JD Vance Breaks Silence: The Real Reason He’s Keeping His Distance from Donald Trump
JD Vance Backtracks on Trump’s Abortion Stance: ‘I Learned My Lesson’
Senator JD Vance has revealed that he has learned a valuable lesson about speaking on behalf of Donald Trump, after the former president expressed conflicting views on a federal abortion ban.
The comments came after Trump disagreed with his running mate during Tuesday’s debate, saying he had not yet discussed a veto on a national abortion ban.
“I think the lesson here is to speak for the president before you actually talk to him about the issues,” Vance told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday morning.
Vance noted that Trump made it clear last month that he did not support a national ban on abortion. However, the senator also believes that this issue will never pass Trump’s desk, as it won’t pass Congress first.
During the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Trump was asked whether he would veto legislation banning abortion at the federal level. Trump gave no clear answer, saying, “There’s no need for that.”
However, Trump broke with his running mate when ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis pressed him on Vance’s comments weeks ago. “I didn’t have a fair discussion with JD,” Trump said on stage. “JD — and I don’t care what his views are — but I think he speaks for me. And I really didn’t.”
Vance told Welker in August that he “thinks” Trump won’t sign legislation regulating abortion at a national level. He reiterated on Sunday that “a national abortion ban is off the table.”
“He made it clear that he would not support it. He made it clear,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said last month. “If you don’t support it as president of the United States, you essentially have a veto.”
Vance is now backtracking on his previous position, insisting that Trump does not support a national abortion ban. ”We haven’t discussed it. By the way, we still haven’t discussed it because it’s not realistic,” Vance said Sunday.
“He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban,” the senator said of Trump. ”He wants abortion policy to be decided at the state level. He thinks Alabama is going to make a different decision than California. We’re a big country, and we can disagree.”
“I think President Trump has made it clear that a national abortion ban is not on the table. He’s not going to support it, and he’s not going to sign it,” Vance concluded.
View: On #MTP In August, @JDVance Donald Trump says he will veto a nationwide abortion ban.
But on the debate stage, Trump said, “There’s no need for that,” and said he had not discussed it with Vance.
“I learned a lesson about speaking for the president,” Vance now tells MTP. pic.twitter.com/0TevTpkR9c
— Meet The Press (@MeetThePress) September 15, 2024