Honestly I don’t even know why Trump is taking his train down this track, except to pander for votes:
WAPO – Donald Trump on Tuesday will unveil several policy proposals for lowering child-care costs that were crafted in part by his eldest daughter, Ivanka, including a plan to guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave that marks a striking departure from GOP orthodoxy of recent years.
Conservative Republicans, in particular, have long seen a mandated expansion of the social safety net as anathema to their attempts to shrink government spending and give companies more control over their leave policies.
Trump campaign officials said Tuesday morning that the Republican presidential nominee will propose a plan for paid leave that they believe can gain bipartisan approval. While details of the proposal remained unclear ahead of Trump’s speech, the officials said it wouldn’t cost taxpayers anything more; instead, it would be financed through savings achieved by eliminating fraud in the unemployment insurance program.
The officials also said that Trump would lay out specific plans for enabling parents to deduct the cost of childcare expenses from their income taxes. Trump first mentioned allowing parents to “fully deduct” expenses last month when he announced his economic agenda in Detroit. Some of these expenses are already deductible under the law.
Trump isn’t proposing that employers be forced to pay guaranteed maternity leave, just that the government do it with unemployment benefits:
Important note on Trump's 6-week maternity leave plan: it's NOT full paid maternity leave. It's a safety net: 6 weeks unemployment benefits
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) September 13, 2016
This really should surprise exactly no one. Not only does Trump like some Democrat policies, but he can pander with the best of ’em for votes.