Contrary to what you may have heard, Donald Trump was at the March for Life. Let me explain.
I’ve been to a few Marches for Life before, and they’re always filled with a joy and energy that is difficult to convey unless you’ve seen it firsthand.
But this year felt different; I thought it was just me, but others I spoke to afterwards felt the same. I think many of us walked away feeling—perhaps for the first time—that this might be the presidency that ends the horror of human abortion in the United States once and for all.
Despite the scolding of some in the pro-life movement over the final months of the presidential election campaign, this year’s March for Life solidified the place of the pro-life movement as a part of the Trump movement. It was made evident that part of making America great again means returning to a fundamental respect for the right to life, enshrined in law.
The MAGA movement combined with the energy of the pro-life cause is an unbeatable combination.
But it wasn’t just the Trump hats everywhere; the president’s presence was felt by the emissaries he sent to speak for him. The first speaker at the March was Kellyanne Conway, who made it clear that she was not only there as a pro-life Catholic wife and mother, but also as “counselor to the president of the United States of America.”
“This is a new day,” Conway said. “Every day is a fight for life, yet today is also a celebration of life. It is a time to lift your voices and lift your spirits. Steps away from here, in the White House, a president and a vice president sit at their desks and make decisions for a nation. As they sit there, they stand here with you.”
Vice President Mike Pence spoke next. As the first vice president to attend and address a March for Life, Pence began by making it clear that he was there on behalf of the president.
“President Trump actually asked me to be here with you today,” Pence said. “He asked me to thank you for your support, for your stand for life, and for your compassion for the women and children of America.”
“I can tell you firsthand, our president is a man with broad shoulders and a big heart,” Pence continued. “His vision, his energy, his optimism are boundless and I know that he will make America great again.”
Pence reminded the crowd that on the first working day of his administration, Trump ended the Mexico City Policy, effectively preventing foreign aid from being used to fund abortions. He also said Trump intended to name a “strict constructionist” Supreme Court nominee next week.
Trump also tweeted his support in the morning as attendees began to line up on the Mall, which led to the #MarchforLife hashtag trending on Twitter for most of the day.
The #MarchForLife is so important. To all of you marching — you have my full support!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017
While the mainstream press usually chooses to ignore the March for Life, which consistently draws hundreds of thousands of marchers every January (usually in very damp, cold weather), this year, Trump made that impossible. He fired his first shot in an interview with ABC News earlier in the week when asked about the Women’s March protesters. In typical Trumpian fashion, the president turned the question around on the interviewer, gently accusing him and his fellow journalists of denying fair coverage to the 44-year-old pro-life march.
But while Trump ensured that the media couldn’t ignore the March for Life altogether this year, CNN and other mainstream outlets described it as an “anti-abortion” demonstration. The Washington Post was busy trying to prove how insignificant the number of attendees was compared to the Women’s March last weekend, based on the number of Metro riders. NPR focused on interviewing attendees who were anti-Trump. And social media noticed how the media refused to call the event “pro-life.”
In contrast, @cnn just referred to march today as anti-abortion, not pro-life. https://t.co/aj3KMVl7t5
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 27, 2017
Author Eric Metaxas gave one of the more fiery speeches of the day, coming out swinging at the dishonest media and repeating throughout, “ABC News, are you covering this?”
“Jesus is Lord. ABC News are you covering that? ABC News, are you covering this? You want to see the women of America? Here they are.”
Metaxas also mentioned how the so-called Women’s March in Washington, D.C. last weekend had disinvited a pro-life group from sponsoring the event.
“This is the inclusive march, where as long as you’re alive, and a human being, you are welcome at this march,” Metaxas said. He closed by leading the massive crowd in a prayer for the conversion of Madonna and everyone else who attended the Women’s March.
#MarchForLife crowd prays for the conversion of Madonna and the women who marched last week. pic.twitter.com/9pTjLqcVO0
— Marjorie Jeffrey (@MarjJeffrey) January 27, 2017
I hope that in the future, pro-lifers will be able to look back on this event as the turn of the tide in the American fight for the right to life. As Vice President Pence said yesterday, “Life is winning in America.” Donald Trump said we’d get tired of winning, but no one at the March for Life yesterday was tired yet.