Former President Donald Trump twice refused to say whether he would veto a national abortion ban during Tuesday night’s presidential debate. But even as that will likely give a new argument to Democrats and abortion rights advocates, prominent anti-abortion activists were still left unimpressed by his performance, saying they don’t believe his nonanswer means he’s aligned with them on a national ban.
“I think he made a decision to stay away from any abortion ban discussion,” Abby Johnson, a prominent anti-abortion activist, told NOTUS. “I don’t think that means he’s necessarily more open to a federal pro-life law. I think it is an indication that he understands how important the pro-life vote is.”
Rather than answering the question, Trump said he “wouldn’t have to” veto a ban because Republicans could not get enough votes to pass such a bill.