Donald Trump won’t commit to voting against Florida referendum to undo abortion restrictions

Donald Trump. Image via AP.

Will the GOP standard-bearer vote for a measure in November that would undo Florida’s recent abortion prohibitions?

Donald Trump is not saying.

When asked how he would vote on the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, Trump was cagey.

“Uh, I’m going to announce that. I’m going to actually have a press conference on that at some point in the near future, so I don’t want to tell you now,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump has been blamed by Democrats for allowing laws like Florida’s current ban after six weeks of pregnancy to take effect given his appointment of U.S. Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe. v. Wade. But Trump downplayed reproductive rights in comments Thursday.

“I think the abortion issue has been taken down many notches. I don’t think it’s a big factor anymore really,” he said.

The amendment is at 69% support in the latest University of North Florida poll, with 23% opposed.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was a proponent of changing Florida’s previous law that allowed access twice in two years, urged media back in April to ask Trump where he stood.

Trump has distanced himself as much as possible from the abortion issue now that he’s in General Election mode.

“President Trump supports preserving life but has also made clear that he supports states’ rights because he supports the voters’ right to make decisions for themselves,” went a spokesman’s statement reported by the Bulwark’s Marc Caputo.

Caputo cited an adviser saying there was “no point in weighing in now,” a statement which creates further mystery regarding his position on Amendment 4.

Yet clarity into Trump’s position regarding the Florida six-week ban exists, if one assumes the controversies of the early part of the presidential race offer insight into his position.

“I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake,” Trump said in September 2023, regarding DeSantis signing the law that bans abortion early in gestation in most cases, except for exceptions for rape, incest, and maternal health.

DeSantis issued a number of denunciations of the former President while he was an active candidate for President.

“I think that if you have something where you have a baby that has a detectable heartbeat, if you’re pro-life, you would want to say that there should be protections there,” he said on ABC News last Fall. “And if he’s saying, ‘That’s a terrible thing,’ I know most pro-life voters would think that he’s wrong.”

DeSantis described Trump’s position as a “danger that we all have to look at” with respect to the anti-abortion cause, adding that “all pro-lifers should know that he’s preparing to sell you out.”

“I was really surprised because he’s a Florida resident and I thought he would compliment the fact, you know, that we were able to do the heartbeat bill, which pro-lifers have wanted for a long time. He never complimented, never said anything about it,” DeSantis recounted on the 700 Club.

“Then he was asked about it and he said it was ‘harsh.’ But, you know, these are, these are children with detectable heartbeats. And I think to do that was very humane and I think it was something that every pro-lifer appreciates that we were able to get that done.”

DeSantis employee Christina Pushaw suggested that Trump ultimately would back the amendment Thursday, responding to media showing his quote.

“President Trump has strongly supported parental rights, and he has consistently condemned the barbaric practice of late-term abortion,” Pushaw said.

“If this Harris/Walz/Soros Amendment 4 passes, it would allow abortion at any point up to the moment of birth. Amendment 4 would even allow minors to get an abortion without parental consent, trampling on parents’ rights. That’s why George Soros’ Open Society Fund is backing this extreme amendment — it’s something Kamala Harris and Tim Walz would support, and it’s bad for Florida.”