Former President Trump on Tuesday said he would veto a federal abortion ban if it made it to his desk in a potential second term after previously refusing to say whether he would do so.
Trump weighed in on abortion on Truth Social as the topic was being discussed in the vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
“Everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it, because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters (The will of the people!),” Trump wrote.
Trump during a Sept. 10 presidential debate with Vice President Harris refused multiple times to say whether he would veto a national abortion ban, arguing it was an unnecessary question.
“I’m not in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn’t matter, because this issue has now been taken over by the states,” Trump said at that debate. “I wouldn’t have to.”
Democrats are concerned that a Trump presidency could enact national abortion restrictions or a ban even without Congress by invoking the Comstock Act, a law from 1873 that bars the mailing of abortion-related materials.
Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika in a statement said Trump was “scrambling to try and clean up his disastrous debate performance” with Tuesday’s social media post.
“Women are living the consequences of the nightmare Trump created – and too many are losing their lives to extreme Trump bans,” Chitika said. “They will hold him accountable this November.”
Walz and Vance spoke at length about abortion during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate.
Walz cited multiple cases of women whose lives were jeopardized because of abortion restrictions in their states. Vance acknowledged Republicans could do a better job of messaging on the issue, but he echoed Trump’s stance that the issue should be left to the states after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The Harris campaign has focused intensely on the issue of abortion access, warning repeatedly that a second Trump presidency would lead to additional restrictions on reproductive health care. Harris has said she would sign legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law, though such a bill is unlikely to make it through a narrowly divided Congress.
Trump has said he supports exceptions that allow abortions for rape, incest and cases where the life of the mother is in jeopardy. He has also attacked Democrats for supporting late-term abortions and declining to outline any restrictions they support.
Polling has shown Trump struggling with women voters, and he has had difficulty finding a message that resonates with that voting bloc. At a recent rally, Trump said he would be a “protector” for the women of the country and that they would no longer have to worry about the issue of abortion.
Updated at 11:52 p.m.
