Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance sidestepped a direct answer on Sunday when asked whether former President Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban if elected. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Vance avoided making any definitive statements about Trump’s position on the issue.
“I think that I’ve learned my lesson on speaking for the president before he and I have actually talked about an issue,” Vance told Kristen Welker during the interview. He emphasized that Trump has been “incredibly clear” about his stance, stating that Trump prefers abortion policy to be left to the states.
Trump Favors State-Level Decisions
Vance reiterated that Trump believes individual states should decide their own abortion policies, saying, “Alabama is going to make a different decision from California, and that’s OK. We’re a big country. We can disagree.”
However, when asked specifically if Trump would veto a national abortion ban if it landed on his desk, Vance refused to give a clear response. Instead, he argued that Trump sees it as unnecessary to speculate about vetoing a bill that is unlikely to pass in the first place.
Conflicting Statements
Vance’s remarks on Sunday mark a shift from his previous comments. In August, he confidently claimed that Trump would veto a national abortion ban, asserting that the former president does not support such legislation. “I think he would, he said that explicitly,” Vance said during an earlier interview with Welker.
Trump later distanced himself from Vance’s August comments during last week’s presidential debate, saying, “I didn’t discuss it with JD. I don’t mind if he has a certain view but I don’t think he was speaking for me.”
National Debate on Abortion Continues
The issue of abortion rights has remained central in political debates, with Democrats advocating for federal protections and Republicans often calling for state-level decision-making. Trump’s ambiguous stance has added complexity to the conversation, leaving voters uncertain about how a future Trump administration would handle abortion policy at the national level.
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