Trump under fire from anti-abortion activists as team plays down comments (2024)

Former President Donald Trump has come under fire from anti-abortion activists after he made comments suggesting he was in favor of a ballot measure seeking to expand abortion access in his home state of Florida.

Trump, the Republican nominee, has faced criticism from Democrats over the issue of abortion for months, a platform that is expected to rally Democratic voters and women in November's election.

Trump has taken credit for the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion in the country, but has since sought to cast himself as more moderate on an issue that is widely viewed as an election liability for Republicans.

In an interview with NBC on Thursday, Trump was asked about how he would be voting in a ballot measure known as Amendment 4 that would repeal Florida's six-week abortion ban and enshrine abortion access in Florida's constitution until fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Trump repeated his past criticism that the six-week ban, which Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law last year, is too restrictive.

"I think the six weeks is too short. It has to be more time," he said. Asked how he would vote on the ballot measure in November, he said: "I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks."

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt issued a statement on Thursday walking back Trump's remarks.

Trump "has not yet said how he will vote on the ballot initiative in Florida, he simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short," she said.

Leavitt added to Newsweek: "President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion and has been very clear that he will NOT sign a federal ban when he is back in the White House.

"President Trump also supports universal access to contraception and IVF. Contrarily, Kamala Harris and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and forcing taxpayers to fund it."

Trump's remarks about the Florida ballot measure quickly sparked a reaction from those who oppose abortion rights.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America non-profit, issued a statement saying that voting for the Florida amendment "completely undermines" Trump's stated opposition to abortions after five months of pregnancy.

A short time later, Dannenfelser issued a second statement saying she had spoken with Trump and he had assured her he was uncommitted on how he actually planned to vote on the amendment.

"He has not committed to how he will vote on Amendment 4," she said. "President Trump has consistently opposed abortions after five months of pregnancy. Amendment 4 would allow abortion past this point. Voting for Amendment 4 completely undermines his position. For anyone who believes in drawing a different line, they must vote still against Amendment 4, unless they don't want a line at all."

On social media, anti-abortion advocates slammed Trump over the comments.

Trump "clearly doesn't want to be pro-life anymore. Got it," Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life in America, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Pro-lifers are being screwed. We need to demand Trump re-consider. But don't let this screw the babies we are fighting for."

In another post, Hawkins said her phone "is blowing up with @SFLAction volunteers who no longer will door knock for President Trump if this is not corrected."

Lila Rose, the founder of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, wrote on X that it "is wrong for Trump supporters to demand that pro-life activists be endlessly loyal to Trump in response to repeated betrayal."

She said Trump is "losing pro-life votes regardless of what I say - because of his own actions," adding that she and other anti-abortion opponents "will continue to speak the truth and demand better from the Trump campaign."

Erick Erickson, a conservative talk radio host, wrote on X that if Trump loses to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, "today is the day he lost."

He wrote: "The committed pro-life community could turn a blind eye, in part, to national abortion issues. But for Trump to weigh in on Florida as he did will be a bridge too far for too many."

Meanwhile, abortion rights advocates welcomed Trump's remarks.

"Trump said that Gov. DeSantis' near-total abortion ban in Florida is too strict. We agree," the ACLU of Florida wrote on X. "Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in Florida on Nov. 5. Vote yes on Amendment 4."

Update 8/30/24, 9:24 am. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Leavitt.