MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump would not say Thursday how he’ll vote on a proposed Florida state constitutional modification that may overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban, including that he predicted the vote on it could wind up in a extra “liberal manner” than could be anticipated.
Trump made the feedback throughout a press convention at his Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seaside. A POLITICO reporter requested how he — as a Florida resident — would vote and he demurred, including that he thinks abortion has “turn into a lot much less of a problem.”
When pressed later within the press convention concerning the proposed modification, which Floridians will vote on in November, he promised to carry a press convention on the matter “someday within the close to future.”
“So I don’t need to inform you now,” he continued. “However Florida does have a vote arising on that and I feel most likely the vote will go in a bit extra liberal manner than folks thought. However I’ll be saying that on the acceptable time.”
The abortion modification, generally known as Modification 4, would undo the present six-week restriction on abortion signed into legislation by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former rival to Trump within the Republican presidential major, in addition to different restrictions akin to ready intervals. It could enable entry to the process as much as viability, with exceptions later in a being pregnant for well being causes.
Trump is wading into a problem that turned a back-and-forth between himself and the Florida governor. DeSantis attacked Trump through the major as not being “pro-life” whereas Trump known as it a “horrible mistake” for DeSantis to have signed the six-week restriction into legislation.
DeSantis himself is not on the poll in November, however he is elevating cash to fund committees that urge voters to oppose the abortion modification and has addressed questions on it throughout press conferences. He has argued that modification language provides an excessive amount of leeway to well being care suppliers to find out when an abortion is important for well being causes and to determine what constitutes “viability.” Many docs usually perceive viability to imply 24 weeks right into a being pregnant, however that may differ with well being circumstances and different elements.
The Republican Social gathering of Florida additionally handed a decision to oppose the abortion modification.
Trump equally demurred on Thursday when requested about one other contentious modification within the state that may legalize leisure marijuana for adults a minimum of 21 years outdated, promising to make a press release “pretty quickly.” DeSantis opposes this modification as nicely.
Democrats working for workplace in Florida have been leaning on the abortion modification hoping that it’ll end in larger turnout for them and energize voters to their trigger, on condition that congressional Democrats credit score the problem with serving to them grasp onto extra seats than they anticipated in 2022. They’ve additionally warned that Trump will ban abortion nationwide.
Trump supported a 20-week restrict on abortion when he was president however has stated throughout his 2024 marketing campaign that he desires the states to determine the problem, after the Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade. He additionally reiterated on Thursday that he supported abortion exceptions for rape, incest and when a being pregnant has life-threatening issues.
Trump’s appointees to the excessive courtroom have been essential in overturning the protections on abortion rights.
At Trump’s behest the Republican Nationwide Committee modified its place on abortion to be extra consistent with his.
“Now the states are voting on it,” Trump stated. “The vote of the folks is taking good care of it.”
Natalie Allison contributed to this report from Palm Seaside, Florida.
