Trump calls for universal coverage of IVF treatment with no specifics on how his plan would work

POTTERVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says that, if he wins a second term, he wants to make IVF treatment free for women, but did not detail how he would fund his plan or precisely how it would work.

“I'm announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” he said at an event in Michigan. “Because we want more babies, to put it nicely."

IVF treatments are notoriously expensive, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single round. Many women require multiple rounds and there is no guarantee of success.

The announcement comes as Trump has been under intense criticism from Democrats for his role in appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion in the country. The decision has led to a wave of restrictions across Republican-led states, including proposals that have threatened access to IVF by trying to define life as beginning at conception. IVF relies on the creation of multiple embryos, some of which may be destroyed.

Abortion is expected to be a major motivator for Democrats and women this November, and was a dominant theme of the party's national convention last week, including Vice President Kamala Harris' speech as she accepted her party's nomination.

In response, Trump has been trying to present himself as more moderate on the issue, going as far as to declare himself “very strong on women’s reproductive rights.”

In an interview with NBC ahead of the event, Trump also suggested that he would vote in favor of repealing Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which limits the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant.

Trump, in the interview, did not explicitly say how he plans to vote on the ballot measure this fall. But he repeated his past criticism that the measure, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, is too restrictive.

“I think the six weeks is too short. It has to be more time," he said. ”I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.”

Trump had previously called DeSantis’ decision to sign the bill a “terrible mistake.”

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the rally Thursday that Trump “has not yet said how he will vote on the ballot initiative in Florida” known as Amendment 4 and that he “simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.”

His comments nonetheless drew immediate reaction from those who oppose abortion rights, including Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who said she had spoken with Trump after his speech.

“He has not committed to how he will vote on Amendment 4. President Trump has consistently opposed abortions after five months of pregnancy. Amendment 4 would allow abortion past this point. Voting for Amendment 4 completely undermines his position,” she said, adding that, “anyone who believes in drawing a different line” still “must vote against Amendment 4, unless they don’t want a line at all.”

In his speech, Trump also said that, if he wins, families will be able to deduct expenses for caring for newborns from their taxes.

“We’re pro-family,” he said.

Trump has held multiple conflicting positions on abortion over the years. After briefly considering backing a potential 15-week ban on the procedure nationwide, he announced in April that regulating abortion should be left to the states.

In the months since, he has repeatedly taken credit for his role in overturning Roe and called it “a beautiful thing to watch” as states set their own restrictions.

Trump, however, has also said he does not support a national abortion ban, and over the weekend, his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, said he would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk.

“Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue," Vance said on NBC’s “Meet the Press."

Trump first came out in favor of IVF in February after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, briefly pausing treatment and sparking national backlash.

Trump has since claimed the Republican party is a “leader” on the issue, even as at least 23 bills aiming to establish fetal personhood have been introduced in 13 states so far this legislative session, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. That kind of legislation, which asserts that life begins at conception, could imperil fertility treatments that involve the storage, transportation and destruction of embryos.

Senate Republicans in June blocked legislation that would have made it a right nationwide for women to access IVF and other reproductive technology, and also would have made treatments more accessible by requiring employer-sponsored insurance plans and other public insurance plans to cover fertility treatments.

IVF can costs tens of thousands of dollars for medical appointments, medication and surgery, and is not covered by many health insurance plans.

Trump has in general been opposed to various kinds of federal mandates, and originally ran against the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — which included popular provisions like protections for people with preexisting health conditions.

In a statement, Harris’ campaign said Trump shouldn't be believed.

“Trump lies as much if not more than he breathes, but voters aren’t stupid," said Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. “Because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF is already under attack and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country. There is only one candidate in this race who trusts women and will protect our freedom to make our own health care decisions: Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILYs List, which works to elect women who support abortion rights, called Trump's proposal “disingenuous and unserious.”

“He knows how unpopular the GOP’s attacks on fertility treatments are, and his comments are a desperate ploy to distract from the fact that he and his party have gutted reproductive freedom," added Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju.

Trump made the IVF announcement during a campaign swing to Michigan and Wisconsin, states he is intensely focused on recapturing after he won them in 2016 but narrowly lost both states in 2020.

Trump's first stop was Alro Steel in Potterville, Michigan, near the state capital of Lansing, where he railed against the Biden administration over inflation.

“Kamala has made middle class life unaffordable and unlivable and I’m going to make America affordable again," he charged.

Later, Trump traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin, for a town hall moderated by former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat who endorsed the GOP nominee earlier this week.

Gabbard opened the town hall by talking about her own IVF journey, giving herself injections in airport bathrooms and the heartbreak of failed embryo transfers. While the treatments ultimately didn't work for her, she applauded Trump's proposal.

“I can’t tell you how life-changing that would be for so many families," she said.

It was his first visit to the state since the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which ended just days before Biden dropped out of the race and began after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which Trump will visit again Friday, are part of the so-called “blue wall” bloc of northern industrial states that Democrats carried for two decades before Trump won them in 2016.

Beaumont reported from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Christine Fernando in Chicago contributed to this report.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Alro Steel, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Potterville, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a stop at a campaign office, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Roseville, Mich. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If it seems like the Emmys just happened, you're not wrong.

The 76th Emmy Awards are Sunday, roughly nine months after the last celebration of the best television. Last year's Hollywood strikes delayed the show's 75th edition until January, when “Succession” and “The Bear” dominated the show.

“The Bear” will factor heavily in this weekend's show, but January's “Succession” celebration was for its final season, clearing the way for a new drama series winner.

Enter “Shogun.” The FX series about feudal Japan enters the show with 14 wins thanks to the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony last weekend. That makes it the record-holder for most wins for a single season, and it will likely extend that lead.

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday's Emmys, including how to watch and stream the red carpet and show, and who’s nominated.

The show begins at 8 p.m. Eastern and is being shown live on ABC, which is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.

The Emmys can be streamed live through live TV streaming services that include ABC in their lineup, like Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.

For those without the service, the show will be streaming Monday on Hulu.

Lots of folks from “Shogun,” including actor Néstor Carbonell. Maya Rudolph also won a trophy for her work on “Big Mouth,” and Jamie Lee Curtis claimed her first Emmy for her guest appearance on “The Bear.”

The Creative Arts Emmys honor many of the craft workers who make shows work, leaving the top prizes for Sunday's ceremony, which will be hosted by actors Eugene and Dan Levy.

The Emmys are watchable in dozens of countries. The Television Academy website has a handy list of broadcasters and in some instances, air times. You can access that at https://www.emmys.com/watch.

“Live from E!” will begin airing its red carpet coverage at 6 p.m. Eastern on the cable network E!. Laverne Cox, the first transgender person to receive an Emmy nomination, will host the coverage along with comedian Heather McMahan and E! News' Keltie Knight.

People magazine and Entertainment Weekly will also host a live red carpet show on their websites and YouTube, also starting at 6 p.m.

“Shogun” is the leading nominee with 25, while “The Bear” has 23, including best comedy series and best actor in a comedy series for Jeremy Allen White — both awards it won at January’s strike-delayed ceremony. Ayo Edebiri, who won best supporting actress in January, is nominated in the best comedy actress field this time.

“The Crown” with 19 nominations and “Hacks” with 16 each return to the Emmys after their own years off. Elizabeth Debicki is nominated for best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana, while Imelda Staunton is nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth II.

Two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster is a good bet to win her first Emmy as best actress in a limited or anthology series or TV movie for her role in “True Detective: Night Country.”

Reigning best supporting actor Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. could also become a first-time Emmy winner. He’s up for best supporting actor in the limited series category for playing five different roles in “The Sympathizer.”

For a list of key Emmy nominees, check out the AP's list.

For more on this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards

Nestor Carbonell with the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Shogun attends night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

This image released by FX shows Hiroyuki Sanada in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

FILE - Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy appear at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - A crew member sweeps the stage during Press Preview Day for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2019. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)