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Former President Trump increasingly looks like the favorite to win the GOP’s presidential nomination, but that strength masks what many Republicans see as a huge weakness against President Biden: Trump’s problems with suburban women.

All of Trump’s vulnerabilities with the key demographic were on high display during a rowdy town hall last week with CNN, where at one point the former president called moderator Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person.”

Trump also mocked a woman who won a civil lawsuit against him for sexual battery and defamation, and he dodged questions on abortion — a top issue that has increasingly been a strength for Democrats since the Supreme Court, which includes three justices who Trump nominated, overturned Roe v. Wade.

E. Jean Carroll filed a lawsuit last year accusing the former president of raping her in 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room, though the jury did not find Trump liable of rape in the trial. Trump has denied Carroll’s accusations and appealed the verdict on Thursday. 

At Wednesday’s town hall, he recounted his version of the 1996 encounter, drawing laughs from the audience, which appeared to be largely sympathetic to him. 

“What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room,” Trump said. 

When asked if he believes the jury’s verdict would deter women from voting for him, Trump said: “No, I don’t think so.”

And his critics say it likely will not in a Republican primary. 

“It’s incredibly misogynistic and damaging, but it’s also old news,” said Jennifer Horn, former chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee and co-founder of the anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project. “This is who Trump has always been, and the Republican Party has embraced it.” 

“I think that he probably believes he can win the general election with the same behavior we saw the other night,” Horn said. 

The CNN town hall came just days after a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Trump leading Biden in a general election, sparking worry among Democrats. According to the survey, Trump leads Biden by 7 points in a hypothetical matchup.

“If you ask any woman their number one priority, it is to ensure their children are safe, healthy, and prosperous. Joe Biden’s policies have made Americans less safe, addicted to Chinese fentanyl, and struggling to afford basic necessities, like groceries and gas,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc., who is based in New Hampshire. “That is why women, and the majority of Americans, will overwhelmingly reject Joe Biden in 2024 and vote for President Trump to make America great again.”

During a post-town hall focus group on CNN, one woman interviewed said she did not “really care” about Trump’s comments about Carroll during the town hall. 

“I don’t know enough about the case. Women can be victims of abuse. Women can also make up stories,” the woman said. 

Two other women interviewed said the comments made them feel uncomfortable and noted they also had not been closely following the case. 

And it would not be the first time Trump’s disparaging comments about women did not interfere with his general election chances.

Roughly one month before the 2016 general election, audio from 2005 was leaked of Trump openly bragging about groping women while he was en route to film an episode of Access Hollywood. While the leaked tape earned him negative coverage and condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans at the time, Trump went on to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the following month. 

Trump’s critics argue 2024 will present a different challenge to the former president, given he faces legal consequences in the E. Jean Carroll case. 

“Her story was so powerful,” said Debbie Walsh, director for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “But I think for sort-of-moderate Republican women who watch this, is this all becoming a bridge too far? And it was a bridge too far for them before, so what about him is different?” 

Suburban women voters have also largely turned their backs on Republicans since the former president was elected in 2016. According to CBS News exit polling from 2018, 53 percent of suburban women voters said they voted for Democrats in 2018, up from 47 percent in 2014 and 51 percent in 2016. In 2020, Biden won 54 percent of suburban voters in general, according to the Pew Research Center. And in last year’s midterm elections, suburban voters, including women in this group, helped deliver major victories to Democrats in key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia, with many of Trump’s endorsed candidates facing defeat. 

“Many of those women the first time around they voted for him because he was a Republican, and we know that party is the best predictor of a vote,” Walsh said. “But the lived experience of Donald Trump turned them away from the Republican Party.”

“In the same way that he kept the Republican Party from winning big in the midterm elections this year, then he will make it difficult for the Republican Party in a general election,” she said. 

On top of that, many have pointed to how the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade — the 1973 landmark ruling that federally legalized abortion — swayed women voters in the midterms. According to the Brookings Institution, 47 percent of female voters felt angry about the decision, and 83 percent of those women voted for a Democratic candidate. 

Biden and Democrats are telegraphing that they plan on elevating abortion access as a key issue in 2024, while Republicans are working to improve their messaging on the issue.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has called for Republicans to put Democrats “on the defense” by labeling them as extreme on abortion, while GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has called for a “national consensus” on the issue. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has trailed Trump in the polls, signed into law a six-week ban on most abortions in Florida last month. DeSantis’s critics have called the stance extreme, arguing it will drive away moderate and swing voters. 

Trump, on the other hand, dodged a question from a female voter Wednesday evening about how he would plan to appeal to women voters in the state concerned about the Supreme Court’s decision. The former president called the decision “a great victory,” but he did not specify whether he would support a federal ban on the procedure if elected. 

“Getting rid of Roe v. Wade was an incredible thing for pro-life because it gave pro-life something to negotiate with,” Trump said. “Deals are being made. Deals are going to be made.” 

Julie Miles, the New Hampshire voter who posed the question to Trump, later told ABC News the former president “didn’t actually answer” her question.  Satellite photos show impact of burst of water sent to Lake Mead Biden, McCarthy to meet again as debt limit deal remains at stalemate

“One of the problems with Independent women obviously is the abortion and his issue at the town hall wasn’t the position he took with abortion,” Horn said. “He took no position, but he just spoke about it in a reckless and dismissive manner, as if it was just not a big deal,” she said, likening his answer to “a business deal.” 

It’s still unclear and too far out to know what role abortion access will play in 2024. It’s also unclear what role the economy will play in voters’ decision-making because it’s normally a top-of-mind issue. Republicans have continued to hit Biden on this as inflation continues and interest rates rise. The Washington-Post ABC News poll also shows Trump dominating Biden on handling the economy, with 54 percent of Americans saying Trump did a better job of handling the economy than Biden has done in his term so far. Only 36 percent said they preferred Biden’s handling. 

“I know Biden’s poll numbers are not great, but at the end of the day, when you’re really looking at whatever we watch in this campaign, if it is Donald Trump, it may not be a vote for Joe Biden, but a vote just to please make it stop with Donald Trump,” Walsh said. 

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Deion eyes QBs, not ceremony, in CU spring game

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April 20, 2025

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Deion eyes QBs, not ceremony, in CU spring game

  • ESPN News Services

Apr 19, 2025, 08:52 PM ET

BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders didn’t get a chance to fully enjoy the moment as his son, Shedeur, and his just-like-a-son, Travis Hunter, had their jerseys retired Saturday before the spring game.

The Colorado coach had too many other obligations — checking out his new QBs, watching special teams and making sure the product was entertaining for a national television audience tuning in.

He was appreciative of the moment, though, even if the jersey retirement has rankled some former Colorado players and fans.

“I looked in both of their eyes — I know [Shedeur and Travis] were pleased, they were thankful, and they were proud,” Deion Sanders said. “That means a lot to me.

“The time frame, nobody’s going to be happy with. Somebody’s always going have something to say. But the way we are right now, we are a now generation. … those guys deserve what they deserve right now. So I’m proud of them.”

It was one of the last times that Hunter and Shedeur Sanders will team up on the turf at Folsom Field. Standing at midfield, they watched their retired jersey numbers — No. 2 for Sanders, No. 12 for Hunter — unveiled on the east face of the stadium.

This kicked off a busy week for Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner, and Sanders, the Johnny Unitas Award winner as college football’s top QB. Both are expected to be high draft picks when the NFL draft starts on Thursday.

Once the retired ceremony concluded, the Buffaloes got down to the business of football.

Namely, finding a successor for Shedeur Sanders.

It figures to be a two-QB race between Kaidon Salter, a transfer from Liberty, and Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the five-star recruit who arrived on campus last fall to get an early start.

Lewis was the first to take the field and there were early jitters. He mixed the pass with the run, which will be a familiar sight as Colorado emphasizes the ground game this season now that the younger Sanders is gone. The Buffaloes brought in Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as the running backs coach to provide a spark.

“He’s still a young man,” Deion Sanders said of Lewis. “We don’t care about the age and the stage, though.”

Salter showed a veteran’s poise when it was his turn. The dual-threat QB threw for 56 TDs at Liberty and ran for 21 scores.

“I fell in love with the offense,” Salter said of why he chose Colorado. “We have a fully loaded staff here that knows what it takes to get to the next level.”

Shedeur Sanders sauntered along the sideline, taking in the action of his heirs apparent, Lewis and Salter. Looking on as well was Hunter.

Sanders and Hunter became the fifth and sixth players in Colorado’s 135-year history to have their jerseys retired.

At halftime, the Buffaloes announced the late coach Bill McCartney would be honored next season with a statue. McCartney, who led the program to its only football national championship in 1990, died in January at 84.

Deion Sanders said he only wishes the tribute came earlier.

“Why are we waiting? Wouldn’t (McCartney) have wanted him to see (it), to be involved in it, to feel it, to feel the love, the respect, the appreciation? Why’d we wait?” asked Sanders, who plans to honor McCartney next fall by donning a similar hat and jacket as the Hall of Fame coach used to wear. “Everything we get is right now. We want something, we order it off Amazon — right now. We’re not a … waiting generation no more. That’s over. That’s a wrap on that. Everybody in here is impatient. You download stuff right now, putting it out as I speak. Let’s stop.

“I’m sad because I wanted him to see that. He can’t see that.”

Bring on Syracuse?

The attendance was announced at 20,430 fans, which was down from the previous two spring games. Sanders thinks the NCAA nixing a plan to play Syracuse hurt ticket sales. Still, he wants to see more seats filled.

“We do have a tremendous fan base, but we need a little more support when it comes to whatever we do inside the stadium,” Sanders said. “We should be packing it like it’s a game.”

Walk-on honored

Walk-on safety Ben Finneseth was awarded a scholarship by Sanders.

“As soon as I put my head in his shoulder, I said, ‘Thank you for believing in me.’ Because he’s believed in me since Day 1,” Finneseth said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for giving me the opportunity.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Missouri State safety dies in possible gun mishap

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April 20, 2025

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Missouri State safety dies in possible gun mishap
Apr 19, 2025, 06:20 PM ET

Missouri State senior football player Todric McGee died early Saturday from what police believe was a “possible accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

A spokesperson for the Springfield (Missouri) Police Department said they found McGee at his residence while performing a wellness check Friday morning. He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

He was 21.

“Our football family is in shock and in mourning at the loss of Todric,” Bears head football coach Ryan Beard said in a statement. “We ask everyone to please respect the privacy of his family and our MoState football team at this time as we begin the healing process. Join us in praying for Todric and the people who loved him.”

McGee, a fifth-year senior, started each of the past two seasons for the Bears. He earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors in 2023.

“This tragedy has shaken our football program to the core, and we want them to know we are here to support them in every way possible at this extremely difficult time,” athletic director Patrick Ransdell said in the school’s statement.

The investigation into McGee’s death is ongoing, police said.

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U-M’s Underwood has up-and-down spring game

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April 20, 2025

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U-M's Underwood has up-and-down spring game

  • Associated Press

Apr 19, 2025, 02:50 PM ET

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood showed glimpses of the growing pains he will experience as a freshman and flashes of the promise that made him the nation’s top-rated high school football recruit in the Wolverines’ spring game Saturday.

Underwood was 12 of 26 for 187 yards with a scrimmage-ending, 88-yard pass to tight end Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker in a 17-0 win for the Blue over the Maize.

He also recovered his fumble, had a pair of delay-of-game penalties, several errant throws – high and wide – and some dropped. Underwood lost 12 yards on two sacks and gained 17 yards on three runs.

“He did well,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “Made some really, good throws and had some things we need to clean up and get better at.”

As the Wolverines wrapped up spring football in front of about 40,000 fans at the Big House, all eyes were on Underwood and he has become comfortable with that.

“It’s just the pressure that came with my arm,” Underwood told The Detroit News earlier this spring. “I can’t stop that.”

Underwood was sacked on his first snap and his first completion went for a loss. He did throw some darts, usually in the flat, and was quick enough to escape collapsed pockets to pick up yardage with his feet.

Underwood is expected to compete with sophomore Jadyn Davis and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene for playing time ahead of the season-opening game on Aug. 30 at home against Fresno State.

“It’s a battle,” Moore said. “It’s going to go all the way to fall camp.”

Underwood is motivated to start and kick off a legacy-building career with lofty goals.

“A couple of Heismans and at least one natty,” Underwood said last month in an interview on the Rich Eisen Show.

Underwood knows there will be people doubting he can live up to the hype.

‘He’s just a freshman. He won’t be good enough,'” Underwood said. “I might keep that chip my whole three years.”

He attended at Belleville High School, which is about 15 miles east of Ann Arbor, and flipped his commitment to Michigan after telling LSU coaches last year he intended to play there.

Tom Brady, a former Wolverine and seven-time Super Bowl winner, talked with Underwood during the school’s recruitment via FaceTime and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people, also connected with him.

Jay Underwood told the Wall Street Journal that his son is expected to make more than $15 million at Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he will take the first snap next fall.

“He wants to earn everything,” Moore has said. “He doesn’t want to be given anything.”

Hoffman said Underwood has simply blended in with his teammates.

“He’s really humble, like not a big head, ego, nothing like that,” he said. “Comes into work and every day, he wants to get better every day. He’s not riding off his success in high school. He’s really trying to be one of those top players in college football.”

Underwood participated in practices with the team before it beat Alabama in a bowl game, enrolled in classes in January and gained a lot experience in 14 private practices before a public scrimmage.

“Football is football,” he told MLive.com. “School is a little bit more overwhelming now.”

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