On Monday, former President Donald Trump released a four-minute video clarifying his abortion policy in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that returned control of abortion laws to the states.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint. The states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said.
“Many states will be different,” Trump added. “Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people — and that’s we want.
And, Trump made clear, his priority isn’t ideological purity, it’s victory in November.
“You must follow your heart on this issue, but remember: You must also win elections to restore our culture and save our country,” Trump said.
Based on the reaction of Democrats, both nationally and in New Hampshire, they’re afraid he may be on to something.
The Biden campaign and its media allies responded by insisting that Trump still supports a federal abortion law overriding state decisions.
“MEMO: Donald Trump Will Ban Abortion Nationwide,” is the headline on the document from Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
“Trump’s advisors have already drawn up plans to achieve a national ban without the help of Congress or the courts,” Rodriguez writes. “Let’s be clear: Trump and his allies won’t stop until abortion is banned nationwide.”
The Biden-Harris campaign followed up with a press release insisting that Trump didn’t really say abortion should be a state issue.
“Major news outlets are falsely claiming that Trump said abortion ‘should be left to the states’ in a video announcement Monday on his Truth Social platform,” Team Biden claims. “In fact, Trump said only that abortion ‘will’ be left to the states, a statement of law that does not address how he would respond if Congress passed a federal abortion ban.”
And New Hampshire U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan posted on social media that “we know [Trump] would sign a national abortion ban.”
Ironically, President Joe Biden and New Hampshire Democrats are openly calling for a federal law to override states like New Hampshire and force them to allow abortions in all three trimesters of a pregnancy.
Republicans, on the other hand, have no problem believing that Trump — who began his public life as a pro-choice Democrat — isn’t a principled pro-lifer.
“We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position. Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry,” said Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser in a statement.
“Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. If successful, they will wipe out states’ rights.”
And Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, called Trump’s stance “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.”
Here in New Hampshire, Shannon McGinley, executive director of Cornerstone Action, shrugged off the former president’s announcement.
“President Trump’s comments are somewhat irrelevant for Cornerstone as we’re fighting over whether to have unlimited abortion up to birth in New Hampshire,” she told NHJournal.
In Granite State’s Republican political circles, however, Trump’s stance was greeted with relief. Campaigning on a ticket with a presidential candidate calling for a national 15-week abortion limit (which Trump was reportedly considering at one point) “would have been a political nightmare,” one New Hampshire GOP legislator told NHJournal.
Instead, Republicans can point to Trump’s “leave it to the states” policy and defend the New Hampshire law, which allows abortions for any reason for the first six months of pregnancy. Democrats like Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington will remain on offense regardless, believing most Granite Staters support their policy of unrestricted abortion until birth. But Republicans will be in a stronger political position, experts say.
“Trump’s statement on abortion is correct and a win for Republicans on the ballot in 2024, still struggling to find a winning message on the issue post-Dobbs,” said veteran GOP strategist Jim Merrill. “However, that boost will remain only as long as Trump can maintain message discipline – not always his strong suit – over the next seven months.”
Republican candidates for Congress were quick to endorse Trump’s stance.
“I think President Trump is correct in saying it’s a state issue,” GOP First Congressional District candidate Hollie Noveletsky told NHJournal. “The Supreme Court sent the decision to individual states, and I think that is the correct answer. It allows the voice of the people to be heard better than through the dictates of a federal law.”
Fellow Republican Russell Prescott said, “While I’m personally pro-life and have the voting record in Concord to prove it, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I have been consistent in saying that this issue is now one that is best left up to the states. I agree with President Trump’s latest comments and believe it is the right direction our leaders should take on this very personal, but important issue.”
The Democrat these two Republicans hope to challenge, Rep. Chris Pappas, supports federal legislation overriding New Hampshire’s law.
Former state Senator Chuck Morse, who’s seeking the GOP nomination for governor, endorsed Trump’s approach.
“I share President Trump’s belief in entrusting this decision to the states. Here in New Hampshire, we’ve taken proactive steps by passing compassionate and common-sense legislation, supported by over 70 percent of Granite Staters,” Morse told NHJournal.
The Ayotte campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
