Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) on Sunday appeared to avoid directly answering whether he would pressure former President Trump to reconsider federal abortion bans if elected vice president, given the differing positions of the two Republicans on the issue.
Asked on “Fox News Sunday” whether he would back down on his position on a federal abortion ban or take on President Trump, Scott attacked Senate Democrats.
“Well, Shannon, you’re 100% right that Democrats and Republicans are all pro-life, honestly. And Senate Democrats have already voted to allow abortion up to the day of birth. But that’s not the only issue,” Scott said.
Republican politicians have repeatedly argued that Democrats and Democratic-led measures support abortion up to birth, but many in the Democratic Party argue that’s not true.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93.1% of abortions in 2020 occurred within the 13th week of pregnancy, and less than 1% occurred after the 21st week.
“But there’s no question that the Supreme Court has already ruled that this is a state issue,” Scott continued. “Both President Trump and Speaker Johnson have said that this remains a state issue, consistent with what the Supreme Court has said, and we need to make sure the American people understand the extreme positions of insanity on the left and states’ rights on the right.”
In April, President Trump said he would not sign a nationwide abortion ban if he was re-elected and a bill passed by Congress, stressing that abortion policy should be decided by each state.
“Now each state has it and each state puts out what they want. It’s the will of the people,” Trump told reporters in April.
Last September, while campaigning for the now-defunct Republican presidential nomination, Scott denounced President Trump has indicated he would not support a bill to impose a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream spoke with Scott and asked him if he would “at least be willing to have a conversation with President Trump” about abortion remaining a state issue.
Mr Scott dodged the question, telling Mr Bream he could only speak to his “constituency focus”.
“I ran for president and they said, ‘not now,’ so the voters of our party want President Trump to lead the party, and they’ve supported his position on states’ position on letting communities decide the issue of abortion,” he said. “This is a settled issue for our party, and frankly, for Democrats who take the most extreme positions on abortion, this issue is off the table.”
Biden’s campaign was quick to deny Trump’s comments earlier this year that he would not sign anti-abortion legislation, pointing to his record on the issue and arguing that he would threaten access to abortion if re-elected.
President Trump’s White House House Bill The bill would have banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and Republicans urged the Senate to pass the bill and send it to the president’s desk, but it did not pass the Senate.
Federal abortion bans are likely to face many challenges in Congress, but abortion advocates warn that a second Trump term could threaten access to abortion pills regardless of congressional action.
Scott’s name has been floated as a possible running mate for Trump. He has made campaign appearances with the former president in recent months. Expected to appear He attended an event this month with several major political donors.
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