Former President Donald Trump insisted in a new interview that he would monitor women's pregnancies to determine whether someone is getting an abortion after a state's legal ban, and then leave it up to each state to decide whether to prosecute. .
Asked whether he would be comfortable with states prosecuting women who have abortions beyond legal limits, which currently vary widely from state to state, President Trump told Time magazine in a cover story published Tuesday, “I It doesn't matter whether they're comfortable with it or not. It's up to each state to make that decision.”
Time magazine also asked, “Do you think states should monitor women's pregnancies so they can know if they have had an abortion after the ban?”
President Trump responded, “I think they might do that. … They'd have to talk to the states.”
Asked earlier if doctors should be punished for performing abortions, President Trump said it was a “states' rights issue.”
President Trump also repeatedly dodged Time magazine's questions about whether he would vote yes on an abortion referendum in November that would overturn Florida's six-week abortion ban — saying he believed the deadline was tight. Although I doubled down on my previous comment, it was still “too harsh.”
“I’m not going to say what I’m going to vote for,” he said. “Let's just say the state will decide.”
Throughout the Time article, Trump laid out his potential second-term agenda, including how to crack down on illegal immigration through new restrictions and sweeping deportations. How will he impose new tariffs on foreign goods? more.
As the battle against President Joe Biden intensifies in the general election, President Trump is currently trying to take a more cautious stance on abortion.
He said in early April, following Roe v. Wade's rollback of nationwide abortion access protections, the issue should be left to states as long as it includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of a pregnant woman. .
“We have to follow our hearts on this issue, but we also won the election to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country, which is currently and very sadly in decline. “Remember that you must… always act according to your heart. But we must win, we are a failed nation,” he said.
But he has also repeatedly touted his role in ending Roe, naming the three U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned it in 2022.
He also criticizes some abortion policies he disagrees with, such as the overreach of Arizona's Civil War-era abortion ban, which was recently ruled enforceable.
In an interview with Time, Trump rejected a “commitment” to veto a federal anti-abortion law if Congress passes it, although he has previously said he would not sign such legislation. Ta.
“I don't have to commit to it because it's never going to happen. Number one, it's never going to happen. Number two, it's about states' rights,” he told Time magazine. “You don't want to go back to the federal government. This was all about getting out of the federal government.”
President Trump also declined to say whether he would veto a federal law that would have outlawed abortion drugs like mifepristone, saying such a decision would be left to each state. But he said he had “strong views” on the issue and would “probably” publish those views “within the next week.”
“I'm leaving everything up to the states. Each state will be different. Some will say yes, some will say no. Texas is different than Ohio.”
Rival Biden's campaign and the president himself are seizing on Trump's role in defeating Roe and banning abortion nationwide. President Trump's shift in rhetoric has also drawn criticism from abortion opponents, who say he is “inconsistent.”
“It doesn't matter where you live in America,” Biden said in a speech last week. “This is not about states’ rights, this is about women’s rights.”
Biden's campaign manager on Tuesday condemned Trump's comments to Time, saying in a statement: “Simply put, the November election will decide whether American women have reproductive freedom or whether Trump's new “It will determine whether the administration continues its attack on controlling women's health care decisions.” ”
ABC News' Libby Cathy contributed to this report.
