Florida's abortion law is now Donald Trump's problem. And it's not one he asked for.
The Florida Supreme Court validated a previously passed 15-week abortion ban, setting the stage for the six-week ban in 2023's Heartbeat Protection Act to take effect next month.
Another decision, meanwhile, will give voters recourse to upend the law with Amendment 4 in November.
In the wake of the court rulings, reporters have wondered what Trump thinks about one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, and his campaign has done little to offer clarity.
"President Trump supports preserving life but has also made clear that he supports states' rights because he supports the voters' right to make decisions for themselves," reported the Bulwark's Marc Caputo.
Caputo cited an adviser saying there was "no point in weighing in now," a statement which creates further mystery regarding his position on Amendment 4.
Yet clarity into Trump's position regarding the Florida six-week ban exists, if one assumes the controversies of the early part of the presidential race offer insight into his position.
"I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake," Trump said in September 2023, regarding Gov. Ron DeSantis pushing for the law.
The irony: DeSantis doesn't have to face voters this year. Trump does.
And as is clear, the Joe Biden campaign believes the abortion issue and the energy around it makes Florida "winnable" in a way it wouldn't have been had the DeSantis-installed Supreme Court not approved the measure to advance to the ballot.
And while Trump has already distanced himself from Florida's six-week ban, DeSantis issued a number of denunciations of the former President while he was an active candidate for President.
"I think that if you have something where you have a baby that has a detectable heartbeat, if you're pro-life, you would want to say that there should be protections there," he said on ABC News last fall. "And if he's saying, 'That's a terrible thing,' I know most pro-life voters would think that he's wrong."
"Donald Trump may think it's terrible. I think protecting babies with heartbeats is noble and just and I'm proud to have signed the heartbeat bill in Florida and I know Iowa has similar legislation," DeSantis said on Radio Iowa around the same time. "I don't know how you can even make the claim that you're somehow pro-life if you're criticizing states for enacting protections for babies that have heartbeats."
DeSantis described Trump's position as a "danger that we all have to look at" with respect to the anti-abortion cause, adding that "all pro-lifers should know that he's preparing to sell you out."
"I was really surprised because he's a Florida resident and I thought he would compliment the fact, you know, that we were able to do the heartbeat bill, which pro-lifers have wanted for a long time. He never complimented, never said anything about it," DeSantis recounted on the 700 Club.
"Then he was asked about it and he said it was 'harsh.' But, you know, these are, these are children with detectable heartbeats. And I think to do that was very humane and I think it was something that every pro-lifer appreciates that we were able to get that done."
So to sum up: Trump never asked for Florida's current controversy over abortion. But it's served up to him, thanks in large part to the man who he made Governor, and who paid him back by trying to derail his re-election bid.
Though DeSantis won zero counties in his $168 million presidential campaign, his actions and the reaction by the Left, given a platform by a Supreme Court he has shaped, create a political problem the former President likely didn't count on in his adopted home state.
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