Donald Trump is facing backlash from anti-abortion activists and party insiders after he suggested he might support loosening restrictions on abortion procedures in his home state of Florida.
The Republican presidential candidate was asked in an interview with NBC News on Thursday how he would vote on a ballot measure protecting abortion in the state this November.
Florida bans the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down abortion rights nationwide, reproductive rights activists are now campaigning to end the law.
"I think six weeks is too short," Trump said. “There has to be more time. I told them I wanted a few more weeks.
“I would vote that we need more than six weeks,” he said when pressed.
Trump has previously criticized Florida’s six-week abortion ban.
Last September, he said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a “terrible mistake” by signing the ban into law.
Mr. DeSantis was challenging the former president in the Republican primary.
Thursday’s comments further revealed the rift between Trump and the anti-abortion movement, which plays a key role in shaping conservative politics in the United States.
“If Donald Trump loses, today is the day he loses,” conservative pundit Eric Erickson wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“The staunchly anti-abortion community may turn a blind eye to the national abortion issue to an extent. But for Trump to weigh in on Florida as he did would be a bridge too far for too many people.
Albert Mohler Jr, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote on
“Pro-life Christian voters must think clearly, honestly and soberly about the challenges we face in this election — starting at the top of the ballot,” he said.
The November ballot initiative would amend Florida’s constitution to protect the state’s right to abortion until the fetus is viable, which is between 23 and 25 weeks of pregnancy.
Currently, abortion is almost completely banned in the state because many women don’t know they’re pregnant at six weeks.
The proposed amendment states: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion performed before the patient is viable or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.”
Voters cannot choose to allow abortion after several weeks into a pregnancy. They can only choose “Yes” to support the amendment or “No” to reject it.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request to clarify his position and whether he would vote for or against the measure.
Campaign spokesperson Carolyn Leavitt told the New York Times that Trump “has not yet revealed how he will vote in Florida.”
“He just reiterated that he thought six weeks was too short,” she said.
Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, attempted to clarify the campaign’s position on CNN on Friday.
Mr. Vance said the former president would “make his own statement” on how he would vote” on the Florida measure based on “his own judgment.”
Polls show that a majority of Americans support abortion.
A July University of North Florida poll showed 69% of likely voters supported the ballot measure, while 23% opposed it.
The political backlash following the Supreme Court’s 2022 termination of Roe v. Wade, the landmark precedent protecting abortion rights nationwide, has created a political conundrum for Trump that he has yet to fully resolve.
Trump came to power with the help of the religious right, which generally supports restrictions on surgical procedures.
When he first ran for president, he promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn the U.S. Constitution’s right to abortion.
He followed through on his promise by appointing three conservative jurists who ultimately voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Abortion has become a central issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, with Democrats using the issue to unite voters.
His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, has made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign.
Trump’s position is that abortion policy should be determined by the states.
At the Republican National Convention in July, Rank-and-file party members follow ex-presidenteven though his stance seemed inconsistent with their personal anti-abortion stance.
