‘Terrible Mistake!’ Trump Trashes DeSantis and Other Republicans Over Abortion Bans

Former President Donald Trump pushed back on the most staunchly anti-abortion faction of the Republican Party, warning them they won’t win elections by calling for flat-out bans without exceptions.

Ever since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade’s federal protections of abortion rights, Trump has celebrated and taken credit for the ruling — though he has acknowledged it as a politically thorny issue for the GOP. NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Trump on abortion — during their interview in Sunday’s Meet The Press. And the two wound up duking it out when the former president pushed the right-wing talking point that Demcorats support abortion up to the moment of birth and even afterwards, which would be considered infanticide. This is a massive distortion of the facts surrounding the circumstances of late-term abortions, and Welker pushed back by noting this does not reflect the Demcoratic Party’s mainstream position on abortion.

Welker repeatedly tried to pin down Trump by asking “Would you sign federal legislation that would ban abortion at 15 weeks?” As Trump hedged around answering the question, Welker drilled down further by asking him where he stands on federal abortion restrictions of any kind.

WELKER: If a federal ban landed on your desk if you were reelected, would you sign it at 15 weeks –

TRUMP: Are you talking about a complete ban?

WELKER: A ban at 15 weeks.

TRUMP: Well, people, people are starting to think of 15 weeks. That seems to be a number that people are talking about right now.

WELKER: Would you sign that?

TRUMP: I would sit down with both sides and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. I’m not going to say I would or I wouldn’t. I mean, [Ron DeSantis] is willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban.

WELKER: Would you support that? You think that goes too far?

TRUMP: I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake. But we’ll come up with a number, but at the same time, Democrats won’t be able to go out at six months, seven months, eight months and allow an abortion.

WELKER: Mr. President, when you talk about negotiating, I think a lot of people think to themselves, this is an issue that they care about deeply in their hearts –

TRUMP: I care about it too. Oh, I care about it too.

WELKER: And they know where they stand, and they want to know where you stand. As you know, some anti-abortion groups are really looking for some clarity from you. So let me just ask you to put a fine point on this. Should the federal government impose any abortion restrictions, or should it be completely left up to the states?

TRUMP: No, I don’t think you should have – I don’t think you should be allowed to have abortions well into a pregnancy.

WELKER: But what about the question I just asked you –

TRUMP: We’re going to agree — no — we’re going to agree to a number of weeks or months or however you want to define it. And both sides are going to come together and both sides – both sides, and this is a big statement, both sides will come together. And for the first time in 52 years, you’ll have an issue that we can put behind us.

WELKER: At the federal level?

TRUMP: It could be state or it could be federal. I don’t frankly care.

WELKER: So you’re not committed to a ban at the federal level.

TRUMP: I will say this. Everybody, including the great legal scholars, love the idea of Roe v. Wade terminated so it can be brought back to the states.

Welker continued to interrogate Trump on what kind of federal abortion ban he could support, and whether he believes a fetus holds constitutional rights. As Trump continued to speak about how different political factions will be forced to negotiate on abortion across the country, he criticized how many Republicans speak about abortion — adding that it could cost them elections in certain places.

I think the Republicans speak very inarticulately about this subject. I watch some of them without the exceptions, et cetera, et cetera. I said, ‘Other than certain parts of the country, you can’t — you’re not going to win on this issue. But you will win on this issue when you come up with the right number of weeks.’ Because Democrats don’t want to be radical on the issue, most of them, some do. They don’t want to be radical on the issue. They don’t want to kill a baby in the seventh month or the ninth month or after birth. And they’re allowed to do that, and you can’t do that.

Because of Trump’s refusal to commit to a federal ban or a specific number of weeks to cut off abortion rights, the Biden campaign responded to the interview by slamming his refusal to give an “honest answer” on the subject.

Watch above via NBC.