Former President Donald Trump has officially taken a stance on the issue of abortion after months of speculation and comments about abortion bans in place in more conservative states.
In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump once again boasted about the role he played in ending Roe v. Wade through his selection of three conservative Supreme Court Justices.
But while his opponents are campaigning that Trump will seek a federal ban once in office, as a chunk of his supporters would like, the former president said he will not endorse any kind of federal abortion legislation.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” Trump said. “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 went on to say that a federal abortion ban wouldn’t fit in this situation because of such a wide opinion on abortion.
“Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be,” Trump said. “At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart, or in many cases, your religion or your faith.”
Trump was also critical of Democrats and their “radical” abortion legislation, which he says they want to have available “up to and even beyond the ninth month.”
The switch up from Trump on abortion may be to the dismay of his more conservative and religious supporters but has been coming for some time.
The former president stressed the importance of winning elections, seeming to acknowledge that abortion was a losing point for Republicans, something he also said after the red wave failed to produce during the 2022 midterms.
“We have to bring our nation back from the brink, and that’s where it is,” he said. “Always go by your heart, but we must win. We have to win.”
Trump has also been outspoken and critical of Florida’s six-week abortion ban since it was announced, saying that he felt it went too far and that it was a “terrible mistake.”
After a judge in the state cleared the way for the ban to go into effect in the coming weeks, Trump hinted that his comments on abortion would be coming.
His remarks in the past have cost him points among evangelicals and activists who are pushing for stronger restrictions on abortion. It is not yet known what effect this stance on abortion will have on the former president’s campaign.