Donald Trump says each US state should determine different abortion laws

Donald Trump on Monday announced his belief that individual US states should decide the legality of abortion, declining to endorse a national ban on the procedure.

The former president’s stated position dashed hopes of anti-abortion groups, who want a federal ban, and drew the ire of Democrats, who blame Trump for outright bans and severe restrictions already in place across the south and midwest.

Trump’s announcement had been highly anticipated by Democrats, who believe the fight over abortion rights helps them at the polls, and Republicans, who failed to push Trump to endorse a national abortion ban during their party’s primary.

In a four-minute video post on Truth Social, Trump said it was “up to the states to do the right thing” while also touting his work to confirm the conservative supreme court justices who ultimately overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.

“States will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both,” Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said in the videotaped address. “Whatever they decide must be the law of the land, or in this case the law of the state.”

“Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks, some will be more conservative than others,” he continued. “At the end of the day this is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart, or in many cases your religion or faith.”

“Do what’s right for your family, and do what’s right for yourself,” he added.

Joe Biden seized on Trump’s announcement, saying Trump had “made it clear once again today that he is – more than anyone in America – the person responsible for ending Roe v Wade”.

“Trump is scrambling. He’s worried that since he’s the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him