Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the abortion debate, which has been a politically fraught subject for Republicans.
Reports claim Trump has discussed having a ban on abortions after 16 weeks of pregnancy with three exceptions: rape, incest and the life of the mother.
“Pretty soon, I’m going to be making a decision. And I would like to see if we could do that at all. I would like to see if we could make both sides happy,” Trump said on “MediaBuzz” Sunday.
Trump was vocally pro-life throughout his presidency, but he drew backlash after telling NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” in September that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ six-week ban on abortion was “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”
While he has not officially announced his recommendation for abortion, his stance on the issue illustrates the changing attitudes and strategies among Republicans.
“If the Republicans spoke about it correctly, it never hurt me from the standpoint of elections. It hurt a lot of Republicans,” Trump told host Howard Kurtz. “But I tell people, No. 1, you have to go with your heart. You have to go with your heart. But beyond that, you also have to get elected, and if you don’t have the three exceptions, I think it’s very, very hard to get elected.”
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion access has again become a foremost issue for the Democratic Party, with President Biden and Vice President Harris focusing a large portion of their 2024 platform on abortion.
Harris became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion facility after touring a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic on Thursday.
She said her trip to the clinic was meant in part to draw attention to women who travel from other states to Minnesota to obtain an abortion.
President Biden also made abortion and reproductive rights a cornerstone of his 2024 State of the Union address.
While Democrats are leaning in, President Trump criticized their “radical” stance and urged Republicans to be more comfortable engaging the issue in the run-up to November.
“The Democrats are the radicals on this issue because it’s okay to have an abortion in seven, eight, nine months, and even after birth,” Trump said.
