Political strategist Karl Rove did an impression of former President Trump at The Atlantic Festival on Friday.
Rove, a former deputy chief of staff in the Bush administration, broke into the imitation during a conversation with Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro and Democratic political strategist David Axelrod, mimicking the presidential candidate on his stance on IVF, quoting his acceptance speech and emulating his rhetoric on transgender athletes in sports.
Rove started with a one-liner about IVF, leading the crowd to erupt with laughter.
“Everybody should have IVF,” he said, referencing to Trump’s claim to have government or insurance pay for treatments under his leadership.
Afterwards, Rove joked at the crowd “Don’t do it, it just encourages me,” before going into more impressions.
“My favorite line of his acceptance speech,” he said, before breaking into the impression. “We’re going to cure Alzheimer’s and cancer, and men will not be able to participate in women’s sports.”
Rove was referring to Trump’s speech at the RNC this summer, in which he jumped from topic to topic during his 90-minute speech.
“When I get up in the morning, those two things are right there in front of me linked together inexorably,” Rove said in his own voice.
Trump has spoken out against transgender protections on multiple occasions, vowing to roll back transgender student protections implemented by the Biden administration. Under a larger set of changes to Title IX, transgender students are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The former president also said transgender women should not be able to compete in women’s sports at a Moms for Liberty gathering in August. At the same event, he also advocated for restrictions on access to gender-affirming healthcare.
The Atlantic shared the minute-long clip of the conversation on X, ending the video when Rove teases the crowd with a quick Bill Clinton impression as well.
The Trump campaign did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment at the time of publication.
