Trump's abortion announcement is a sign Republicans are on the defensive: Rich Lowry
Former President Trump said abortion should be left to the states.
A top Republican senator and Trump-endorser is among those criticizing the former president over his Monday announcement on abortion, in which he claimed restrictions on the procedure should be decided by individual states.
"I respectfully disagree with President Trump’s statement that abortion is a states’ rights issue," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement on Monday morning.
Trump made his much-anticipated announcement in a video the same day, stating his belief that the states should legislate their own limitations on abortion rather than the federal government.
TRUMP SAYS ABORTION SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE STATES
Sen. Lindsey Graham, left, came out in disagreement after former President Trump announced abortion should be left to the states. (Getty Images)
"The states will determine by vote, or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land – in this case, the law of the state," he said in a video on Truth Social. "Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks…at the end of the day it is all about the will of the people."
This was shot down by Graham, who claimed, "The states’ rights only rationale today runs contrary to an American consensus that would limit late-term abortions and will age about as well as the Dred Scott decision."
"The science is clear – a child at fifteen weeks is well-developed and is capable of feeling pain."
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Trump responded to Graham's statement on Truth Social, claiming the senator "is doing a great disservice to the Republican Party, and to our Country."
The former president said Graham may not understand that "the Radical Left Democrats, who are destroying our Country, will never approve anything that he or the Republicans want."
"Many Good Republicans lost Elections because of this Issue, and people like Lindsey Graham, that are unrelenting, are handing Democrats their dream of the House, Senate, and perhaps even the Presidency…," Trump continued.
Former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives for a GOP fundraiser, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Other GOP lawmakers responded differently than Graham. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Regarding a national ban on abortion, I agree with President Trump."
"As a pro-life conservative, I do not support abortion but I believe the Supreme Court made it clear that the Constitution protects the right of states to determine their own policies," he said.
Similarly, former House Freedom Caucus Chair and Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital, "The U.S. Supreme Court ensured that states can now make decisions regarding abortion and I support the court's decision. The radical Left demands absolutely no limit on how or when pre-born babies can be aborted and who pays for it."
A spokesperson for Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said, "We support President Trump's statement today. We believe wholeheartedly in protecting IVF, protecting exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, and today abortion is left to the states. That is the law of the land."
Republican responses to Trump's announcement were limited, continuing a pattern of apprehension when it comes to commenting on abortion, an issue that's been a political lightening rod since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Dobbs overturned the previous ruling in Roe v. Wade. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
In an effort to harness frustration over the matter, President Biden's campaign and Democrats across the country have argued that Republicans would usher in a national ban on abortion if they re-gain power.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement, "Let’s wait a few weeks and see what his new position will be," referencing Trump's previous back-and-forth over the issue and his stance on federal policy to address it.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who faces a competitive election this year in the pivotal swing state of Wisconsin, slammed Trump following his video. "Millions of women across Wisconsin have lost the freedom to control their own bodies because of Donald Trump and Eric Hovde," she said in a statement released by her campaign.
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"Today, we heard it loud and clear: if Donald Trump is President and Eric Hovde is elected to the U.S. Senate, they will ensure abortion is illegal for women across our state. While they run to restrict our rights, I will never stop fighting to restore and protect our freedoms," she said.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin slammed former President Trump's announcement. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
While Trump said he did not support a federal restriction on abortion, Baldwin's campaign pointed out that the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which Trump took credit for, allowed a restriction on the procedure in Wisconsin from 1849 to go into effect.
"Montanans of all stripes don’t want the federal government telling them what to do, and they don’t want politicians or judges stripping away their personal freedoms," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in a statement to Fox News Digital. Tester similarly faces a competitive re-election race come November.
"While politicians in Montana are actively working to ban abortion in our state, I will always fight to protect Montana women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions," he said.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., the No. 3 House Democrat, told Fox News Digital, "Here’s the truth: Donald Trump masterminded the end of Roe v. Wade. He’s the reason millions of women are suffering under cruel abortion bans, and he’s the reason American women now have less freedom than their grandmothers."
Sen. John Tester hit former President Trump's announcement on Monday. (Drew Angerer)
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., suggested in a post on X that Trump's words were not trustworthy, reacting to the video.
"An old saying goes: ‘watch what they do, not what they say,'" he wrote.
"He'd sign a national abortion ban into law—no matter how much he tries to deny it," Kaine added.
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"Donald Trump has signaled that by leaving abortion up to the states, he endorses draconian laws like Florida's recent 6 week abortion ban, or Alabama's Supreme Court's decision that would outlaw IVF," Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., author of Women's Health Protection Act, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
In a recent March Fox News Poll, 65% of all voters said they supported legalizing abortion nationwide, including 42% of Republicans and 65% of independents.
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