Harrison Butker endorses Trump: 'The most pro-life president'
A professional football player and outspoken Christian has endorsed former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, describing him as “the most pro-life president.”
Harrison Butker, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and made headlines earlier this year for his commencement speech at Benedictine College criticizing President Joe Biden for advocating for abortion despite the fact that he “publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith,” endorsed Trump’s campaign during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday.
As Butker discussed his endorsement of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is up for re-election this year, host Laura Ingraham asked if he was also supporting Trump. “I’m supporting the president that’s going to be the most pro-life president,” he responded. “That is the most crucial topic for me. I want us to be fighting for the most vulnerable, fighting for the unborn, and that’s what we should prioritize, and that’s obviously what Senator Hawley is doing as a man of faith.”
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When Ingraham followed up by asking if he had “any equivocation about supporting Trump,” and stressed that “were it not for Trump, Roe v. Wade would not have been overturned,” Butker reiterated, “You have to vote for whoever’s going to be the most pro-life and we have to be prayerful men that put God first, and I think that’s what’s going to be best for our country.”
Ingraham’s comments reflect the fact that Trump appointed three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the Roe decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 2022. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationruling determined that the U.S. Constitution doesn't contain a right to abortion, thereby allowing individual states to enact their own laws on abortion.
Butker’s support for Trump comes as the candidate has faced criticism from some in the pro-life community over his disapproval of Florida’s law banning abortions after six weeks gestation, suggestion that he would vote for a ballot measure that would establish a right to abortion in the state constitution and vowed to veto a federal abortion ban if it came to his desk.
Butker’s appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” and his commencement speech at the Roman Catholic Benedictine College are not the only times the athlete has made his pro-life position on abortion perfectly clear. During an interview with EWTN earlier this year, Butker condemned laws permitting abortion.
“There are some laws being pushed through that I don’t think value all human life,” he said. “One of those laws is allowing abortion to be legal in this country.”
According to Butker, “The unborn are, to me, the greatest victims in our society. They don’t have a voice, they don’t necessarily look like humans, they’re not very big, they can’t fight for themselves, there’s not a lot of people fighting for them, and I just think it’s a great atrocity that’s occurring in this country with massacring the unborn.”
The news outlet prefaced the conversation about abortion by noting how Butker made a “pro-life fashion statement” during a visit to the White House following the Chief’s victory in Super Bowl LVII in 2023.
Butker said he opted to wear “a tie that, in Latin, I thought brought attention to the unborn,” with a message that translates to “protect the most vulnerable.” The tie highlighted his desire to “represent the unborn at a place like the White House where, unfortunately, their voice is not heard.”
Although the topic did not come up during Butker’s appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Missouri is one of 10 states where voters are slated to decide the fate of a ballot measure that would establish a right to abortion in the state's constitution.
If passed, Missouri’s Amendment 3 would insert language into the state constitution declaring, “The Government shall not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care.”
The proposed constitutional amendment lists examples of “reproductive health care” as “including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.” A survey of 900 likely voters conducted from Aug. 8-16 by St. Louis University measured support for the proposed constitutional amendment at 52% while pegging opposition to it at 34%.
A poll of 850 likely voters conducted by Emerson College from Sept. 12-13 found that 58% of Missourians planned on supporting Amendment 3, while 30% were poised to oppose it. However, a Remington Research Group poll of 753 likely voters conducted from Oct. 2-3 revealed support for Amendment 3 at just 46%, while 33% plan to oppose it.
Current Missouri law prohibits abortion in almost all cases unless the life of the mother is in danger. If passed, Amendment 3 would nullify the state’s pro-life protections.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
