Key Trump coalition turning on him as activists say he 'fooled' them

The coalition of voters that Donald Trump rode to victory in 2024 is dwindling even further, with a new report from NOTUS finding that his anti-abortion supporters feel "betrayed" by his lack of action during his second term.

Trump made major gains for the anti-abortion movement, despite the subject never being a massive part of his campaign messaging, largely thanks to his Supreme Court appointments helping pave the way for the end of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Since then, his anti-abortion base of voters has been hoping for the next steps that take things further, such as passing a nationwide restriction on the practice.

Now, several leaders in the anti-abortion movement claim that they feel "the administration does not prioritize" them or their goals anymore. Despite early gains at the start of his second administration, when Trump cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood and pardoned individuals for convictions related to blocking entrances to abortion clinics, there has been a distinct lack of focus on the issue for most of his first year back in office.

Voices in the movement have expressed anger or frustration at the administration's lack of action on restricting the distribution of abortion pills, a pursuit that Republicans and activist groups pursued doggedly in the years between the end of Roe and Trump's reelection.

Abby Johnson, a prominent anti-abortion advocate, said in an interview with NOTUS that Trump has "done nothing for the pro-life movement," and has, in fact, "made things significantly worse, just like he said he would."

"He said he wouldn’t restrict abortion, and he’s done exactly that," Johnson said. "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."

Lila Rose, president of Live Action, expressed frustration over the administration's upcoming presence at the anti-abortion event, March for Life. Vice President J.D. Vance is set to appear at the event in person, while Trump is expected to appear virtually at some point. Rose said it's "problematic" for the administration to be given a platform at the event despite their inaction on the issue.

“I think it is problematic if the pro-life movement is a cheap date,” Rose told NOTUS. “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.”

Despite being credited with major recent gains for the anti-abortion movement, many have warned Trump that restricting abortion is a losing issue for Republicans that tanks their popularity. The Supreme Court ending Roe is widely credited, for example, with driving Democrats to much better than anticipated results in the 2022 midterms.