Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance deflected questions on Sunday about whether former President Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban if it were presented to him as president. In an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vance declined to speak on behalf of Trump, emphasizing his reluctance to comment on Trump’s decisions without direct discussions.
“I think that I’ve learned my lesson on speaking for the president before he and I have actually talked about an issue,” Vance said, in response to Welker’s pressing question on Trump’s position.
According to Vance, Trump has been “incredibly clear” about his stance on abortion policy, stating that he does not support a national abortion ban and prefers the matter to be decided by individual states. “He wants abortion policy to be made by the states,” Vance explained. “Alabama is going to make a different decision from California, and that’s OK. We’re a big country. We can disagree.”
The issue of Trump’s position on a national abortion ban resurfaced during last Tuesday’s Republican debate, where Trump himself avoided directly answering whether he would veto such a ban if it came to his desk. However, in an August interview, Vance had asserted that Trump would veto a national abortion ban, claiming that the former president had made his stance clear.
“I think he would. He said that explicitly,” Vance remarked in the August interview when asked if Trump would reject a national ban.
Trump, during last week’s debate, appeared to distance himself from Vance’s earlier comments, 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.”
When pressed again on Sunday to clarify if Trump would veto a national abortion ban as president, Vance did not provide a definitive answer. Instead, he characterized the issue as hypothetical, saying Trump “thinks it’s ridiculous to talk about vetoing a piece of legislation that isn’t going to come before the president in the first place.”
The contrasting statements have added uncertainty about Trump’s true stance on the matter, especially as abortion continues to be a pivotal issue in the 2024 election cycle. While Trump has emphasized his belief in state-level decision-making on abortion, his exact position on a national ban remains unclear, leaving room for speculation as the campaign unfolds.
As the Republican ticket faces growing scrutiny on their abortion policies, Vance’s deflection on the topic underscores the challenge the party faces in navigating a divided electorate on one of the most controversial issues in American politics.
