Former President Trump declined to take a position on a potential federal abortion ban Monday and instead acknowledged the issue is being left to the states as he looks to navigate the politically fraught issue ahead of November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s lack of an explicit endorsement drew criticism from some on the right, including a prominent anti-abortion group, while Democrats said his position is unchanged and accused him of obfuscation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video message shared early Monday morning on Truth Social was Trump\u2019s attempt to clarify his views on abortion after months of wavering. Trump has been flirting with endorsing a 15- or 16-week ban and has said for months that if elected he would \u201cnegotiate something\u201d that would \u201cmake both sides happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abortion has galvanized Democrats in the nearly two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and Trump has struggled with whether to embrace or downplay his role in the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reaction to his statement shows the political potency of abortion, and how Trump\u2019s attempts to have it both ways could threaten his chances in November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s clearly trying to thread a needle that\u2019s very difficult to thread, if it\u2019s even possible,\u201d said Doug Heye,<\/u><\/a> a Republican strategist. \u201cDepending on who you talk to, he\u2019s trying to take a moderate stance on it, or he\u2019s doing something that\u2019s not going to make anybody happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the roughly four-minute statement, Trump took credit for ending Roe and expressed support for certain exceptions: rape, incest and to protect a mother\u2019s life. He argued Republicans ultimately must be able to win elections, brushing back calls from some groups for him to embrace a national ban and endorse a specific limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlways go by your heart, but we must win. We have to win,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump didn\u2019t specifically say he opposed a federal ban, but instead said his \u201cview\u201d was that \u201cthe states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both,\u201d and whatever they decide must be the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis 50-year battle over Roe v. Wade took it out of the federal hands and brought it into the hearts, minds and vote of the people in each state,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt was really something. Now it\u2019s up to the states to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alyssa Farah Griffin, a onetime Trump White House communications director who is now a frequent critic of the former president, called his approach \u201csmart.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAllows him to punt to Govs while maintaining \u2018conservative\u2019 position that it\u2019s up to states,\u201d she wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding it was \u201csmarter than calling for\u201d a 15-week ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, some conservatives expressed disappointment Trump did not go further in his comments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s former vice president, Mike Pence,<\/u><\/a> called the statement \u201ca slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2002<\/u><\/a>(R-S.C.), a top Trump ally in the Senate who has previously introduced a bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks, said he disagreed with the former president\u2019s position and would continue to advocate for a federal limit on abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump hit back at Graham later Monday, saying the senator was doing a \u201cgreat disservice to the Republican Party, and to our Country\u201d by giving Democrats fodder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a leading anti-abortion group, had been lobbying Trump to endorse a 15-week ban and said it was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d in Trump\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n