Former President Donald Trump has taken aim against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' new law banning most abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy, saying that “many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh.”
DeSantis responded to Trump's remarks on Tuesday, saying, “Protecting an unborn child when there is a detectable heartbeat is something that probably 99% of pro-lifers support.”
“I think that as a Florida resident, you know, he didn’t give an answer about, ‘Would you have signed the heartbeat bill that Florida did?’ It had all the exceptions that people talk about. The legislature put it in. I signed the bill. I was proud to do it. He won’t answer whether he would sign it or not,” DeSantis added.
But one of Trump's most vocal supporters, his first-born son, has views on abortion that seemed to have evolved oppositely from his father's. As the New York Post points out, Donald Trump Jr. told podcast host Dave Rubin back in 2012 that Republicans should abandon their fight against abortion.
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“I don’t understand how you can tell someone what they can or can’t do,” Trump Jr. told Rubin. “I can’t buy into the abortion argument. I wish the Republicans would drop it as part of their platform.”
“Abortion, I don’t get it. I don’t even understand how it’s a political issue,” Trump Jr. added. “I don’t understand how there’s one-issue voters for that.”
Now, Trump Jr., as evidenced by his public statements, is staunchly pro-life.
“Abortion supporters are doing everything in their power to end preborn lives by advocating for abortion from the moment of conception UP UNTIL BIRTH!,” he tweeted in January. “Wherever you are on the issue we can all agree that’s insane & way too far. Demand lawmakers protect life.”
Speaking to The Post, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. said his earlier, more liberal views on abortion were influenced by his environment.
“Years before Don began engaging in politics, his views on abortion were largely shaped by his upbringing in liberal New York City, but no different than conservative heroes like Ronald Reagan and millions of other converts, he now proudly considers himself to be pro-life,” Andy Surabian told The Post Wednesday.
“His perspective began to change after doctors urged him to abort one of his kids who showed early signs of Down Syndrome. The test turned out to be a false positive, and the experience made him question the practice," Surabian said.
