Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer accused former President Donald Trump of supporting a national abortion ban, attributing the path to stringent abortion restrictions to Trump’s Supreme Court appointments.
However, CNN anchor John Berman fact-checked Whitmer’s claims, highlighting Trump’s stance of leaving abortion regulations to the states.
“He [Trump] appointed three justices to the Supreme Court who went into Congress and lied,” Governor Whitmer said. “They said that Roe was the settled law of the land. They betrayed that oath that they took when they went into office. And we would not be in this moment but for Donald Trump.”
“He’s the one that put these justices on the court. Regardless of the 18 different positions he’s taken over the years, he is absolutely front and center on the road to an all-out national abortion ban. And that’s why we’ve got to get Joe Biden elected this fall.”
“He says he’s not on the road to an all-out federal abortion ban because he said he wants to leave it up to the states,” CNN’s Berman said.
Whitmer has been consistent in portraying Trump as the proponent of a nationwide abortion ban while advocating for Joe Biden.
“It’s really important to remind people that if Donald Trump gets a second term in the White House he has already committed to signing a national abortion ban,” Whitmer said previously. “Biden is the only person on the ballot who would win the White House and will protect these fundamental rights.”
Trump, on the other hand, emphasized leaving abortion decisions to the states if re-elected in 2024, contrasting the Democrats’ approach.
“The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” Trump said. “Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will [be] more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”
“You must also win elections to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country, which is currently and very sadly a nation in decline,” Trump said.
The issue of abortion has been pivotal for Republicans, with Trump emphasizing the importance of winning elections to influence cultural values and the nation’s trajectory.