Trump Says He’ll Leave Abortion Up To States—But Biden And Reproductive Rights Supporters Aren’t Buying It

Former President Donald Trump announced Monday he believed abortion rights should be left up to the states—rejecting calls from the right to endorse a 15-week or stricter ban—though President Joe Biden and other abortion rights supporters argued Trump’s words are empty rhetoric and he’s still likely to enact abortion restrictions if reelected.

Trump said in a video message he believed that whatever states decide on abortion “must be the law of the land,” after previously suggesting he could back a nationwide 15-week ban, though he did not specify whether he would take action against abortion as president or veto a national abortion ban if Congress were to pass one.

Biden said in a statement Trump was “simply lying” with his comments about abortion, chastising the ex-president for falsely claiming there was a “groundswell of support” for overturning Roe v. Wade—polling suggests otherwise—and saying there shouldn’t be any “illusion” that Trump would veto a national abortion ban.

Abortion rights advocates also took aim at the ex-president’s comments, with Reproductive Freedom for All pointing out Trump’s multiple comments this year expressing openness to a national ban, arguing, “Trump can do all of the verbal gymnastics he wants, but he supports banning abortion in EVERY state.”