Ohio Sen. JD Vance said he and former President Donald Trump are opposed to banning abortion nationally—though Trump has signaled some openness to federal restrictions that stop short of a ban.
Topline
Former President Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban if one reached his desk as president, his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance said on NBC Sunday—as Democrats argue Trump could heavily restrict the procedure if he returns to office.Key Facts
Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet The Press” asked Vance whether he would commit that if he and Trump are elected, they would not impose a federal ban on abortion, to which Vance said he “can absolutely commit that.”
Vance said Trump “wants to end this culture war over this particular topic” and said the federal government should be focused on things like “big economic and immigration questions” rather than abortion policies, which he said should be left to the states—echoing a view Trump has increasingly expressed.
When pressed by Welker on whether Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if lawmakers send it to his desk, Vance said “I think he would. He’s said that explicitly that he would.”
Trump has signaled support in the past for nationwide abortion rules that would stop short of an all-out ban in the past, suggesting he’s open to a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy as recently as March.