How the Media Became a Mouthpiece for Trump’s Empty IVF Promise

The press echoes Trump’s IVF pledge without examining his contradictory track record.

Yesterday, in a desperate attempt to distance himself from his own policies, former President Donald Trump announced that if given another term in office, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments would be free.

“I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for, or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for, all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump said at a Michigan campaign event.

Given Donald Trump’s long history of contradictory statements, misleading promises, and policy positions that directly undermine his public declarations, it’s important to approach his latest announcement with a healthy dose of skepticism. His promise to make IVF treatments free for all Americans may sound appealing, but there’s no reason to actually trust that he means it.

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Let’s not forget that the very reason access to IVF and other reproductive services is in question today is because of Trump himself. Under his administration, the Supreme Court was filled with justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that has severely limited reproductive rights across the country. This has created an environment where IVF and other fertility treatments could potentially be restricted or even outlawed in states that seek to define life as beginning at conception. Trump’s actions directly contributed to this precarious situation, so his sudden advocacy for free IVF treatments seems more like a desperate attempt to win back voters than a genuine policy shift.

How the press covered Trump’s obviously insincere announcement.

Additionally, Trump’s track record is littered with broken promises. Remember when he said that under his healthcare plan, “everyone would be covered,” and yet spent his entire first term trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act? The result would have been millions more Americans without health insurance. His administration was marked by efforts to roll back Medicaid, limit access to essential health services, and reduce funding for programs that help the most vulnerable. Given this history, why should anyone believe that his new promises are anything more than hollow rhetoric designed to gain political advantage?

And finally, we must consider the broader context of Trump’s political affiliations and the agenda of those supporting him. Project 2025, a policy blueprint created by Trump-aligned conservatives, is a terrifying document for anyone concerned about civil liberties and personal freedoms. It outlines plans to roll back LGBTQ rights, undermine protections against discrimination, and promote a far-right, authoritarian agenda. The very same people who are pushing for these regressive policies are now associated with Trump’s campaign. How can we reconcile their intentions with Trump’s sudden claim to support IVF access? The truth is, we can’t. This is just another example of Trump saying whatever he thinks will get him elected, regardless of his past actions or the reality of his political allies’ goals.

So, with all of this in mind, how did the press respond to his announcement? Did outlets scrutinize his record? Of course not. They simply repeated his promise word for word.

Here’s what the headlines looked like:

Journalists know that what Trump is promising contradicts everything we know about how Trump — who, you know, was actually president and had four years to implement this policy if he actually believed it — but decided to just parrot his propaganda without calling it into question.

Far from being “free,” a second Trump term might see IVF become illegal.

Following his comments, Mini Timmaraju, the president of the reproductive rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All put out this statement:

No matter what Trump says, he is the leader of the party whose official platform uses language that could effectively ban IVF, and his Project 2025 uses that same language and details plans to make IVF ‘fully obsolete and ethically unthinkable.’ Republicans in Congress blocked Democrats’ efforts to protect IVF earlier this year, and Trump’s own running mate voted against it. He knows how unpopular the GOP’s attacks on fertility treatments are, and his comments are a desperate ploy to distract from the fact that he and his party have gutted reproductive freedom.

Others in the political world shared similar skepticism.

Dan Pfeiffer

of

The Message Box

highlighted that Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s own running mate, was one of the votes against efforts to protect IVF.

“Trump’s latest gambit reeks of desperation. It’s obviously a lie. But if the last nine years taught us one lesson, it’s that we can’t count on the media to effectively call out those lies. It is up to us,” wrote Pfeiffer, accurately describing the types of headlines mainstream media outlets sent out in response to this announcement.

Writing on Threads, New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie criticized the media’s stenography:

“One thing driving me absolutely insane about this election is the extent to which coverage of the Trump campaign acts as if Trump wasn't previously president and has a record that should lead us to take his promises with a grain of salt. Like, this headline should straight up include the fact that he tried to repeal the ACA,” he wrote in response to the NBC headline, “Trump says he wants to make IVF treatments paid for by government or insurance companies if elected.”

“Again, it makes no sense to talk about this outside of the context of the steps his administration took to restrict reproductive health access and slash access to subsidized health insurance,” he added in response to ABC’s “Trump adds new campaign pledge to get IVF paid for by government or covered by insurance.”

Shame on the reporters and editors who print Trump’s claims without scrutiny. Their failures are helping to misinform the public about what’s at stake in this election, and they don’t seem to care.