Former President Donald Trump criticized Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Monday for signing a six-week abortion ban, claiming pro-lifers think the ban is “too harsh,” according to The Messenger.
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election in the coming weeks, signed the Heartbeat Protection Act on April 13, making abortion illegal in the state of Florida after six weeks with limited exceptions. Trump argued in an interview Monday that he wasn’t sure DeSantis knew what he was doing when it came to the issue of abortion, saying that many pro-lifers felt the law was “too harsh,” according to The Messenger. (RELATED: Republican Governor Orders Legislature Back To Get Heartbeat Abortion Bill Over The Finish Line)
“He has to do what he has to do,” Trump said. “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.”
Signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which expands pro-life protections and devotes resources to help young mothers and families. pic.twitter.com/quZpSj1ZPk
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 14, 2023
Trump declined to explain whether or not he would sign a six-week ban, according to The Messenger, and didn’t elaborate on where the former president stood on the issue. Trump was heavily criticized by pro-life organizations recently for saying that he would not sign a federal abortion ban if one were sent to his desk, saying that the presidential candidate’s answer was “unacceptable.”
The former president also came under fire when he suggested that Republicans performed badly in the 2022 midterm elections because of their position on abortion.
“Trump is way out of line here on life,” Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, said, on Twitter regarding Trump’s midterm comments. “He does not have a pulse on where his potential base is — as many believed he has in the past. This kind of nonsense will be a losing political strategy for him.”
DeSantis and Trump did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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