Former President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, stated that he would not endorse a nationwide abortion ban if he were to be re-elected, a significant shift from his 2016 campaign promise and his first term in office. This change in stance is a notable deviation for a Republican presidential nominee and highlights Trump’s efforts to mitigate one of his major political vulnerabilities.
Earlier this week, Trump released a lengthy statement suggesting that states and voters should have the authority to regulate abortion, but he did not specify the extent of this approach. However, during a Wednesday appearance in Atlanta, Trump provided a more explicit response. When asked if he would sign a national abortion ban if it were passed by Congress, Trump responded with a firm “No.”
This statement comes in the wake of a significant decision in Arizona, a key battleground state for Trump’s potential third White House bid. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the state must abide by a 160-year-old law prohibiting all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman’s life. Trump sought to distance himself from this ruling, despite taking credit for the US Supreme Court decision that permitted it.
President Joe Biden’s campaign, which has been linking the presumptive Republican nominee to the country’s most restrictive abortion laws in ads aired in swing states, quickly dismissed Trump’s latest stance on abortion as baseless. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler stated, “Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe – something he called ‘an incredible thing’ and ‘pretty amazing’ just today.”
Trump’s stance on a national abortion ban has been ambiguous since the US Supreme Court – led by three of his nominees – overturned the federal right to an abortion in 2022. During the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Trump evaded definitive statements that could be used against him in a general election or by his GOP rivals competing for the nomination.
Trump’s recent attempts to navigate this contentious election-year issue have resulted in mixed signals for a GOP that has been striving for decades to essentially ban the procedure. This poses significant challenges for Republicans’ longtime allies in the anti-abortion movement, who are already grappling with recent losses at the polls and facing more ballot measures in key battleground states this fall.
Despite distancing himself from the controversial outcomes resulting from the post-Roe status quo he helped establish, Trump embraced another one. When asked in Atlanta if doctors who perform abortions should be punished, Trump said he would “let that be to the states.”
This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.