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Trump won’t back national abortion ban, says issue should be left to states
Insights from CNN, The New York Times, and NPR
The News
Donald Trump on Monday declined to back a nationwide limit on abortion, saying the issue should be decided on a state-by-state basis. The former president has long been cagey about his view on abortion, sowing months of speculation over what policy position he would take. Monday’s comments mark his clearest stance on the issue so far.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social account.
“Many states will be different,” he continued. “Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”
Trump also said he’s “strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”
Trump’s campaign had floated a 15-week ban earlier this year, which anti-abortion groups referred to in their rebukes of his Monday announcement.
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Trump’s position criticized by both Democrats and some Republicans
Democrats, anti-abortion groups, and some Republicans were united in their criticism and skepticism of Trump’s statement. The head of anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said leaving the decision to states “cedes the national debate to the Democrats,” while Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who authored the 15-week national abortion ban bill, said he ”respectfully disagree[s]” with Trump, adding that the “pro-life movement has always been about the wellbeing of the unborn child — not geography.” President Joe Biden said Trump was “scrambling” over concerns that voters would hold him accountable for overturning Roe v. Wade.
Delay exemplifies Republicans’ confused abortion messaging
Trump’s decision to wait so long before announcing his position on the issue “reflects a Republican Party that has struggled to formulate a unified message on abortion,” NPR said. Republicans have appeared unable to pin down a party line since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago. As recently as November, “Republicans were all over the map on how to address the abortion issue,” The Washington Post reported.
Amid the discordant views within his party, Trump’s statement seemed intended to reach abortion hardliners as well as those with more moderate views, with the former president instructing voters to “follow your heart on this issue.”
Trump’s history of flip-flopping on abortion leaves both sides unsure
Despite their concerns over Trump’s newly declared stance, anti-abortion groups are still hopeful that Trump will “allow them to shape policy in a second administration as he often did when he became president in 2017,” The New York Times reported.
Forbes noted that the former president “has a history of flip-flopping on abortion,” adding that abortion rights supporters have raised concerns that once in office, he would likely “capitulate to anti-abortion rights advocates” and impose a national ban.
But in a testament to Trump’s unpredictability, anti-abortion groups harbor the opposite concern: “Abortion opponents have privately been skeptical that Trump would be with them should he win a second term,” TIME reported. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer put it this way: “Let’s wait a few weeks and see what his new position will be,” he said.
