Trump vows to ban trans athletes from women’s sports, declares himself ‘father of IVF’ in Fox News town hall with all-female audience

Former President Donald Trump took part in a Fox News town hall in suburban Georgia on Tuesday with an audience of all women — a voting demographic that could be pivotal in the 2024 presidential race.

Here are five takeaways from the event in Cumming, Ga., which was moderated by Fox News host Harris Faulkner and aired on Wednesday morning.

Trump vows to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports

Asked by an audience member how he planned on “addressing the transgender issue in women’s sports,” Trump vowed to unilaterally ban transgender women from competing.

“It’s such an easy question and everybody in the room and you know that answer: We’re not going to let it happen,” Trump said.

The former president cited recent examples of transgender athletes competing in sports, including some who were barred from the Paris Olympics this past summer.

“We stop it, we stop it,” Trump said. “We absolutely stop it. You can’t have it.”

Asked by Faulkner how he would implement such a ban, Trump said: “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”

Trump declares himself the ‘father of IVF’

During the town hall, Trump said he was the “father of IVF,” or in vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment that has come under threat since the overturning of Roe v. Wade after Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were “unborn children” and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.

When Faulkner introduced a member of the audience who had a question about Trump’s stance, the former president said, “I want to talk about IVF. I’m the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question.”

He explained that he received a phone call from Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who explained the controversy surrounding the state’s ruling to him.

“And within about two minutes, I understood, we’re totally in favor of IVF,” Trump said. “We want fertilization, and it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them. So, we’re totally in favor.”

Trump says some states are ‘too tough’ on abortion

While discussing the issue of women’s reproductive rights, Trump said states that are restricting abortion access are being “too tough,” though he didn’t specify which states.

“They’re too tough, too tough,” he said. “And those are going to be redone because already there’s a movement in those states.”

On Aug. 29, Trump seemed to indicate his support for a Florida ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. A day later, he flip-flopped, saying he would not be voting in favor of it. Florida currently has a six-week abortion ban in place.

Trump doubles down on calling Democrats the ‘enemy from within’

Faulkner asked Trump about comments he made in an earlier Fox interview calling Democrats the “enemy from within.” Footage from the interview was played by Vice President Kamala Harris at her rally in Pennsylvania on Monday as she argued that Trump has become “increasingly unstable and unhinged.” During Tuesday’s town hall, Faulkner asked Trump what he thought of Harris using the footage.

“I thought it was a nice presentation,” Trump said. “I wasn’t unhinged, you know. You know what they are? They’re a party of sound bites.”

The former president then doubled down on his inflammatory characterization of the Democratic Party.

“It is the enemy from within and they’re very dangerous,” he said. “They’re Marxists and communists and fascists.

“They’re the threat to democracy,” he added.

A very friendly audience

According to Fox News, the all-female audience was 110 women from local churches and mothers’ groups.

Some appeared to be starstruck and nervous in front of the former president. Rachel, a single mother from Cumming, Ga., told Trump she was “shaking like a freaking leaf” and “having a panic attack.”

“You have a beautiful voice by the way,” Trump told her.

And they showered Trump with applause throughout the hourlong event.

When Trump called Harris the “worst vice president in history,” the audience loudly applauded.

Harris, for her part, will sit down with Fox News host Bret Baier for an interview that will air Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET.