THE DAILY BEAST
Former President Donald Trump, whose position on abortion has been unclear for the better part of his campaign, said Monday that abortion access should be decided on a state-to-state basis and punted on what he believes the cutoff should be.
In a much-anticipated video posted to Truth Social on Monday morning, Trump boasted about getting Roe v. Wade overturned and said that because of the ruling, abortion is a state’s issue and that each state should decide its own law “by vote or legislation or perhaps both.”
“Whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” Trump said. “In this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different. 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, this is all about the will of the people.”
Leaving the issue up to the states and not taking a position on any weekly cutoff for a federal abortion ban is sure to anger conservatives who want a federal abortion ban, and it will likely upset those who support abortion rights but are living in a state where it is banned.
However, Trump made clear that he supported exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother—an exception many states do not have enshrined into law.
“I am strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. You must follow your heart on this issue,” he said.
