JD Vance won’t say now whether Trump would veto an abortion ban: JD Vance in the news

Republican Senator from Ohio JD Vance says he has learned his lesson from speaking for Donald Trump and has backtracked on an earlier statement about Trump’s stance on abortion.

However, a fundamental question remained unanswered: Would Donald Trump use his veto to block a national abortion ban if he returned to the White House and such legislation landed on his desk?

In an interview on Sunday on “Meet the Press,” Vance called the issue a “ridiculous hypothesis.”

And he avoided the question by arguing that this scenario would never happen.

“If a national abortion ban were to be brought before the U.S. Senate right now, the best-case scenario would be 10 out of 100 senators. So I think we should be talking about issues that could actually come before the president,” Vance told moderator Kristen Welker. “His point was that it’s a hypothesis and not a hypothesis that has any chance of ending up on his desk.”

Abortion and reproductive rights are a major issue in the presidential election campaign. In several states, abortion issues will be on the ballot on November 5.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, more than a dozen states have banned abortions entirely. Several others have introduced restrictions. Still, reproductive rights issues have resonated well with voters. Voters in the Republican states of Kansas and Ohio have enshrined reproductive rights in their state constitutions.

Trump has changed his stance on the issue several times. A few years ago he declared he was pro-choice, but in 2016 he said there should be “some kind of punishment” for women who have abortions.

Recently, he has angered anti-abortion activists with his lack of clear stance.

Trump once hinted that he would sign a federal abortion bill, but later reversed that decision, the BBC reported. He called the nationwide restrictions that came into effect after Roe v. Wade “a wonderful thing.” He later said bans on abortion in early pregnancy went too far.

When Vance appeared with Welker on “Meet the Press” on August 25, he hesitated, but then said Trump would use his veto to block a federal abortion ban.

“I think he made it very clear that he would not support that,” Vance told Welker.

“But would he veto it?” Welker repeated.

“If you, as President of the United States, do not support it, you would essentially have to veto it,” Vance replied.

“So he would veto a nationwide ban on abortion?” Welker asked again.

“I think so,” Vance said. “He specifically said he would do that.”

But during the presidential debate on September 10, Trump remained tight-lipped.

“To be honest, I didn’t discuss this with JD,” Trump said during the debate. “And I don’t mind if he has a certain opinion, but I don’t think he spoke for me.”

Twice during the debate, an ABC moderator asked if he would oppose a ban, but Trump dodged the question. “There’s no reason to sign a ban because we got what everybody wanted,” Trump said, referring to leaving abortion regulation to state governments.

On Sunday, Welker gave Vance the opportunity to respond to Trump’s remarks during the debate.

“I think I’ve learned my lesson and I speak for the president before we’ve actually discussed an issue,” Vance said. “What he said at the debate is very clear that he does not support a national ban. He thinks it’s ridiculous to talk about vetoing a bill that’s never even been presented to the president.”

Cleveland.com closely follows JD Vance’s every move and the reaction he generates, as he becomes the first Ohioan in 80 years to be on a presidential ticket for either major party. JD Vance coverage aims to provide a daily snapshot of the buzz around him, capturing what he says, what he does and what others are saying about him.