Elections

Trump Throws JD Vance Under the Bus on Abortion During Presidential Debate

WASN’T ME!

The former president attempted to pivot the conversation away from abortion rights by telling moderators, “Look, we don’t have to discuss it.”

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), as he holds a rally for the first time with his running mate, in Grand Rapids, July 20, 2024.
Tom Brenner/Reuters

Donald Trump tried to distance himself from JD Vance’s claim that the former president would veto a federal abortion ban—saying he hadn’t spoken with Vance about the issue and that his running mate wasn’t speaking for him at the time.

“Well, I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness,” Trump said about his running mate’s assertion. “And I don’t mind if he has a certain view, but I don’t think he was speaking for me.”

Vance, on Aug. 25, told NBC News that the GOP presidential nominee “explicitly” told him that he would veto a federal abortion ban.

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Trump, who refused to provide a clear answer as to his stance on federal abortion legislation, attempted to pivot the conversation by telling moderators, “Look, we don’t have to discuss it” before claiming the vice president would “never be able” to restore the protections of Roe v Wade.

“They couldn’t get student loans. They didn’t even come close to getting student loans they taunted young people and a lot of other people that had loans they can never get this approved. So it doesn’t matter,” he continued.

The former president’s meandering rant on abortion rights also included multiple false claims about legal after-birth abortions and “executing babies,” prompting ABC’s Linsey Davis to fact check Trump live.

“There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill the baby after it’s born,” the anchor interjected.