Sen. J.D. Vance said he won’t try to speak on behalf of Donald Trump in the future, following the vice presidential nominee’s differing stance on a federal abortion ban. The admission came after Tuesday’s debate, where Trump diverged from his running mate by admitting they haven’t yet talked about vetoing a national abortion ban.
“I think I’ve learned my lesson on speaking for the president before he and I have actually talked about an issue,” Vance told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday morning. Vance clarified that his statement last month was to reiterate that Trump has been clear he doesn’t support the plan of national abortion ban.
Difference of Opinions
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However, he also believes the issue is unlikely to reach the president’s desk, as it wouldn’t pass through Congress in the first place. When asked during Tuesday’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whether he would veto a bill imposing a federal abortion ban, Trump gave a noncommittal response.
“I won’t have to,” he insisted.
However, when ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis questioned him about Vance’s comments made just weeks earlier, the former president disagreed with his running mate.
“I didn’t discuss it with J.D. in all fairness,” Trump said on stage. “J.D. – and I don’t mind if he has a certain view – but I think he was speaking for me. But I really didn’t.”
In an August interview with Kristen Welker, Vance said that he “believes” Trump would not sign a bill imposing national regulations on pregnancy terminations. He reconfirmed on Sunday that a “national abortion ban is not under consideration.”
“I think he’s been clear, he wouldn’t support it. I mean he said that explicitly,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said last month.
“I mean if you’re not supporting it as President of the United States, you fundamentally have to veto it,” he added.
Making His Point Clear
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When asked once more whether Trump would veto the proposal, Vance responded, “I believe he would. He’s said that explicitly that he would.”
Now, Vance is retracting his earlier statement but still asserts that the GOP 2024 ticket opposes a national abortion ban.
‘We hadn’t discussed it. We still haven’t discussed it, by the way. Because it’s not realistic,’ Vance said on Sunday.
“He’s been incredibly clear that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban,” the senator said of Trump.
“He wants abortion policy to be made by the states. Because he thinks, look, Alabama is going to make a different decision from California and that’s OK. We’re a big country, we can disagree.”
“I think President Trump has been clear – a national abortion ban is not on the table. He wouldn’t support it, he wouldn’t sign it,” Vance ended.
