Trump’s Shifting Views on Abortion After Melania Comes Out as Pro-Choice

Former first lady Melania Trump unexpectedly entered the national abortion debate, revealing her pro-abortion rights stance in her upcoming memoir, marking the latest shift from Donald Trump’s inner circle on an issue that was key to his 2016 election victory.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right to individual liberty grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” she wrote in her memoir.
This statement comes at a critical time for her husband, who has tried to distance himself from the topic since his 2024 presidential campaign began, even claiming it will be “much less of an issue” anymore. However, in recent weeks, the former first lady and Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, have brought the issue back into the public spotlight.
During the CBS presidential debate in New York on Tuesday, Vance said that he had never supported a national abortion ban (though he previously did) but instead advocated for “some minimum national standard.”
Live-reacting to Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Trump posted on Truth Social that “everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it.”
Previously, Trump had avoided clarifying whether he would veto a national abortion ban. During September’s presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, he said, “I didn’t discuss it with JD,” when asked about Vance’s August remark suggesting he would.
However, Wednesday’s admission that he “would veto” such a ban sparked a backlash from prominent anti-abortion activists, who accused both Trump and Vance of betraying their movement.
“Trump’s statement last night is just one more example of Republicans trying desperately to rebrand themselves on the issue of abortion,” Ryan Stitzlein, vice president of political and government relations at Reproductive Freedom for All, told the Associated Press.
Despite this criticism, Trump seems willing to take the risk. The abortion issue has become a significant challenge for Republicans since the fall of Roe v. Wade, contributing to losses in the 2022 midterms as reproductive rights advocates secured victories in states like Kentucky and Kansas.
In May, Trump suggested he was open to regulations on contraception, only to walk back the statement later, saying that his comments had been misinterpreted. He also appeared to shift his position on Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which he once called a “mistake” and too extreme.
Republicans, including Trump, have been accused of trying to reshape federal abortion restrictions by labeling them “minimum national standards,” likely in an effort to soften the perception of their hard-line positions. This effort was evident in the fact that abortion was absent from the speeches at the Republican National Convention in July.
This evolving rhetoric may be driven by the widespread unpopularity of abortion bans in the U.S. Approximately 65 percent of Americans oppose the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe.
As of May 2024, only 34 percent of Americans expressed approval of this decision.
Moreover, in the past two years, voters in seven states—including conservative-leaning Kentucky, Montana, and Ohio—have either protected abortion rights or rejected measures aimed at restricting them in statewide votes.