One measure of how Republicans are viewing with alarm that their extreme positions on abortion risks damage at the polls is that serial sex abuser Donald Trump (SSAT), usually never shy about pandering to the religious and political extremists in his base, kept quiet about what his stance was on this issue for the longest time.

But he could not duck the issue forever and today his campaign issued a statement on his social media site Truth Social that was mealy-mouthed.

Donald Trump on Monday announced his belief that individual US states should decide the legality of abortion – and he declined to endorse a national ban on the procedure.

The former president’s stated position dashed hopes from anti-abortion groups that he would call for a ban on aborting pregnancies beyond 15 weeks.

“States will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both,” Trump said in a video post on Truth Social. “Whatever they decide must be the law of the land, or in this case the law of the state.

“Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks, some will be more conservative then others. At the end of the day this is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart, or in many cases your religion or faith,” he said in a four-minute address outlining his view of reproductive rights in the wake of the US supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022.

He added, “Do what’s right for your family, and do what’s right for yourself.”

SSAT’s statement about needing to accept ‘the will of the people’ and, incredibly, leaving it up to individual choice to do what they think is right is, of course, laughable since his he and many other MAGA members of the GOP have no compunction about deciding what others should do and refuse to listen to ‘the will of the people’ whenever they lose elections. But it is clear that he and his advisors have decided that this is the only way that he can avoid stepping on this particular political landmine.

Needless to say,, the anti-abortion crowd is not happy with him, as can be seen from this statement by one of the leading anti-abortion groups who accuse him of caving to the Democrats.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President @marjoriesba on Trump abortion statement: “ We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position.” pic.twitter.com/W5IIqc31OX

— Fin Gómez (@finnygo) April 8, 2024

But they are still sticking with him because they have nowhere else to go and likely think that he will adopt their hardline position if he is re-elected and no longer has to fear alienating voters.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is seizing on this statement to argue that SSAT is brazenly lying jin order to try to defuse the issue before the elections and that he will support a national abortion ban if elected.He reminds people that SSAT put explicitly anti-abortion people on the US Supreme Court with the intention of overturning Roe v Wade and celebrated when it did so, and that the anti-abortion forces saw that decision as just the first step in their goal of completely banning abortions nationwide anytime after conception and irrespective of whether the pregnancy was due to rape or incest or would cause life-threatening harm to the woman.

Senator Tim Kaine was more succinct.

An old saying goes: "watch what they do, not what they say."

Donald Trump is singularly responsible for the overturning of Roe & ripping away women's freedoms—& he "proudly" takes credit for it.

He'd sign a national abortion ban into law—no matter how much he tries to deny it.

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) April 8, 2024

Another sign about how sensitive this issue is is that senator Lindsey Graham, a political weathervane who has no principles whatsoever and supports any position that he thinks is popular among the GOP base at any moment and has been toadying to SSAT in the most obsequious ways, says that he disagrees with SSAT’s stance, personally favoring “a national minimum standard limiting abortion at fifteen weeks because the child is capable of feeling pain, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”

As Biden’s statement says:

Trump is scrambling. He’s worried that since he’s the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024. Well, I have news for Donald. They will. America was built on personal freedom and liberty. So, there is nothing more un-American than having our personal freedoms taken away. And that is what Donald Trump has done.


As I have said many times since the Dobbs decision, Donald Trump and all those responsible for overturning Roe don’t have a clue about the power of women in America. But they are about to find out.

This issue is an albatross around the GOP’s neck and they know it. However much they may try to dance around, they will not be able to shake it loose.