Donald Trump referred to himself as the "father of IVF" during a town hall aimed at women voters on Wednesday, as he sought to gain their trust on reproductive issues ahead of the election.

The Republican presidential candidate, trailing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in polls among women ahead of the Nov. 5 election, addressed the issue at a Fox News-hosted event in Georgia, a battleground state.

"I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question," Trump said.

Some women expressed concerns about possible restrictions on fertility treatments, but Trump assured them that the Republican party supports in vitro fertilization (IVF), despite some conservative opposition.

In recent months, Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.

"We really are the party for IVF," Trump claimed. "The Democrats tried to attack us on it, but we're out there, even more than them."

Following a February ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court classifying embryos as children, IVF has become a sensitive issue, raising legal questions around their treatment. Democrats warn that more reproductive rights could be at risk.

Trump’s campaign clarified his "father of IVF" remark as a joke. "It was made in jest when President Trump was enthusiastically answering a question about IVF," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.

Harris, however, urged voters not to be distracted by Trump's choice of words. "The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families on this issue," she said.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week, 49% of women who are registered to vote support Harris, compared to the 40% support for Trump. Polls also show Americans broadly trust Democrats more than Republicans on reproductive rights.

Trump, during his presidential term appointed three of the justices who made up the majority that ended constitutional protection for abortion. However, despite his previous efforts to restrict abortion access, Trump has now suggested making IVF treatments free, though he has not provided details on how that would be achieved.

'Enemy from within'

At times during the town hall, Trump returned to the dark language that has been a hallmark of many of his campaign stops.

Trump warned of the danger posed by an "enemy from within" – a phrase he has used before – and he called his opponents "evil."

"They're really very different, and it is the enemy from within, and they're dangerous," Trump said, while discussing his political foes.

Trump was responding to a comment from Fox host Harris Faulkner, who noted that Harris had criticized an interview Trump gave to Fox News on Sunday, during which he had called Democrats the enemy from within.

During that interview, Trump suggested that the National Guard or army could be deployed to handle "radical-left lunatics."

As he is out of office, Trump has no authority to order such a deployment though he repeatedly expressed interest in using the military to quell civilian protesters during his 2017-to-2021 term, according to former advisers.