CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� Former President Donald Trump repeatedly during this week's debate if he would veto a national abortion ban if he were elected again 鈥� a question that has lingered as the Republican nominee has shifted his stances on the crucial election issue.
In Tuesday's with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said he would not sign a federal abortion ban, insisting that a ban would not pass Congress anyway. But he refused twice to say if he would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk. Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, with NBC News last month that the former president would veto a ban.
In response to moderators prompting him about Vance's statement, Trump said: 鈥淚 didn't discuss it with JD, in all fairness. And I don't mind if he has a certain view, but I don't think he was speaking for me.鈥�
The exchange comes as voters and advocates across the spectrum wait for Trump to clarify his fluctuating stances on abortion, and Democrats warn that reproductive rights nationwide may be threatened by a second Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Harris emphasized support for reinstating a federal right to abortion Tuesday night.
鈥淗e was given an opportunity to give clarity to the American people. He could not do it," said Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All. "He will not answer that question directly.鈥�
During the debate, Trump repeatedly took credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices who helped and leaned heavily on his catchall response to questions on abortion rights: saying the issue should be left up to the states.
鈥淚'm not signing a ban,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥渢here is no reason to sign the ban鈥� because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which once granted a federal right to abortion.
He repeated that he is 鈥渘ot in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn鈥檛 matter, because this issue has now been taken over by the states.鈥�
鈥淭his entire campaign cycle we鈥檝e been telling voters they can鈥檛 trust Donald Trump when it comes to their reproductive freedom,鈥� said Jenny Lawson, executive director at Planned Parenthood Votes. "And he just proved that right last night.鈥�
Following the debate, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said she wasn鈥檛 surprised Trump didn鈥檛 say he would support a national abortion ban because he has said in the past that there should not be one.
She said her group hasn鈥檛 been focusing on a national ban 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 not going to happen. The votes aren鈥檛 there in Congress. You know, President Trump said he wouldn鈥檛 sign it. We know Kamala Harris won鈥檛.鈥�
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said the anti-abortion movement largely disagrees with Trump that abortion should be left up to the states, and in an April to Trump, Students for Life of America urged him to commit to signing legislation restricting abortion. But Hawkins said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a conversation that will be had in detail after the election.鈥�
Trump's states-based narrative is among his attempts to appear more moderate on abortion rights, which remain broadly popular and have emerged as among the GOP's greatest vulnerabilities heading into November.
Timmaraju said she believes Trump is only voicing opposition to a national ban now due to political pressure and a desire to win votes in November.
鈥淭rusting him to be moderate in his position while in office is out of touch with reality,鈥� she said.
Around Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don鈥檛 want to be pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll from . Voters , including conservative ones such as Kentucky, Montana and Ohio, have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict them in statewide votes over the past two years.
Trump鈥檚 shifting abortion policy stances began when the former reality TV star and developer, who had once called himself 鈥渧ery pro-choice鈥� started flirting with running for office.
Before becoming president, Trump has said he 鈥渨ould indeed support a ban鈥� in his book 鈥淭he America We Deserve,鈥� which was published in 2000. In 2016, he said he was 鈥減ro-life with exceptions鈥� but said 鈥渢here has to be some form of punishment鈥� for women seeking abortions 鈥� a position he quickly reversed. At the 2018 annual March for Life, Trump voiced support for a federal ban on abortion on or after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
More recently, Trump suggested that he might support a national ban on abortions around 15 weeks before announcing that he instead would leave it to the states.
In an April interview with Time magazine, Trump also said it should be left to the states whether to for abortions or whether to monitor women鈥檚 pregnancies and on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which was embroiled in an intense legal battle. When asked about mifepristone, he claimed only that he has 鈥減retty strong views鈥� on the matter and vowed to make a statement that has never come.
In May, he said he was open to regulations on contraception before from the statement, claiming his comments were misinterpreted.
Trump also has appeared to reverse course on Florida's six-week abortion ban, which he has previously called a 鈥渕istake鈥� and too extreme. Last month, he ultimately said he would a state ballot measure attempting to repeal the law and enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, a day after he he would vote in favor of the measure. He told reporters the initiative is from 鈥渞adical鈥� Democrats and falsely claimed it would allow abortions up until birth.
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Laura Ungar in Louisville, Ky. contributed to this report.
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Christine Fernando, The Associated Press
