Governor Ron DeSantis continues to try to side with former president Donald Trump On the abortion question.
During an interview with Glenn Beck That was released on Saturday, DeSantis warned that Trump’s claim that the Florida Heartbeat Protection Act bans abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy is “terrible” and would be “weaponized” by proponents of Constitutional Amendment 2024 This would limit the legislature’s ability to pass such laws.
“And here’s the thing: The damage he’s done with this is more than just his campaign,” DeSantis said.
“Florida may have a referendum on a constitutional amendment that would generally provide for on-demand abortion. The left is following it. And if that passes, that means a lawmaker can never do anything to protect lives,” DeSantis said.
“Do you think they’re going to run ads for Republicans and independents showing Trump to Trump voters that Trump didn’t like this vote? For us, of course, it is the other way around: they will use what he said as a weapon to try to defeat the cause of life. And it was hurtful, it was damaging.”
DeSantis previously described the former president’s position as a “big mistake but he had not previously suggested that Trump’s claim that the law was “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake” would benefit reproductive rights advocates in the Florida vote.
A survey from the University of North Florida This year, 78% of Floridians and 61% of Republicans indicate they oppose newly enacted abortion restrictions, meaning Trump represents the majority opinion. But for DeSantis, abortion is not an issue where polls matter.
“And it doesn’t matter if 80% of people think it should be protected or if only 20% of people think it should be protected. This is not a survey question. It’s a fundamental question about your values, about your opinions,” DeSantis said.
