Trump Says It’s ‘A Beautiful Thing To Watch’ States Ban Abortion

Donald Trump said “it’s a beautiful thing to watch” states enact different abortion restrictions during a Fox News interview on Wednesday, during which he also repeated several lies about abortion policy.

The former president and presumptive GOP presidential nominee spoke with Sean Hannity, whose questions focused on several issues that will be central in the upcoming presidential election, including abortion.

Trump repeated the lie that “everyone” — including legal scholars on both sides of the aisle — have wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade since the 1973 ruling was handed down.

He bragged about his efforts to end the right to an abortion by appointing the three conservative Supreme Court Justices that ultimately upended Roe, adding that leaving abortion laws to the states has worked out well.

“Now the states are deciding,” he said. “And by the way, in many cases, like Ohio, it became — if you want to use the word liberal or progressive — it was more liberal or progressive than people would have thought. But the people of Ohio decided. The people of Kansas decided. The people are now deciding.” (Ohio voters approved an amendment last fall protecting abortion access in the state constitution; Kansas voters did the same in 2022.)

“In some cases, they’re going the other direction,” he added. “But the people are deciding and in many ways, it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

Nearly 20 states have severe or near-total abortion bans in place, setting off a crisis of maternal health care for millions across the country. Women have been denied care and left to bleed out in hospital parking lots or were forced to travel out-of-state. Others had to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, forcing them to stay with abusive partners or