Former President Trump insisted Thursday that abortion is no longer a “big factor” in the election, saying it will be a “very small issue” in this year’s election.
Trump also promised to announce at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort how he plans to vote on a Florida constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights and overturn a six-week ban on abortions.
He reiterated his support for exceptions to the abortion ban in cases of rape, incest or in cases that endanger the mother’s life, adding that abortion “seems to be a lot less problematic, particularly in those cases.” [states] Where there are exceptions.”
He again took credit for returning the issue to the states, noting that subsequent state-level votes on abortion access have been “a lot more liberal than you would expect.” He cited votes in Ohio and Kansas, where voters approved abortion access by either enshrining the right to abortion in their state constitutions or rejecting constitutional amendments that would have denied that right.
Florida, President Trump’s current home state, is set to hold a referendum on abortion rights in November.
When asked how he planned to vote on the bill, Trump replied, “I’m going to make an announcement. I’ve got a press conference coming up soon, so I don’t want to say right now.”
The former president added that not having exceptions to the abortion ban would make it a “much more difficult problem,” but argued that a majority of Republicans support exceptions and more lawmakers are likely to change their minds on that point.
“I think abortion is becoming a much smaller issue than it was before. In fact, I think it’s going to be a very small issue,” Trump said.
He added: “I think the abortion issue has softened a lot. I don’t think it’s a big factor anymore.”
President Trump was also asked whether he would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase access to mifepristone, a drug commonly used in combination with misoprostol to perform abortions.
“You can do complementary things, of course, and that’s pretty open and humane, but you have to have the right to vote, and what I want to do is give everybody the right to vote,” he said. “And there are a lot of other things you can do that are humane.”
Trump has previously suggested he would not block access to abortion pills, and in April He told Time magazine He will clarify his position on this issue.
Democrats have successfully campaigned on abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, and it remains a major focus of Vice President Harris’ campaign, as she frequently refers to “Trump’s abortion bans” in states that have made abortion illegal.
a Gallup Poll A poll released in June found that a record 32% of voters said they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views on abortion, including 23% who were pro-life.
After Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, abortion rights activists said she would be able to campaign more fluently and effectively on the issue than President Biden, because she has supported abortion rights throughout her career and has traveled the country in recent months to discuss reproductive rights.
Republicans have largely avoided talking about abortion — Mr. Trump didn’t mention it at all in his record-length acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention — and neither did his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who has previously opposed exceptions but now says he agrees with Mr. Trump.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), blasted Trump and Vance’s campaign on reproductive freedom at a campaign rally in Detroit this week.
“I can’t wait to debate this guy. I can’t wait to tell him what they think. I can’t wait to ask him why he wants to take away health care and reproductive rights,” Walz said of Vance.
Following the overturning of Roe, Waltz Legislate access to abortion in his state through legislation.
