Republican former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday tried to downplay the significance of reproductive freedom in this year's contest and refused to say how he plans to vote on a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that would outlaw pre-viability abortion bans.
The Republican presidential nominee gave a wide-ranging press conference from Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Palm Beach—an event featuring an "enormous number of lies and misrepresentations," as one critic put it, and which the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, described as a "public meltdown."
During the press conference, Trump said, "I think the abortion issue has been very much tempered down," adding that "it seems to be much less of an issue, especially for those where they have the exceptions."
As Common Dreams has reported, patients have been denied abortion care even when they should be covered by exceptions—generally for cases of rape, incest, or to protect the health or life of the pregnant person.
In response to Trump attempting to downplay the impact of abortion on the election, Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali said, "Ooof, this is a gift for Democrats."
Harris' campaign quickly shared on social media several videos of Trump's remarks from the press conference, including what he said about abortion.
Florida has banned abortions after six weeks—before many people even know they are pregnant—with limited exceptions. Trump was asked how he plans to vote on the ballot measure, which says that "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."
The ex-president refused to answer, instead saying: "Well, I'm gonna announce that. I'm gonna actually have a press conference on that at some point in the near future, so I don't want to tell you now. But Florida does have a vote coming up on that and I think probably the vote will go in a little more liberal way than people thought. But I'll be announcing that at the appropriate time."
Noting the comments, the ACLU of Florida—which supports the ballot measure—said on social media: "Reminder: In 2016, Trump promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, and he followed through with that promise. Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in Florida this November. Vote yes on 4."
Whether Trump will be allowed to vote in Florida this November—after a New York jury in May found him guilty of 34 felony charges for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to cover up sex scandals during the 2016 election—will depend on whether and how he is sentenced, according to legal experts.
Trump attacked reproductive rights as president and has bragged about appointing half of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who reversedRoe with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that triggered a wave of GOP state bans. However, he has also recently tried to distance himself from some harmful restrictions, recognizing them as politically risky.
Reproductive rights advocates have warned against falling for Trump's feigned inconsistency on the issue, taking aim at language in the Republican Party's 2024 platform and arguing that his selection of U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate shows that "a Trump administration will stop at nothing to ban all abortion" at the federal level.
U.S. House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on social media Thursday: "Let's be clear. Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans will impose a nationwide abortion ban. Don't believe a word they say otherwise."
The Harris campaign highlighted Trump's response when asked whether he would direct the Food and Drug Administration to revoke access to mifepristone, which is often taken in tandem with misoprostol for medication abortions.
Seemingly suggesting that he is open to such action, Trump told reporters at the press conference, "You could do things that will—would supplement, absolutely, and those things are pretty open and humane."
In a statement about Trump's comments, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, the campaign manager for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said that "today Donald Trump made clear what his Project 2025 allies have been saying for months: If he is elected, he will use his power and every tool of the federal government to rip away access to medication abortion, effectively banning abortion nationwide in all 50 states."
"Already, women across the country are suffering because of the nightmare Donald Trump unleashed by overturning Roe v. Wade. That reality—women forced to the brink of death before receiving the care they need, doctors facing the threat of jail time for doing their jobs, and survivors of rape and incest made to flee their states for basic healthcare—will only get worse if Donald Trump wins and wipes out access to medication abortion," she warned. "The stakes this November couldn't be higher, and only one ticket is fighting to protect our freedoms: Vice President Harris and Gov. Tim Walz."
