During Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former president Donald Trump avoided directly answering whether he would veto a national abortion ban if it comes to his desk should he be reelected in November.
Accused by Harris of wanting to sign a national abortion ban, Trump denounced the claim as a “lie.”
“I’m not signing a ban, and there’s no reason to sign a ban because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted,” Trump said, touting his own role in appointing three conservative justices on the Supreme Court that ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. “I did something that nobody thought was possible. The states are now voting.”
ABC moderator Linsey Davis then asked Trump whether he would veto a potential national abortion ban, a question which he dodged. “Well, I won’t have to,” Trump replied. He went on to say that an abortion ban would not get enough votes to pass Congress, given the House and Senate are roughly split between Republicans and Democrats.
Again, he was pressed on giving a “yes” or “no” response. Responding to Davis’s statement about J.D. Vance saying the national abortion ban would be vetoed under a second Trump administration, the Republican nominee said, “Well, I didn’t discuss it with J.D. in all fairness. I don’t mind if he has a certain view, but I think he was speaking for me.”
Despite his involvement in sending the abortion issue back to the states, the pro-life movement has been disappointed with Trump’s position on abortion policy throughout his 2024 campaign. Last month, the former president said he opposes the six-week abortion ban that went into effect in Florida when asked whether he would vote for a ballot measure codifying abortion rights in the state’s constitution this fall.
“I think the six-week is too short,” he said. “There has to be more time, and I’ve told them that I want more weeks.” The answer led people to assume he would vote for the ballot measure, angering pro-lifers.
Trump later clarified that he would vote “no” on Florida’s abortion-rights referendum.
Meanwhile, if elected, Harris intends to sign a bill protecting abortion nationwide, according to her campaign website’s new “issues” section. The Democratic nominee blamed Trump for the state-level abortion bans that are now playing out.