GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump's comments on taxes, the abortion issue, and "bathroom bills" have sparked controversy and blowback from his main rival, Ted Cruz, who accused Trump of trying to "fool" Republican voters, but his national campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson insisted Friday that "none of these things are new."
"These are things he has talked about on the campaign trail at multiple rallies," Pierson told Fox News' Martha MacCallum on the
"America's Newsroom" program. "So this idea he didn't go into it in a television segment, which we all know you can't have extensive policy discussions in a small segment, I think it's an opportunity that the Cruz campaign wants to try to jump on with the same narrative they've been pushing."
Among Trump's comments during an early
morning town hall-style appearance on
NBC's "Today" show, he said he favors additional taxes for the nation's wealthy and banning abortion with the exceptions of when it comes to the life of the mother or in the cases of rape or incest.
In the case of taxes, Pierson said, Trump has talked specifically with regards to alternative incomes and hedge funds, and the "carried interest, is what he's talking about specifically for people bringing in alternative incomes that is not taxed at the income level or at the income rates."
Further, Trump believes that "alternative incomes should be taxed at the same rate as everyone else is being taxed," she said, pointing out that his whole plan is on his website, DonaldTrump.com.
On the bathroom issue, Pierson said Trump supports the decisions being made on a local level, and that Trump does favor leaving the laws alone and allowing people "to use whatever restroom they want to use.
"At the same time, he also understands this is a local issue," she said. "This started at the city council level and will likely be handled in the courts. "
On the abortion issue, Pierson continued, "Trump has the same position as Ronald Reagan and Billy Graham. He is very pro-life and supports the three exceptions. When he was asked if he supported the platform to reflect that, he said yes. That is nothing that has changed. Mr. Trump is very much pro-life, but he does support the three exceptions."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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