Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C) on Sunday appeared to dodge directly answering whether he would push former President Trump to reconsider a federal abortion ban if chosen as his vice president, given the two Republicans’ differing stances on the issue.
When asked on “Fox News Sunday” if he is willing to concede his position on a federal abortion ban or fight Trump, Scott instead waged attacks against Senate Democrats.
“Well, Shannon, you’re 100 percent right that the Democrats — Republicans are all pro-life, honestly. And the Democrats in the Senate have already voted to allow for abortions up until the day of birth. But it goes beyond that,” Scott said.
GOP politicians have repeatedly claimed Democrats and Democrat-led steps support abortion up until birth, which many in the Democratic Party have maintained is not true.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed 93.1 percent of abortions in 2020 took place within the first 13 weeks, while less than 1 percent occurred after 21 weeks of pregnancy.
“Without question, however, the Supreme Court has already ruled that this is a states issue,” Scott continued. “President Trump and Speaker Johnson have both said that this will remain a states issue. It is consistent with the Supreme Court, and we must make sure that we allow the American people to see the absolute extreme position of insanity on the left and a states’ rights issue on the right.”
Trump in April said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected and such a bill passed Congress, and he emphasized abortion policy should be determined by individual states.
“Now the states have it, and the states are putting out what they want. It’s the will of the people,” Trump said while speaking to reporters in April.
While on the campaign trail last September for his since-suspended GOP presidential bid, Scott slammed Trump’s suggestion that he would not support a 15-week federal abortion ban.
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream, speaking with Scott, asked the lawmaker if he would “want to at least have a conversation” with Trump over abortion remaining a state issue.
Scott sidestepped the question, telling Bream he can only tell her the “voters’ focus.”
“I ran for president, and they said, ‘Not now.’ So, the voters of our party want President Trump leading the party. They have been embracing his position on the states’ position of letting communities decide the issue of abortion,” he said. “That is a settled issue for our party, and frankly, it is one that takes that issue off the table for the Democrats, who have the most extreme position on abortion.”
The Biden campaign earlier this year quickly dismissed Trump’s remarks about not signing an abortion ban, pointing to his track record on the issue to argue the former president would threaten access to the procedure if he were reelected.
As president, Trump’s White House supported a House bill that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and pushed the Senate to pass the legislation and send it to his desk. The measure did not make it through the Senate, however.
While a federal abortion ban is likely to face many challenges in Congress, abortion advocates have warned a second Trump term, regardless of congressional action, could threaten access to abortion medication.
Scott’s name has been floated as one of Trump’s potential picks for vice president. He has appeared with the former president on the campaign trail in recent months and is expected to appear this month at an event alongside several political mega-donors.