Former President Trump said he would put out a statement on Monday morning on abortion following a Florida court ruling that prompted questions about whether he supports the state’s looming ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.
“Republicans, and all others, must follow their hearts and minds, but remember that, like Ronald Reagan before me, I, and most other Republicans, believe in EXCEPTIONS for Rape, Incest, and Life of the Mother,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Great love and compassion must be shown when even thinking about the subject of LIFE, but at the same time we must use common sense in realizing that we have an obligation to the salvation of our Nation, which is currently in serious DECLINE, TO WIN ELECTIONS, without which we will have nothing other than failure, death, and destruction. We will not let that happen,” he added.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has over the past year repeatedly dodged questions when asked whether he would sign a national abortion ban if reelected, instead claiming he would find a solution to unite the country on an extremely divisive issue.
At the same time, Trump has repeatedly said he is responsible for terminating Roe v. Wade through his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices. He has simultaneously blamed GOP messaging on abortion for election losses since the landmark ruling was overturned in June 2022.
His position on the issue was thrust back into the spotlight after a Florida court decision that upheld the state’s 15-week ban on abortion. The ruling also allowed a separate six-week ban will be triggered and will take effect May 1 — banning abortion at a point of gestation before many women know they are pregnant.
Trump last September called the six-week ban a “terrible mistake,” angering some evangelicals and activists who have pushed for strong restrictions on abortion.
Abortion has been a major motivator for Democratic voters in the nearly two years since the Supreme Court decision overturned the federal right to abortion access, and Biden and his campaign have used it as a rallying force heading into November’s general election match-up with former President Trump.
“There isn’t a statement Donald Trump can make that changes the facts – he BRAGS about overturning Roe, and that without him there would be no abortion bans at all, and he is responsible for the hellscape women live in today. Those are his words. It’s all on tape,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said Sunday in response to Trump’s expected statement.
