After deflecting reporters' questions earlier this month, former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, finally confirmed on Friday that he plans to vote against a Florida ballot measure that would end the state's strict abortion ban.
Amendment 4 would would outlaw pre-viability abortion bans in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' six-week ban is currently in effect, forcing many patients to travel long distances to receive care in other states.
The Trump War Room account on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, shared a video of Trump's new comments to Fox News and falsely claimed the proposed amendment would legalize abortions through the ninth month of pregnancy, echoing the GOP candidate's lies in the interview.
"You need more time than six weeks. I've disagreed with that right from the early primaries. When I heard about it, I disagreed with it," Trump told Fox News. "At the same time, the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation."
"You can do an abortion in the ninth month, and you know, some of the states, like Minnesota and other states, have it where you can actually execute the baby after birth, and all of that stuff is unacceptable," he added. "So I'll be voting no for that reason."
In response, Democratic strategist and consultant Sawyer Hackett said: "There it is. Trump supports states passing total abortion bans. No question he will sign a national abortion ban if it's put on his desk."
Laws like Florida's are effectively total bans on abortion because the window in which patients can receive care often passes before they even know they are pregnant. GOP efforts to enact such state policies have ramped up since the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority—which includes three Trump appointees—reversedRoe v. Wade in 2022.
Trump's confirmation of how he plans to vote on Amendment 4 and dishonesty about abortion laws in Democrat-controlled states came a day after he told an NBC News reporter that "it has to be more time" than six weeks but refused to answer whether he would be voting "yes" or "no" on his state's ballot measure—and then bragged about his role in reversing Roe.
"Really cannot trust anything Trump says, but gotta love it when anti-abortion politicians (including Trump who created the pathway for Roe to be overturned!!) is now all squirmy when it comes to Florida's near-total abortion ban," Florida state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D-42) said about his remarks to NBC, urging Floridians to vote yes on Amendment 4.
Amendment 4 has been championed by Floridians Protecting Freedom, a coalition that includes the ACLU of Florida, Florida Rising, Women's Voices of Southwest Florida, Florida Women's Freedom Coalition, SEIU 1199 Florida, and Planned Parenthood organizations in the state.
Trump was previously asked about the ballot measure during an August 8 press conference from Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Palm Beach. At the time, he told reporters he would hold an event to reveal his position at a later date and claimed that abortion "seems to be much less of an issue."
The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have worked to make reproductive freedom a key issue in this contest, and their campaign swiftly responded to Trump's Friday remarks.
"Donald Trump just made his position on abortion very clear: He will vote to uphold an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant," Harris said. "Trump proudly brags about the role that he played in overturning Roe v. Wade and said there should be punishment for women who have an abortion. So, of course he thinks it's a 'beautiful thing' that women in Florida and across the country are being turned away from emergency rooms, face life-threatening situations, and are forced to travel hundreds of miles for the care they need."
"And, understand: He is not done," she warned. "As a part of Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, threaten access to fertility treatments, and ban abortion nationwide, with or without Congress."
Harris stressed that "I trust women to make their own healthcare decisions and believe the government should never come between a woman and her doctor. When I'm president and Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, I will proudly sign it into law. The choice in this election is clear."
