Vance Deflects, Blames Media After Trump Refutes His Claim Ex-President Would Sign National Abortion Ban: ‘The Question is Absurd’
Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) blamed the media after his running mate former President Donald Trump decided to say whether he would sign a national band on abortion if such a piece of legislation came across his desk Tuesday night.
During his ABC News debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump was asked numerous times if he would sign or veto a complete ban on abortions. Trump’s posture was that the issue had been kicked back down to individual states and would be resolved at that level.
Upon being pressed about a statement by Vance that Trump would indeed support such a ban, Trump told moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis he had not spoken to the senator about the issue.
Vance joined ABC News after the debate to discuss Trump’s performance when network chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl pressed him about the mixed signals.
“Donald Trump was asked if he would veto a national abortion ban. He didn’t answer the question and suggested I guess that he wouldn’t. And then it was pointed out that you in fact said not that long ago that he would veto a national abortion ban. Can you explain the mix-up here?” Vance replied:
Well, I think the president’s been very clear that he doesn’t want a national abortion ban. I think in some ways he finds the question a little bit ridiculous because why are we asking him about legislation that’s never going to actually happen and why would he veto it or not veto it when he says very explicitly he doesn’t support a national abortion ban and he wants these policies to be made by the states.
The Ohio Republican pivoted to criticizing Harris but Karl pivoted back to his original question.
Karl asked, “But Senator Vance, why wouldn’t he just say he would veto the national abortion ban? By the way, had you spoken to him about it before you were put in a position to answer that question?”
Vance ripped the media and Harris in response. He said:
No, I hadn’t spoken to him about it because again, Donald Trump thinks the question is absurd because he doesn’t support a national abortion ban and he’s been explicit about it. And Jon, I think that it’s so preposterous for the media to focus so much on an issue where Donald Trump has been crystal clear and not on the fact that people can’t afford groceries and housing because of Kamala Harris’s policies. This election is actually quite simple and Kamala Harris and apparently the media would like to distract Americans on issues by the way that Donald Trump’s been crystal clear about but they’re not talking nearly enough. This debate didn’t talk nearly enough about the fact that Americans are struggling because they can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford housing and a lot of their kids are dying of fentanyl overdoses because Kamala Harris has let the Mexican drug cartels take over the southern border.
Watch above via ABC News.
