Former President Donald Trump said Florida's six-week abortion ban is “too short” and suggested he may vote in favor of a referendum to overturn the state's ban.
“I think six weeks is too short. I need more time,” Trump told NBC News when asked how he would vote on Florida's Amendment 4, which will appear on the November election ballot. “I told them I want a few more weeks.”
Reporter President Trump was then asked whether he would vote for the amendment.
“I'm going to vote that we need more than six weeks. I want you to understand, I know people have wanted to repeal Roe v. Wade for many years, 52 years. I got that done. They wanted it returned to the states. The exception was very important to me, very important to Ronald Reagan and very important to others who have walked this very interesting and difficult path,” Trump replied.
JD Vance vows not to impose federal abortion ban on Trump, will veto it if it reaches his desk
BOZEMAN, MONTANA – AUGUST 9: Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Montana State University's Brick Breedon Fieldhouse on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
Trump's campaign told Fox News Digital on Thursday night that the 45th president has not yet said how he will vote on the amendment.
“President Trump has not yet said how he will vote in Florida's referendum, only reiterating that he believes six weeks is too short,” said Caroline Leavitt, national spokeswoman for the Trump campaign.
Harris repeats false claim that Trump wants to 'ban' abortion at first rally since Biden dropped out
A pregnant woman poses for a portrait in Dallas, Thursday, May 18, 2023. Births in the U.S. fell last year, a sharp decline that marks an apparent end to pandemic-related fluctuations and a return to a long-standing national downward trend, according to preliminary 2023 statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Just under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the Heartbeat Protection Act last year, banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This year, Floridians will vote on Amendment 4, the Abortion Rights Initiative, to overturn the ban.
“No law may prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict an abortion before viability or when a patient's health care provider determines it is necessary to protect the patient's health. This amendment does not change Congress' constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion,” the amendment reads.
Trump also spoke about the interview and his comments about the Fourth Amendment at an event in Potterville, Michigan on Thursday.
“She asked me about abortion, and I responded very well, because, you know? It's been so overblown. We have abortion. We've brought it back to the states where it belongs. It's where everybody wanted it to be for years and years and years and they're voting on it,” he said in an interview with NBC News.
“And I believe in the exceptions that Ronald Reagan made on the life of the mother, rape and incest. The exceptions are probably 90 percent of the population. [support exceptions]”But you know, I just told this reporter the real issue, and it's the Democrats who are really radical on this issue: abortion is allowed in the ninth month of pregnancy. And six states allow you to kill a baby after birth,” he added.
3 Inaccurate or False Attacks on Trump by Harris DNC
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
Republicans and religious leaders in the state have vehemently opposed Florida's pro-abortion amendment, and DeSantis said its passage would mark “the end of the anti-abortion movement.”
“If we care about building a culture of life in this state and in this country, I think their victory in Florida marks the end of the pro-life movement,” DeSantis said earlier this month. Jesuit High School, Tampa The Tampa Bay Times reported.
“If you look at Florida, you see that pro-lifers are not in the majority,” DeSantis warned. “They're a large percentage, but they're not a majority. If only pro-lifers were opposed, there's a good chance the bill would pass.”
The state's Catholic leaders also denounced the amendment as “very significant” and called on all “Floridians of good will” to vote against it.
“We call on all Floridians of good will to oppose the legalization of late-term abortion and oppose the abortion amendment, thereby protecting the lives of the most vulnerable, innocent and defenseless among us as well as countless women across our state from the harms of abortion,” the Florida Catholic bishops said. Statement on Amendment 4.
Trump says Project 2025 goes 'too far' in restricting abortion
Trump had previously expressed displeasure with Governor DeSantis' decision to sign a law last year banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, calling it a “terrible mistake” and a “horrible thing.”
HOWELL, MI – AUGUST 20: Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions after remarks at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, Michigan, on August 20, 2024. Trump is in Michigan this week to discuss “crime and safety” during his campaign. (Nick Antaya/Getty Images)
The 45th president's comments come as Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 presidential campaign have argued that Trump would put a federal abortion ban in place if he is re-elected, a claim Harris mentioned during her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week.
The Trump-endorsed Republican platform's soft language on abortion has irked some social conservatives.
“Children who have been sexually assaulted can have pregnancies carried to full term. This is what's happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he's not done yet. As part of his platform, he and his allies will restrict access to birth control, ban medication abortions, and institute a nationwide abortion ban, with or without abortions. Speaking to Congress, Harris said:.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
President Trump has denied wanting to impose a federal abortion ban, arguing that abortion laws should be left to states.
Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Trump's running mate in 2024, also addressed Democrats' claims in an interview Sunday that Trump would impose a federal ban if he is re-elected.
“Democrats have been saying this week and beyond this week that if Donald Trump is elected, he will ban abortion by federal law. Now Donald Trump is saying he won't. But can any senator sitting here with me today promise me that if you and Donald Trump are elected, they won't ban abortion by federal law?” “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker asked Vance in an interview airing Sunday.
Former President Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), appeared on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Kristen, I can attest to that. Donald Trump has been as clear as possible on that. I think it's important to take a step back and say, 'What did Donald Trump actually say on the abortion issue, and how does that differ from what Kamala Harris and the Democrats have said?' Donald Trump wants to end the culture war around this particular issue.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
“If California wants a different abortion policy than Ohio, Ohio has to respect California and California has to respect Ohio. Donald Trump's idea is that we want to leave these decisions to the states and their individual cultures and their own political sensibilities, because we don't want the federal government to be in constant conflict on this issue. The federal government should be focused on lowering food prices and housing prices – issues where, of course, Kamala Harris has been a total failure,” Vance continued.
Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
