DeSantis Takes Rare Jab At Trump On Abortion Stance

Topline

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out Tuesday at former President Donald Trump over the ex-president’s refusal to take a stance on Florida’s six-week abortion ban—marking a rare instance where DeSantis has directly veered into the fray with Trump as he is widely expected to announce a presidential run in the coming weeks.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks after signing three education bills on the campus of New … [+] College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. on Monday, May 15, 2023. (Photo by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Washington Post via Getty Images

Key Facts

DeSantis fired back at Trump’s vague positioning regarding Florida’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, telling reporters at an unrelated event that Trump “won’t answer whether he would sign it or not.”

Trump gave an elusive response about whether he supported the ban in an interview published Monday with The Messenger and also suggested the restrictive law DeSantis signed last month is “too harsh.”

DeSantis defended the law Tuesday and said he was “proud” to sign the legislation that “almost probably 99% of pro-lifers support,” adding that “it’s something other states like Iowa under Gov. Kim Reynolds have enacted.”

Surprising Fact

DeSantis’ rebuke of Trump comes as he has largely shied away from directly criticizing his former ally, who in contrast has ramped up his criticism of the Florida governor in recent months, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious,” while attacking his personality and taking credit for DeSantis’ political rise.

Crucial Quote

“Well, he has to do what he has to do. If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh,” Trump told the Messenger when asked if DeSantis should have signed the legislation, before refusing again to say whether or not he would have made the same decision. “I’m looking at all [options]

,” Trump said.

Key Background

Trump’s interview with the Messenger marks the second time in less than a week that he has given a non-committal answer on abortion, even though he and other GOP leaders have acknowledged Republicans’ messaging strategy surrounding the issue contributed to the party’s worse-than-expected midterm performance. During a town hall on CNN last week, Trump refused to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion. In both interviews, Trump bragged about appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who tipped the scales of power on the high court and reversed Roe v. Wade last summer—ending the nationwide right to an abortion.

What To Watch For

Florida’s new abortion restrictions will replace the state’s current ban on abortions at more than 15 weeks of pregnancy if the existing law is upheld by the Supreme Court, which is currently weighing a legal challenge against the 15-week ban. The six-week ban includes exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking.

Tangent

DeSantis made veiled jabs at Trump, but did not refer to him by name, at a series of political events in Iowa over the weekend. “We must reject the culture of losing that has affected our party in recent years,” DeSantis said, a possible reference to a string of midterm losses among Trump-backed candidates. In an apparent rebuke of Trump’s obsession with his 2020 election loss, DeSantis warned Republicans risk losing to Democrats in 2024 “if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues,” while urging the GOP to instead “make the 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden” and “provide a positive alternative.” He also made a dig at Trump’s penchant for “entertaining,” telling a crowd at a picnic in Sioux City: “Governing is not about building a brand or talking on social media and virtue signaling. It’s ultimately about winning and about producing results.”