Trump confirms he would NOT sign national abortion ban because “we already violated Roe v. Wade”… but won’t clarify whether he’s pro-life or pro-choice

Donald Trump confirmed that he opposes a national abortion ban – and would not sign a law if re-elected as president because he already ‘violated’ Roe v. Wade, while refusing to clarify whether he identifies as pro- choice or pro-life.

He told reporters at a press event with Speaker Mike Johnson at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night that a national abortion ban is no longer needed because of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The president previously reversed that he would support a national abortion ban, angering supporters on the right and liberals.

‘We don’t need it anymore because we broke Roe v. Wade and we did something that no one thought was possible. We gave it back to the states, and the states are doing very well in some cases,’ he explained.

When pressed further by a reporter about whether he identifies as “pro-choice” or “pro-life,” Trump denied it.

“You know exactly which one it is,” he replied. He then went on to compare himself to Ronald Reagan because the two GOP leaders were once registered Democrats.

‘When I was in New York and when I was a Democrat also like Ronald Reagan, you know. Ronald Reagan was a Democrat, we fall in a very similar way.’

He praised the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, three of whom he appointed for president.

Trump also accused the Democrats of being the ‘radicals in this’ because they are willing to have abortion up to birth.

‘It’s extreme and it’s radical and nobody should have that. And it must be ended’.

Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in on Trump’s evening remarks during a trip to Arizona.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that an 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions was enforceable.

“A few minutes ago, standing next to Johnson’s speech, Donald Trump just said that the collection of statistical bans are quotes that are working as they should,” Harris said. “As much damage as he has already caused, another Trump term would be even worse.”

She then went on to blast Republicans in Congress for wanting a national ban.

‘Trump wants us to believe he won’t sign a national ban. Enough with the gas lighting.’

The former president released a video earlier this week stating that abortion policy should be left up to the states — finally revealing his stance on the highly controversial issue after teasing it for months.

He did not specify a time frame in which he would support or not support abortion in the video of his long-awaited announcement, which was posted on Truth Social.

Trump celebrated the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022, sparking two years of debate about how abortion should be handled now at the state and federal levels.

The 77-year-old also said in the four-and-a-half-minute video that he believed in exceptions for a right to terminate a pregnancy in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother’s life.

“We have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will decide by vote or legislation or maybe both, and whatever they decide will be the law of the land,” Trump said in the video.

He also accused the Democrats of believing in ‘executing the child after birth’.

In the past, Trump has suggested he would support a 15-week ban on abortion at the federal level.

Speaking last month on the Sid & Friends in the Morning radio show, Trump confirmed some reports that he was considering proposing policies that would implement a federal ban that would allow abortion through the first trimester.

“The number of weeks, now people agree on 15, and I’m thinking in terms of that, and it’s going to come out to something that’s very reasonable,” Trump said in the interview.

“But people are really — even the hardliners agree, seems to be 15 weeks, seems to be a number that people agree on. But I’ll make that announcement at the right time.’

Now Trump dodged by throwing the question to the states.

The most staunch anti-abortionists are disappointed that Trump did not go far enough in rolling out his policy after years of calling himself the most pro-life president in US history.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America says the group is ‘deeply disappointed’ by Trump’s stance and said giving the issue to the states ‘cedes the national debate to the Democrats.

The group said it will ‘work tirelessly to defeat President Biden’ in November.

Senator Lindsey Graham is one of Trump’s biggest allies in the US Senate – and he himself says that he does not agree with the former president’s position on abortion.

“I respectfully disagree with President Trump’s statement that abortion is a states’ rights issue,” the South Carolina senator wrote in a lengthy X thread Monday.

“The states’ only rationale today runs counter to an American consensus that would restrict late-term abortions,” he said, arguing the ruling would not “age” well.

Graham said: ‘The science is clear – a fifteen-week-old baby is well developed and capable of feeling pain.’

But Trump’s campaign press secretary, Karline Leavitt, said Trump leaving it up to the states is a way to ensure the “will of the people” is put into law.

“He supports states’ rights to decide on this issue,” Leavitt said in an interview with NewsMax after the announcement Monday morning.

“He wants the people to speak,” she added. ‘He wants it to be up to the will of the people. And that is exactly what the Dobbs decision did.’

Matthew Getz, a senior fellow for the left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters for America, said it would be interesting to see if Trump changed his position if he faced significant pushback from pro-life and evangelical supporters.

He wrote X that Trump did not mention in his abortion announcement whether he would veto an abortion ban if it reached his desk should he win another term in 2024. He also did not touch on the issue of access to the abortion pill mifepristone, Getz noted .

President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign jumped on the announcement, posting a video in which Trump previously said he favors ‘punishment’ for women who get abortions.

In the video of his policy rollout, Trump also addressed the recent controversy surrounding in vitro fertilization (IVF) and expressed his support for the alternative method of conception.

IVF has been at the fore after courts in Alabama ruled that a fertilized egg is a life and sparked concern about the future of the procedure for couples with difficulty conceiving.

“The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and on the side of mothers, fathers and their beautiful babies,” Trump said. ‘IVF is an important part of that, and our great Republican Party will always be with you in your search for the ultimate joy in life.’

After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the conservative Supreme Court by a 6-3 majority in 2022, several states implemented some of the most restrictive abortion laws seen in decades.

Many credit Trump with paving the way for conservative decisions like this one — and several others in recent years — after he appointed three right-wing justices to the Supreme Court in his only four-year term.

There were 15 states with so-called trigger laws, which were activated when Roe v. Wade was no longer the law of the land and immediately essentially banned and criminalized abortion with some exceptions.

Many of these states have recently implemented heartbeat bills, meaning women cannot receive and doctors cannot perform abortion services around 5-6 weeks into a pregnancy, which is usually when a heartbeat can be detected on an ultrasound.

Other states passed laws allowing abortion within the first trimester of a pregnancy — similar to the policies Trump considered before announcing his opposition to a federal ban.