Stay updated on Hawaii and national elections coverage
2024 Hawaii & National Election Coverage

After weeks of not providing a direct answer, former President Donald Trump said in an interview today that he will vote against Florida’s abortion amendment in November.

During an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked about his stance on Amendment 4, which would protect abortion access in the state. Trump responded by saying that Democrats had a “radical” stance on abortion and claimed that their stance would allow abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy.

“I’ll be voting no for that reason,” Trump said in the interview.

The argument that the amendment will allow abortions up “until birth” has been repeated frequently by conservative opponents, though health care practitioners say that abortions past the point of viability happen rarely, and when they do happen, tend to be related to potentially fatal health complications for the fetus or mother.

Trump’s announcement was quickly celebrated by anti-abortion groups, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. In a statement, the organization’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said, “We thank President Trump for shedding light on how extreme this measure is and call on all Republican leaders in Florida to follow the president’s example.”

Amendment 4 says in part that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health.” If passed, it would essentially invalidate Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks.

Trump’s comments today came one day after he sidestepped a direct answer on his stance on the amendment but said he would be voting that “we need more than six weeks,” referring to Florida’s current law.

Trump has before criticized Florida’s six-week law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in 2023, calling that ban a “terrible mistake.”