Asked About Abortion Vote, Trump Snaps at Reporter

'You should stop talking about it,' he tells reporter after voting in Florida
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 5, 2024 3:10 PM CST
Trump Won't Say How He Voted on Abortion Measure
Donald Trump speaks as Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure—and getting testy about it. The former president was asked twice after casting his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday about a question that the state's voters are considering. If approved, it would prevent state lawmakers from passing any law that penalizes, prohibits, delays, or restricts abortion until fetal viability—which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks. If it's rejected, the state's restrictive six-week abortion law would stand.

The first time he was asked, Trump avoided answering. He said instead of the issue that he did "a great job bringing it back to the states," the AP reports. That was a reference to the former president having appointed three conservative justices to the US Supreme Court who helped overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 2022. Pressed a second time, Trump snapped at a reporter, saying "you should stop talking about it." Trump had previously indicated that he would back the measure—but then changed his mind and said he would vote against it.

In August, Trump said he thought Florida's ban was a mistake, saying on Fox News Channel, "I think six weeks, you need more time." But then he said, "at the same time, the Democrats are radical" while repeating false claims he has frequently made about late-term abortions. In addition to Florida, voters in nine other states are deciding whether their state constitutions should guarantee a right to abortion, weighing ballot measures that are expected to spur turnout for a range of crucial races.

(More Election 2024 stories.)

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