Former President Donald Trump cannot avoid the topic of abortion rights. Trump most likely planned to resolve the problem with an over 4-minute video in which he stated that the future of abortion rights should be determined at the state level.
Just days later, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a decision that served as a sharp reminder that relegating the matter to the state level isn’t a political solution.
On Wednesday, the former president told reporters that the Arizona court had gone too far in deciding that an 1864, pre-Civil War near-total abortion ban could be enacted.
Fellow Republicans, regardless of whether they had previously backed the ban, hastened to condemn the move, emphasizing the electoral implications of the situation.
“Yeah, they did,” Trump replied in response to whether the court had gone too far, “and I think it’ll be straightened out and, as you know, it’s all about state’s rights and it will be straightened out.”
Trump’s evolving views on abortion have alienated some of his long-time allies.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B. Pro-Life America, a renowned anti-abortion organization, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, were disappointed that the former president would not support a national abortion ban. Trump responded by torching them both on social media.
In reaction to Graham’s displeasure, Trump stated, “Many Good Republicans lost Elections because of this Issue, and people like Lindsey Graham, that are unrelenting, are handing Democrats their dream of the House, Senate, and possibly even the Presidency….”
On Wednesday, Trump answered one of these issues definitely, stating that if elected president, he would not sign a countrywide abortion ban if such legislation were passed by Congress. It’s still unknown how Trump will vote on the subject.
As a Florida resident, he will have the ability to vote on an abortion rights ballot issue in November.
President Joe Biden’s campaign has instantly linked Donald Trump to every development. They have often pointed out that the former president boasted about his role in picking the three US Supreme Court justices who were the determining element in the monumental Roe v. Wade reversal.
Biden’s team has also launched several ads that directly address the topic of abortion rights. Vice President Kamala Harris even went to an abortion clinic.
“Elect me,” Biden said reporters at the White House in response to a query about the Arizona case. “I’m in the twenty-first century, not back then. “They weren’t even a state.”
Following the Arizona decision, Biden’s campaign projected that voters would hold the former president responsible.
“What’s happening in Arizona is only possible because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade—it’s cruel and a direct threat to our health and freedoms,” Jen Cox, Biden-Harris senior advisor for Arizona, told.
“No one should discount the impact this has on women across our state and — as we saw in 2022 — Democrats, Independents, and Republicans are going to hold Trump accountable.”
