The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio says he doesn’t think abortion is “an issue” for women who are “past 50,” while suggesting that many suburban women are single-issue voters on abortion, according to video footage obtained by local station WCMH-TV from a town hall Friday. 

Trump-endorsed Republican businessman Bernie Moreno is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat in a red-leaning state. 

“You know, the left has a lot of single issue voters,” Moreno says in the video. “Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women that are like past 50, I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.'”

Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley took to X, formerly known as Twitter, asking: “Are you trying to lose the election?” Haley suggested his words were “tone deaf” and compared them to comments made by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was ousted from the network after saying on air that 52-year-old Haley is past her “prime.” 

Last year, nearly 57% of Ohioans voted to amend the state’s constitution to protect the right to abortion and reproductive freedom, in a state where 53% of voters backed former President Donald Trump over President Biden in 2020. 

“You know what’s crazy… Bernie Moreno thinking he knows better than 57% of Ohioans who voted to protect abortion rights last year,” Sen. Brown posted on “X.” 

Trump has also suggested abortion should no longer be an issue for women, praising the Supreme Court for striking down Roe v. Wade in 2022 and leaving states to set their own laws and restrictions. 

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday night, Trump said women “will no longer be thinking about abortion” if he wins in November. He also told women that if he becomes president, he will be their “protector.” 

“I make this statement to the great women of our country,” Trump said at his rally, claiming women are “poorer,” “less healthy,” “less safe” and “more stressed and depressed and unhappy” than before. “…I will fix all of that and fast, and at long last, this nation and national nightmare will end, it will end. We’ve gotta end this national nightmare. Because I am your protector. I want to be your protector. As president, I have to be your protector.”

“You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared,” Trump added. “You will no longer be in danger, you’re not going to be in danger any longer. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected and I will be your protector. Women — women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion, that’s all they talk about, abortion.”