Trump says abortion ban should left for states to decide, 'It's all about..'

“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social

Former President Donald Trump said states should set any limits on abortion instead of calling for a national ban at any stage.

Abortion rights should be left up to US states to decide, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on April 8, 2024, effectively rejecting a national abortion ban after months of mixed signals on one of the November election's most contentious issues. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP)(AFP)

“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” he said in a video posted on Truth Social, praising the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 that allowed states to set their own standards for access to abortion.

“Many states will be different,” he said. “Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, it’s all about the will of the people.”

Trump resisted pressure from anti-abortion groups to set a firm limit, such as 15 weeks of pregnancy, for a national abortion ban.

The announcement comes as Trump and his campaign try to neutralize one of the Republican’s biggest disadvantages — their stance on reproductive rights — heading into the general election. Democrats have successfully used the issue in elections since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Trump did not call for exceptions to abortion bans, but said he supported them.

“Like Ronald Reagan, I am strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother,” he said. “You must follow your heart on this issue.”

The former president also said he supported ensuring access to IVF technology “in every state in America.”

By leaving abortion up the states, Trump is sidestepping the division in his party between anti-abortion advocates, many of whom want abortion halted in the US entirely, and moderate voters, who feel comfortable with abortion in certain circumstances.

President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies have used the Republican Party’s divided position on abortion to galvanize its base, lambasting the former president in television ads and on the campaign trail on his previous statements on abortion.

Polls consistently show widespread support for reproductive rights and every ballot ballot initiative protecting abortion access since the Supreme Court ruling has won, including in red states such as Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio.