Topline
Former President Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban if one reached his desk as president, his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance said on NBC Sunday—as Democrats argue Trump could heavily restrict the procedure if he returns to office.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance said he and former President Donald Trump are opposed to banning abortion … [+]
Key Facts
Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet The Press” asked Vance whether he would commit that if he and Trump are elected, they would not impose a federal ban on abortion, to which Vance said he “can absolutely commit that.”
Vance said Trump “wants to end this culture war over this particular topic” and said the federal government should be focused on things like “big economic and immigration questions” rather than abortion policies, which he said should be left to the states—echoing a view Trump has increasingly expressed.
When pressed by Welker on whether Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if lawmakers send it to his desk, Vance said “I think he would. He’s said that explicitly that he would.”
Trump has signaled support in the past for nationwide abortion rules that would stop short of an all-out ban in the past, suggesting he’s open to a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy as recently as March.
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Crucial Quote
“Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states, and their individual cultures, and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue,” Vance told Welker on Sunday.
Contra
Vice President Kamala Harris and her allies used part of the Democratic National Convention to slam the GOP’s stance on abortion and argue Trump could back a national ban, with Harris calling Republicans “out of their minds.” Trump, meanwhile, said in a Truth Social post he would be “great for women and their reproductive rights.”
Key Background
Abortion has become a key issue in the 2024 presidential race, with Democrats arguing Republicans could ban or heavily restrict the procedure if they win power, while Trump has most recently insisted the issue should be decided by the states—though his stance has changed over the years. In 1999 on “Meet the Press,” he said he hated “the concept of abortion” but was “very pro-choice.” But more than a decade later in 2011—when he was considering running for president—Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference he identified as “pro-life.” In 2016, he drew ire for saying if abortion is made illegal, “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who get the procedure—comments he later walked back. From there, Trump went back and forth on whether Planned Parenthood should be funded, saying in 2015 he was split on it and saying in a 2016 debate he would cut federal funding. Before he was elected in 2016, Trump said he would like the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and in 2022 the decades-old standard was overturned, allowing states to ban abortion. While he was in office, Trump supported a 20-week abortion ban that was passed in the House but did not make it through the Senate.
Tangent
For his part, Vance has described himself as pro-life but says he aligns with Trump in thinking states should make their own policies. However, in the past Vance has said he “certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally.” He has also hinted he was not opposed to nationwide restrictions like the 15-week ban Trump indicated support for, saying in 2022 “you can have some minimum national standards, which is my view, while also allowing the states to make up their minds,” NBC News reported.
Big Number
63%. That’s the percentage of Americans who think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research Center. Democrats and independents who lean left are more likely to think abortion should be legal, with 85% saying so, compared to the 41% of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party who say abortion should be legal.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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