Trump Teases Abortion Policy Announcement Coming Next Week
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump said his presidential campaign would give more details next week about his stance on abortion rights, amid mounting pressure to define his position on a decisive issue for voters.
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“We’ll be making a statement next week on abortion,” Trump said Tuesday as he left a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The debate over abortion access has been a political quagmire for Republicans, many of whom find their support for restrictions increasingly out-of-step with the public. The issue has divided the party, with the right-flank pushing for strict abortion bans, while some moderates have pushed for more exceptions.
By announcing where he stands, Trump could spur Republicans to coalesce around a specific policy. The presumptive GOP nominee on Tuesday dodged questions about whether he supports Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which the state’s Supreme Court is allowing to take effect.
Former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel warned fellow party members last month they needed to come up with a plan to address the topic.
“We cannot put our head in the sand and ignore abortion,” she told a ballroom of RNC members in her farewell speech in March.
Read More: Biden Team Touts Abortion Access as Florida Adds Ballot Measure
Trump has previously hinted that he could support banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, telling a New York City radio show last month that “people are agreeing on 15, and I’m thinking in terms of that.”
Democratic National Committee spokesperson Aida Ross said in a statement that “if Trump gets the chance, he’s made it crystal clear that he’ll take his losing agenda of ripping away reproductive freedom even further.”
A 2022 US Supreme Court ruling overturning nationwide abortion rights mobilized swaths of voters that year’s midterm elections, after many Republican-run states restricted access, including with laws prohibiting the procedure six weeks after conception. Trump named three conservative justices to the bench, who sided with the majority repealing the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
President Joe Biden and his allies have repeatedly hammered Trump on abortion rights in stump speeches and television ads, hoping to harness voter outrage to propel his reelection bid. They have been buoyed by polls showing widespread support for reproductive rights and successful ballot initiatives protecting abortion access in red states, including Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio.
Some states, including Florida, will again have ballot measures on abortion policy in November’s election, which Democrats expect will help generate turnout.
--With assistance from Nancy Cook.
(Updates with DNC statement, in eighth paragraph.)
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