Trump Says He Would Veto National Abortion Ban If Reelected

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 29, 2024. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump said on Oct. 1 that he would veto a national abortion ban if it came to his desk during a potential second term, should he be reelected in the November election.

Trump made the remarks following the vice presidential debate between his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, during which the abortion ban issue was discussed.

The Republican presidential nominee emphasized that he would not support a federal abortion ban “under any circumstances” and would veto such legislation because he believes that states should be able to decide on abortion restrictions “based on the will of their voters.”

“Like Ronald Reagan before me, I fully support the three exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother,” the former president stated in an all-caps message on the social media platform X. “I do not support the Democrats radical position of late term abortion like, as an example, in the 7th, 8th, or 9th month or, in case there is any question, the possibility of execution of the baby after birth.

During the vice presidential debate on Oct. 1, Vance described himself as a Republican who “wants to protect innocent life in this country” and said he wants the party to be “pro-family in the fullest sense of the word.”

Vance said he believes that the Republican Party will need to do a better job of earning the people’s trust on certain issues.

“That’s one of the things that Donald Trump and I are endeavoring to do,” the Republican vice presidential candidate said. “I want us to support fertility treatments. I want us to make it easier for moms to afford to have babies. I want it to make it easier for young families to afford a home so they can afford a place to raise that family.”

Walz criticized Trump for his role in appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who were part of a majority ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 precedent that deemed access to abortion a constitutional right.

“Donald Trump put this all into motion,” the Democrat said. “He brags about how great it was that he put the judges in and overturned Roe versus Wade, 52 years of personal autonomy. And then he tells us, oh, we send it to the states.”

Trump said during a Sept. 10 presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that he would not sign a national abortion ban because he sees no reason to do so.

“I did something that nobody thought was possible. Now, the states are voting,” the former president said.

“And as far as the abortion ban, no, I’m not in favor of abortion ban. But it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”

Harris has consistently said that abortion constitutes a fundamental right for women and expressed support for legislation to restore a federal right to abortion as per Roe v. Wade. She has not articulated a position on late-term abortion.

In its 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, returning the ability to regulate abortions early in pregnancy to the states.

The ruling also reversed a 1992 Supreme Court decision that had prevented states from imposing significant restrictions on abortion before a fetus could survive outside the womb.

Since the Dobbs decision, many Democrat-led states have passed laws enshrining access to abortions, while many Republican-led ones have approved legislation banning or limiting the procedure.

Zachary Stieber and Samantha Flom contributed to this report.