'We Broke Roe v. Wade': Donald Trump Says Abortion Rollback Created 'Very Beautiful Harmony'
April 13 2024, Published 10:34 a.m. ET
Donald Trump claimed that his efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade and roll back abortion rights have created "very, very beautiful harmony," RadarOnline.com has learned.
The former president spoke out about his views on abortion, which has become a key election issue, during a press conference with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday.
"Mr. President, while you were in office, you said that you would sign a federal abortion ban if Congress sent it to your desk. Why should Americans trust your word that you would not do it now if you were re-elected?" one reporter asked.
"Because we don’t need it any longer," Trump responded. "Because we broke Roe v. Wade and we did something that nobody thought was possible. We gave it back to the states."
"And the states are working very brilliantly, in some cases conservative and some cases not conservative, but they’re working, and it’s working the way it’s supposed to," he added. "Every legal scholar, real legal scholar, wanted to have it go back to the states. Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, and we are able to do that."
This week, Arizona's state Supreme Court ruled that a controversial 1864 law imposing a near-total ban on abortion could go back in effect.
"You know, what we did was give it back to the states, and now the states are working their way through it, and you are having some very, very beautiful harmony, to be honest with you," Trump said.
"You have, well, you have some cases like Arizona that went back to like 1864 or something like that, and a judge made a ruling, but that’s going to be changed by government. They are going to be changing that. I disagree with that."
Trump and many other Republicans have softened their stance on federal abortion restrictions, fearing that a hardline position is what cost them big in the 2022 midterm elections.
Some members of the party, however, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have criticized Trump for refusing to support a federal abortion ban.
"Many good Republicans lost elections because of this issue, and people like Lindsey Graham, that are unrelenting, are handing Democrats their dream of the House, Senate, and perhaps even the Presidency," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has continued to hammer the issue. Speaking in Arizona after Trump's comments, she blamed the ex-president for the state's recent ruling.
"Just minutes ago, standing beside Speaker Johnson, Donald Trump just said the collection of state bans is, quote: 'Working the way it is supposed to,'" she said. "And as much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse."