Former President Trump on Saturday touted his “incredible” achievement in ending Roe v. Wade two years before its ruling, and reiterated his position that states should decide individually whether to allow abortion.
President Trump spoke at the Faith and Freedom Union Conference, a gathering of religious conservatives, in Washington, D.C., two days before the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe.
“I want to thank the six Supreme Court Justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett – for the wisdom and courage they have shown in this long-running and highly contentious issue. This has been a long fight,” Trump said, to applause from the crowd.
“We’ve done a great thing,” Trump added. “The big problem is it got wrapped up in the federal government, but the people decide. That’s the way it should be. Right now the people decide. Some states are a little bit conservative, some states are pretty liberal.”
In the two years since a conservative Supreme Court majority ended Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights have been front and center on the political agenda, with some states enacting abortion rights and others enacting restrictive laws that effectively ban abortion.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly credited his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices with ending Roe v. Wade, but he has not taken a position on federal restrictions on abortion, saying states should decide how to handle it through laws or voters’ votes.
Trump also argued that Republicans must consider the political impact of their messaging on abortion, stressing that the party must win elections first and foremost.
Democrats have repeatedly linked President Trump to restrictive abortion policies enacted in conservative states such as Texas and Florida, highlighting stories of women who were denied access to proper health care as a result.
The Biden campaign is seeking to draw a sharp contrast between President Trump’s record on abortion and the Biden administration, which has taken steps to protect access to abortion procedures and abortion pills since the end of Roe.
Vice President Harris is scheduled to speak in Maryland and Arizona on Monday to mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
