it, and he appears to believe there’s room to Trump’s right on the issue.

And maybe that’s how you win Iowa and its evangelical voters.

Then again, Ted Cruz — who had many of the same consultants now working for DeSantis — won Iowa in 2016, and what did that get him?

As Trump and DeSantis battle over abortion, let’s don’t lose sight about how the issue could impact North Carolina in 2024 — after the GOP-controlled legislature overrode Dem Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a 12-week ban in the state.

Remember, not only is North Carolina a potential 2024 presidential battleground; it also will feature that year’s most competitive gubernatorial race.

And abortion will likely be on the ballot in both.

Headline of the day


Data Download: The number of the day is … $6.2 million

That’s how much two Republican groups — American Action Network, also known as AAN, and One Nation — have spent on TV ads in swing House districts and Senate seats so far this year, outspending their Democratic counterparts, according to an NBC News analysis of AdImpact data.

In three districts — North Carolina’s 13th, Pennsylvania’s 8th and Washington’s 3rd, AAN has spent over $200,000 so far this year. They’ve also spent heavily in districts with vulnerable Democratic incumbents.

Meanwhile, One Nation has focused their spending on West Virginia, where Republicans hope to flip Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat. Manchin hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll seek re-election.

These ads hit Democrats on energy, law enforcement and the debt ceiling.

Other numbers to know

More than 80: The number of calls that the National Archives and Records Administration has received since 2010 from libraries saying they found classified information mixed in with material belonging to members of Congress. NBC News’ Kyle Stewart reports that a NARA official told Congress earlier this year that “Every administration since President Ronald Reagan’s has mismanaged classified documents.”

8: The age of a girl who died in U.S. Border Patrol custody Wednesday. 

18%: The share of Americans who say they have a great deal of confidence in the Supreme Court, per a new NORC survey, which is the lowest level of confidence its found in 50 years.

5: How many Senate Democrats are working on a letter urging President Joe BIden to invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the nation’s debt limit, per NBC News’ Ali Vitali, Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V.

3: The number of FBI agents whose security clearances have been suspended for either taking part in or making comments about the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, per the New York Times. 

56%: The share of Americans who say focusing on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is a good thing, per a Pew Research Center survey. 

3: How many gun control measures Nevada GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed, per the Nevada Independent. 

155: The number of pages of a Justice Department report that accused Rachael Rollins, Biden’s appointee for Massachusetts U.S. attorney, of misconduct and lying to investigators, per NBC News’ Ken Dilanian. 

Eyes on 2024: Trump needles DeSantis over endorsements

Abortion wasn’t the only front where Trump and DeSantis clashed this week. On Wednesday, Trump slammed the Florida governor after DeSantis’ preferred candidates lost in Tuesday’s elections. 

Trump slammed DeSantis in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, writing in one post, “Ron’s magic is GONE!” and in another, “DeSanctimonious lost Jacksonville and Kentucky last night. Not good!!!” 

The Trump campaign also blasted out a press release with a string of headlines that noted that DeSantis’ preferred candidates were unsuccessful.

While Trump gloated on Tuesday, it’s worth remembering that his preferred candidates had a mixed record in the 2022 midterms. At first glance, his win record appears overwhelming, but that’s because many of his preferred candidates were not in competitive races. 

In competitive contests, 33 Trump-backed candidates lost (almost all of whom echoed his false election fraud claims), while 46 won. Those losses were also in some of the most high-profile contests — such as the GOP Senate defeats in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, as well as pivotal gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania and Arizona.

In other campaign news…

DeSantis leans into the culture wars: GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed four bills on Wednesday aimed at restricting LGBTQ rights, including a bill barring transition medical care for minors and a bill barring instruction on sexual orientation or gender in pre-K through eighth grade.

Ron is ready: The Wall Street Journal reports that DeSantis will officially jump into the presidential campaign next week (we’ve been watching the clock since NBC News’ Matt Dixon reported DeSantis’ nascent campaign opened its offices Monday, giving them 15 days to announce a bid under federal election law). 

Ready for Doug?: CBS News reports that North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum is staffing up for a possible presidential bid

Haley to Hochul: Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, to pardon a man who put a homeless man, Jordan Neely, in a fatal chokehold on the subway. Penny has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. 

A pork tenderloin with mustard sauce: ABC News reports that South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott is the latest GOP presidential hopeful to RSVP to Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” cattle-call in Des Moines.  

If you’re not first, you’re last: Politico reports on the deadlock between national Democrats and New Hampshire that continues to threaten the fate of its Democratic presidential primary. 

For the calendar: New York officials are considering holding their presidential primary on April 2, Politico reports. 

So long: An attorney representing Trump in the probe into the former president’s handling of classified documents has left Trump’s legal team. 

Kari’s case: A trial over former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s last 2022 election claim began Wednesday as Lake considers a run for Senate in Arizona.

Young voter surge: NBC News’ Scott Bland reports on a new 2022 midterm analysis from the firm Catalist, which found that young voters eclipsed their record-breaking 2018 turnout in the most recent midterm elections. 

ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:

Montana became the first state to ban TikTok on Wednesday night, when Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law limiting downloads of the app.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday did not block two Illinois laws preventing the sale of high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines from going into effect, the New York Times reports

The Justice Department argues that the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified information had previously been seen taking notes on classified intelligence six months before he was arrested.