Fans of “Parks and Recreation” believe a well-known scene featuring Paul Rudd eerily foreshadowed a frustrating interaction between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during the Presidential debate.
Yesterday (September 10), Presidential candidates Trump and Harris engaged in their first face-off in advance of the 2024 election, with voters set to head to the polls on November 5.
As anticipated, the debate became quite heated, particularly around the topic of abortion rights, a contentious issue since the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right for women to have an abortion.
If you’re unfamiliar with Roe v. Wade, here’s a quick summary.
In 1973, a landmark decision was made by the Supreme Court that granted women across the country the constitutional right to have an abortion.
However, one of former President Trump’s final actions in office involved nominating three Supreme Court justices who later voted to revoke abortion rights.
During the debate, Trump and Harris discussed abortion at length, with Trump falsely accusing the Democrats of supporting abortion in the ‘ninth month’ and even ‘after birth’.
Harris supports overturning the 2022 Roe v. Wade decision, while Trump’s position appears more ambiguous. This ambiguity led Reddit users to humorously compare the debate to a 2012 episode of “Parks and Recreation” starring Paul Rudd’s character, Bobby Newport, who has been compared to Trump.
On Tuesday (September 10), Trump was asked if he would veto a ban. He responded: “I’m not signing a ban. And there’s no reason to sign a ban. Because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted.
“Democrats, Republicans and everybody else and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states. And the states are voting. And it may take a little time, but for 52 years this issue has torn our country apart.”
Later, he added: “And as far as the abortion ban, no, I’m not in favor of an abortion ban. But it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”
A meme has since gone viral, featuring the character Bobby Newport’s response to his views on abortion: “I guess my thoughts on abortion are…
“You know, let’s just all have a good time.”
One social media user commented: “Yes and it’s both hilarious and the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Overall, the debate was intense and perhaps not very informative, but it did evoke a sense of sadness.