In an interview published on Monday, former President Trump said that a six-week limit on abortion is excessively strict. If you’re thinking this is a curious position for a Republican presidential candidate to take, I suppose I should offer some context. Trump was specifically referring to Florida’s heartbeat bill, which was recently signed into law by… Gov. Ron DeSantis.
When questioned about Florida’s new abortion regulations in an interview with The Messenger, Trump responded by saying that DeSantis had to make decisions based on his own judgment. Trump also suggested that there were doubts about whether DeSantis fully understood the implications of signing the six-week restriction, as some individuals within the pro-life movement believed it was too severe.
“He has to do what he has to do,” Trump said. “If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh.”
Who was he referring to? Who knows?
DeSantis signed the six-week abortion ban last month, after having previously signed a 15-week ban a year prior. The new law includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Trump, however, was unwilling to explain exactly what restrictions he’d support, instead saying he was considering all available options, and touted his role in getting Roe v. Wade overturned.
“For 50 years, they’ve been trying to get rid of Roe v Wade. I was able to do it. Nobody else could have done that but me. And I was able to do it [by nominating] three excellent judges on the [sic] Justices of the Supreme Court. And I was able to do that,” Trump explained. “I’m looking at all alternatives. I’m looking at many alternatives … But I was able to get us to the table by terminating Roe v. Wade. That’s the most important thing that’s ever happened for the pro-life movement.”
While he may be right, Trump’s point that a six-week heartbeat bill is “too harsh” won’t win him any favors from the pro-life movement, and it could backfire on him in the 2024 Republican primary.
“This will only cause more true conservatives to move to support DeSantis,” lawyer Jenna Ellis, who previously represented Trump’s 2020 campaign, observed on Twitter. “Trump should reverse this immediately, but we all know he will only double down, which will be a disaster.”
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