On Tuesday, the former president declared that if he were to be elected again, he would veto a federal law prohibiting abortion.
“Under any circumstances, as everyone knows, I would not support a federal abortion ban and would actually veto it, believing that the states should make their own decisions based on the will of the people.” During the CBS vice presidential debate between his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Trump posted an all-caps message on his Truth Social platform.
Trump then on, “I fully support the three exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, like Ronald Reagan before me.”
The Republican nominee has stated time and time again that he would not veto a nationwide abortion ban; yet, in their ABC debate last month, he did not promise to do so, saying instead that he “wouldn’t have to.”
Trump said he hadn’t told Vance about his statement to NBC News that the previous president would veto the proposed legislation when he was questioned during the discussion, adding, “I don’t think he was speaking for me.”
One of the main areas of difference in the 2024 contest has been abortion, where Harris has a substantial advantage. This has somewhat driven her edge among female voters nationwide and in swing states. This year, Democrats have placed a strong emphasis on abortion rights in their speeches, citing state-level limitations made possible by the majority vote of Trump-appointed Supreme Court judges to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Following that Supreme Court ruling, abortion rights advocates have won some statewide ballot measures on the topic, including in very red states. Democrats have fared well in elections where the subject has gained significant attention.
Recently, Trump has shifted his narrative to portray himself as a “protector” of women, saying that if elected, American women won’t be “thinking about abortion.”
