Trump Firmly Rejects Nationwide Abortion Ban: Here's Why

 Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not sign a nationwide ban on abortion if he wins a second term as president, just two days after he vowed to leave abortion rights up to individual states after months of staying mum on the issue—but didn’t explicitly say whether he’d back some limits on the procedure at the federal level.

 Trump made the declaration speaking to reporters on a tarmac in Georgia, shaking his head and saying “no” when asked if he would sign a bill as president imposing a national ban.

The former president’s comments come two days after he outlined one of his firmest stances on abortion in a video on his social media platform Truth Social, saying he believes states—and not the federal government—should decide whether or not to restrict abortion, adding those state decisions “must be the law of the land.”

Trump, who has claimed victory for appointing justices that helped form the majority in the Supreme Court’s momentous 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, had previously suggested he would support a nationwide ban at 15 weeks into a pregnancy.


The former president also criticized the Arizona’s Supreme Court’s recent decision to reinstate an 1864 law outlawing nearly all abortions, saying it goes too far, and speculating: “I think it’ll be straightened out.” Arizona’s high court ruled this week to allow an 1864 law banning abortions to go into effect, making it a felony to perform the procedure, though the ruling has faced sharp criticism from lawmakers on the left and some on the right. The law also faces an uncertain future in Arizona, after Democratic state Attorney General Kris Mayes said she would not prosecute abortion providers under the 160-year-old law.