(The hill) – Former President Trump said Wednesday it was “wonderful to see” states pass a patchwork of abortion laws, some more restrictive than others, and said it could unite the country even as Democrats used the issue to boost voter turnout.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump was asked about the issues Democrats want to focus on in the November election, including abortion.
Reproductive rights have been at the center of political debate in the two years since the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. In some states Establishing abortion rights and other enact restrictive laws which effectively prohibit the procedure.
“Now the states decide. And by the way, in many cases, like Ohio, it’s become … more liberal or progressive than people would have thought,” Trump told Hannity. “But the people in Ohio have decided. The people in Kansas have decided. The people are deciding now.”
“And it took the responsibility away from the federal government. They always wanted the states to decide this. And Roe v. Wade didn’t do that. It put the responsibility in the hands of the federal government,” he continued. “So now the states vote on this. And in many cases, it’s more… liberal. In many cases, not all cases. In some cases, they go the other way. But the people decide. The people decide. And in many ways, it’s beautiful to watch.”
On the one hand, Trump claimed to have ended the Roe vs. Wade case by appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices, but on the other hand, he attacked the Democrats as “the radicals” on the abortion issue because they did not support restrictions on late-term abortions.
“All the states are deciding right now. And I think it’s working the way the people wanted it to,” Trump said. “And it will bring the country together on an issue that has been very, very bad.”
Trump has taken the position that abortion policy should be left to the states through legislation or referendums if GOP-led states enact restrictive measures. But that has triggered attacksincluding some on the right who expressed disappointment that the former president did not adopt a federal minimum standard for abortion.
The Biden team has repeatedly linked Trump to state bans and highlighted the stories of women facing life-threatening health problems who were unable to receive treatment because of these bans or had to travel to other states for treatment.
“Tonight in prime time, America saw Donald Trump bursting with anger and visibly shaken by his conviction for a serious crime; a man who has clearly lost his mind and whose candidacy becomes more dangerous by the day,” Michael Tyler, communications director for Biden’s campaign, said in a statement after the Hannity interview aired.
“This is why the American people voted for Joe Biden and not Donald Trump from the beginning, and why Trump must never set foot in the Oval Office again,” he added.
