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Donald Trump signals that he will vote against Florida's abortion ban: 'I think it should be more than six weeks'
Donald Trump signaled that he could vote to end Florida's six-week abortion ban when it comes up in a referendum later this year, as he continues his delicate dance around a key election issue.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com he previewed an upcoming announcement on his voting stance by saying that he did not think six weeks was enough time.
But he avoided committing to using the presidential veto if a nationwide federal ban arrived on his desk as president even though his running mate said he would.
In office, Trump reveled in being the most pro-life president in history, taking credit for ending federal protections for abortion by installing the conservative justices on the Supreme Court who overturned Roe v Wade.
This time he is trying to keep both sides happy on one of the most divisive issues in the election by saying it is up to states to decide their own laws.
Donald Trump said he had decided how he will vote in Florida's upcoming referendum on its newly enacted six-week abortion ban. 'I think six weeks is a mistake,' he said. 'And I'll be expressing that soon, but I want more than six weeks'
That tightrope walk will be tested later this year when Florida, where Trump is a registered voter, holds a referendum on Amendment 4, which would abolish the state's new ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and replace it with a 24-week limit.
Trump said he has decided how he will vote.
'Well, I do know, but I do want more than six weeks,' he said in his ornate Mar-a-Lago living room. 'I want more than six weeks.
'I think six weeks is a mistake. And I'll be expressing that soon, but I want more than six weeks.
'And in Florida, we have a six-week program, and that's what I believe that you're voting on, and I think it should be more than six weeks.'
Trump has expressed reservations about such an early ban in the past but has so far dodged questions about how he will vote in Florida's referendum.
His election success in 2016 was powered in part by evangelical voters and he will need them again to win in 2024.
Steve Deace, a conservative radio host who is helping rally support against the amendment in Florida has urged Trump to issue a statement announcing he will support the state's ban, and warned him that he risks being seen as playing 'fast and loose with pro-lifers.'
Florida has one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws, banning almost all terminations six weeks after conception. Many women don't even know they are pregnant at that time.
Trump now finds himself on the other side of the debate from the likes of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the ban into law last year. (it took effect this year after legal challenges.)
Trump spoke to DailyMail.com on a range of issues, from Kamala Harris and the 2024 campaign, to his family and life after almost being shot by an assassin
Trump stoked concerns among his anti-abortion allies with this post last week when he used the language of opponents by referring to women and their 'reproductive rights'
Trump stoked further concern among his own allies with a Truth Social post last week when he used the language of his political opponents.
'My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,' he posted.
Insiders played down its significance and suggested that Trump was merely using his Truth Social platform to experiment with wording.
In the interview, he said that his post meant protecting I.V.F. after the Alabama Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that frozen embryos were babies.
'So IVF fertilization, we're the leader in that, in the sense of we want women to be able to be taken care of by good doctors, good professionals,' he said.
And he said that returning the issue of abortion from the Supreme Court to states gave more power to voters to decide the issue for themselves.
'As far as abortion is concerned, for 52 years, people have wanted to take Roe v Wade out of the picture and bring it back to states,' he said. 'And we were, I was able to do that.'
His own position he said was to ensure there were exceptions.
Democrats are putting abortion referenda on the ballot in November in a range of states
Florida has one of the strictest laws in the country, banning abortion after six weeks. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law last year and it took effect in May, 2024
'Now, I happen to be like Ronald Reagan in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and I think it's a very good thing,' he said.
But he did not go as far as his own running mate when it came to the question of a federal ban.
Sen. J.D. Vance at the weekend said Trump would veto any federal bill that landed on his Oval Office desk.
'Donald Trump's view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue,' he said.
Trump would not commit to using the veto, instead saying that it simply wouldn't come to that.
'I don't mind answering that question, but there's no reason to, because the states are all voting,' he said.
'We have many states voting coming up, including Florida, and the states are all voting on this.
'But remember this, the Democrats have a problem because they're willing to do abortion ... think of this ... in the ninth month, and in some cases even even after birth, they're willing to kill the baby.'
Such late term abortions are extremely rare and killing babies after birth is already illegal under homicide laws.