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‘A terrible thing and a terrible mistake’: Donald Trump criticises abortion ban signed by Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis' six-week ban includes exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergencies and “fatal fetal abnormalities
Former president Donald Trump has criticised the state abortion law signed by his challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which bans the procedure after six weeks. Slamming Ron’s decision, Donald called it a “terrible mistake.”
Ron signed the law in April. It will go into effect if the Florida Supreme Court upholds the state’s 15-week ban on abortion, which Ron signed into law last spring.
Donald, who had previously appointed three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, said in an interview that aired on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.” The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Before being overturned, the legislation made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States.
‘Both sides are going to like me’
Ron’s six-week ban includes exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergencies and “fatal fetal abnormalities. Kristen Welker, the host of ‘Meet the Press,’ asked Donald if he would sign federal legislation banning abortion at 15 weeks, to which he replied saying he would not. He added that he would negotiate with Democrats on the issue. On being asked what time frame he thinks is appropriate for an abortion ban, Donald simply said he would “sit down with both sides and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years.”
“Both sides are going to like me,” he said. “I’m going to come together with all groups, and we’re going to have something that’s acceptable.”
Donald also said some members of his own party speak very inarticulately about this subject." "I watch some of them without the exceptions, etc., etc.," he said, referring to people who do not support abortion exceptions in cases including abortion and rape. "I said: 'Other than certain parts of the country, you can’t — you’re not going to win on this issue. But you will win on this issue when you come up with the right number of weeks.”
"Because Democrats don’t want to be radical on the issue; most of them, some do," he added. "They don’t want to be radical on the issue. They don’t want to kill a baby in the seventh month or the ninth month or after birth. And they’re allowed to do that, and you can’t do that."
