Trump predicted that GOP would accept Herschel Walker’s abortion scandal in interview for book

Mr Trump is at least partly responsible for Republicans’ lack of interest in allegations that an avowedly anti-abortion candidate paid for one himself

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Former president Donald Trump accurately predicted how top Republicans would have no problem with recent reports which revealed that Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for a woman to have an abortion.

In her book Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, reporter Maggie Haberman writes about raising questions about Mr Walker’s checkered personal history, including allegations that he had committed domestic violence against his ex-wife, during a conversation with the ex-president in September 2021.

Mr Trump, writes the New York Times reporter, was nonplussed about what she described as Mr Walker’s “complicated personal history,” and replied to her that it was a “personal history that, ten years ago, maybe it would have been a prob- lem”.

“Twenty years ago would’ve been a bigger problem. I don’t think it’s a problem today,” the twice-impeached ex-president said.

Pressed further on why a candidate’s personal conduct would not be a problem, the ex-president replied: “Because the world is changing”.

The former president played a role in bringing about that “changing” world during his 2016 campaign for the presidency.

After reports broke that he’d used vulgar language advocating the grabbing of women by their genitals while being filmed for Access Hollywood, Mr Trump refused to apologise and remained in the race.

A month later, he became president-elect after defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election.