In recent weeks, opponents of Former President Donald Trump have aimed at the leading Republican’s stance on abortion following recent remarks about the divisive topic.
During a “Meet the Press” interview earlier this month, Trump said that Florida’s ban on abortion after six weeks was a “terrible thing,” opening him up to criticism from other Republicans, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I don’t know how you can even make the claim that you’re pro-life if you’re criticizing states for enacting protections for babies that have heartbeats,” DeSantis told Radio Iowa last week.
The remarks from Trump don’t line up with others he’s made, as he continues to leave many questioning whether or not he supports abortion rights or if he wants the practice to be abolished.
While campaigning in Iowa on Wednesday, Trump said that Republican candidates should not be taking a hard line on abortion, saying without having exceptions, most notably for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother, it would be “very difficult to win elections.”
“This issue cost us dearly in the midterms, and unnecessarily,” Trump said.
However, Trump has crowned himself the most “pro-life president ever,” taking credit for overturning of Roe v Wade after he filled the Supreme Court with conservative-leaning justices.
“Last year, I was able to do something that nobody thought was possible. … We ended Roe v. Wade,” Trump said. “I did something that for 52 years people talked, they spent vast amounts of money in fighting it, but they couldn’t get the job done. Fifty-two years they fought, and they fought hard. … They couldn’t get the job done. I got the job done.”
The remarks from the former president have left many wondering where he stands on abortion and whether or not he could still be considered pro-life.
“I think all pro-lifers should know that he’s preparing to sell you out,” DeSantis said about Trump.
Anti-abortion advocacy groups have also tiptoed around supporting and denouncing Trump. After his “Meet the Press” interview, Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life Action, sent Trump a letter asking him to clarify his abortion stance, saying the “pro-life vote is up for grabs.”
“Heartbeat laws are far from terrible,” the letter stated. “They should be an absolute minimum for any Republican candidate committed to protecting many from death by direct abortion.”