After Trump Says States Should Determine Abortion Laws, Democrats Try To Make Him Own The Issue

On Monday, Donald Trump said abortion laws should be determined by U.S. states, seemingly taking a more moderate stance as the 2024 presidential election nears.

In a video posted on Truth Social, the former president said he supported exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. He also reiterated his support for in-vitro fertilization.

He did not mention a national ban to prohibit abortions beyond a certain number of weeks into a pregnancy, though he has previously signaled support for this conservative initiative.

“You must follow your heart of this issue,” Trump said in the video. “But remember, you must also win elections to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country, which is currently and very sadly, a nation in decline.”

Trump has publicly claimed credit for the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and ending a federal right to abortion. The ruling triggered voter backlash and is suspected to have helped Democrats in some state elections that year.

“This 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,” Trump said. “It was really something. Now it’s up to the states to do the right thing.”

“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both,” he continued. “And whatever they decide must be the law of the land.”

President Joe Biden has made abortion rights a key policy in his re-election campaign and has called out Trump’s opposition to the procedure.

“Donald Trump is endorsing every single abortion ban in the states, including abortion bans with no exceptions,” Ammar Moussa, director of rapid response for the Biden campaign, wrote on X. “And he’s bragging about his role in creating this hellscape.”