Megan Varner/Getty Photos
This week, Donald Trump disenchanted abortion rights opponents by not mentioning a federal ban in his long-awaited abortion coverage announcement.
Now, he is going additional — telling reporters in Atlanta that he wouldn’t signal a federal ban, even when one got here to his desk.
Responding to a shouted query about whether or not he would signal a ban if Congress handed one, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee shook his head and repeated “no” twice.
Trump says that Arizona’s abortion ruling went too far: “Yeah they did, and that might be straightened out.”
Additionally tells @ABC he wouldn’t signal a nationwide abortion ban as president. pic.twitter.com/wQdByVodtv
— Lalee Ibssa (@LaleeIbssa) April 10, 2024
It is one other twist in Trump’s lengthy historical past of shifting stances on abortion rights. As president, Trump supported a 20-week federal abortion ban, and in current weeks has stated he was open to fifteen weeks.
Even earlier than that, when he was working for president in 2016, at one level he stated ladies looking for abortions ought to obtain “some type of punishment.”
In his remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Trump additionally addressed the Arizona Supreme Court docket’s choice to permit an 1864 near-total ban to be enforced.
Requested if the state courtroom went too far, Trump responded, “Yeah they did, and that might be straightened out.”
He was additionally requested in regards to the current choice in Florida, his residence state, to permit a 6-week ban to take impact. In response, Trump implied that he desires Arizona and Florida to loosen their abortion restrictions. However whereas criticizing these states’ bans, he additionally stated he helps states’ rights to determine their very own abortion insurance policies.
“Now the states have it and the states are placing out what they need. It is the desire of the individuals,” he stated. “So Florida’s in all probability going to alter, Arizona’s going to undoubtedly change, all people desires that to occur.”
Because the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights have repeatedly received in statewide poll measures. As well as, abortion has confirmed to inspire voters in state legislature elections. Each Florida and Arizona will possible see a query on abortion entry on their ballots this fall.
With that in thoughts, the Biden marketing campaign has been attacking Trump on abortion rights all through this marketing campaign. The Biden marketing campaign launched a press release in response to Trump’s Wednesday remarks.
“Donald Trump owns the struggling and chaos occurring proper now, together with in Arizona, as a result of he proudly overturned Roe – one thing he referred to as ‘an unbelievable factor’ and ‘fairly superb’ simply at this time,” stated communications director Michael Tyler.