Former President Donald Trump on Saturday bragged about his “amazing” achievement in ending Roe v. Wade, then told a mostly evangelical audience that he supports abortion in some circumstances.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee made the remarks at the Faith and Freedom Union conference in Washington, DC, just 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, which has been a long fight,” Trump said.
“We’ve done great things.”
While President Trump praised the ruling, he made clear he believes abortion rights should still be left to the states.
“The big problem is that we’ve been dragged into this by the federal government, but the people decide. That’s how it should be. Right now, the people decide. Some states are a little bit conservative, some states are pretty liberal,” he continued. “Every voter has to follow their heart.”
Applause for the Republican front-runner was thunderous throughout his speech but rang out when he told the audience that abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life.
The 2024 presidential candidate has repeatedly claimed credit for overturning Roe v. Weill during his campaign, but he deferred questions about his position on a nationwide ban until just a few weeks ago.
In April, he posted a video to his Truth Social page arguing that the stage at which abortion is permitted should vary from state to state.
He also warned that abortion could be a politically tricky issue for Republicans and stressed that Republicans must win elections before they can move forward on this important issue.
His comments Saturday in opposition to such a ban were a marked departure from those made by attendees at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference.
Many members of the evangelical movement, a key part of his base, expect him to throw more support behind abortion.
With post wire
