‘Great minds think alike’: Trump supporters smear legacy of feminist icon and outspoken critic by claiming shared opinion on abortion
In a new attempt to assure voters Trump isn’t a dangerous fascist, Republican supporters are attempting to draw parallels between the former president and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a staunch advocate for women’s rights.
This latest desperate strategy completely misconstrues the opinions of the deceased justice, and RBG must be turning in her grave.
The newly-launched RBG PAC paints Trump and Ginsburg as having the same views on abortion rights. “Why did Ruth Bader Ginsburg agree with Donald Trump’s position on abortion?” the website questions. “Because RBG believed that the federal government shouldn’t dictate our abortion laws. Donald Trump also does not support a federal ban on abortion.”
Under a “great minds think alike” banner, the site includes previous media headlines about Ginsburg’s criticism of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision affirming women’s right to abortions, which was tragically overturned in 2022. However, those headlines are conspicuously absent of any further context, and for good reason.
RBG was indeed critical of the Roe v. Wade decision, but not on ideological grounds. Rather, Ginsburg took issue with the framing of the legal argument, which she (rightly) contended could lead to the court overturning it. The Roe v. Wade decision was constructed around the right to privacy, while Ginsburg argued that a position of equal protection would better secure women’s rights.
Unfortunately, Ginsburg’s prediction was accurate, and her critique of Roe’s argument was exactly how the now-conservative court overturned the decision. In his majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” and effectively bumped the decision back to individual states.
The RBG PAC boldly proclaims Trump and Ginsburg’s shared views but conveniently leaves out the late justice’s reasoning. Ginsburg only criticized Roe because it wasn’t designed better to protect abortion rights. She believed all women deserved the right to bodily autonomy, not just those in states where abortion is legal. That’s completely opposite of Trump’s view, which is essentially, ‘not my problem, you guys figure it out.’
Ginsburg was also a vocal critic of Trump, which makes it particularly infuriating to see Trump supporters putting words in her mouth after her death. During Trump’s 2016 campaign, RBG was quoted saying “he is a faker,” and “I can’t imagine what the country would be—with Donald Trump as our president.”
Ginsburg later apologized for her statements, reasoning “Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office.” However, that seems to be more about her respecting the importance of a politically impartial Supreme Court. RBG’s real feelings were reflected in her final statement in the last days before her death.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg implored. Republicans ignored this dying wish, instead pushing through confirmation of conservative justice Amy Coney Barrett, who voted to overturn Roe.
Ginsburg has a complicated legacy. If she had resigned during Barack Obama’s time as president, he could have filled her seat with a more liberal justice. But while it’s easy to feel frustrated with RBG’s decision to remain on the court despite her ailing health, you can’t ignore her lifetime of fighting for women’s rights. Ginsburg and her legacy deserve better than getting co-opted by Trump supporters.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
