Former First Lady Melania Trump appeared on X Thursday to discuss her views on women’s rights. abortion rights.
in the year 28 second videoTrump says: “Individual liberty is a fundamental principle that I stand by. There is absolutely no room for compromise when it comes to this fundamental right that all women are born with.”
“Individual freedom. What does my body my choice really mean?” he added.
This was reported by The Guardian In his memoir, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Trump defends abortion rights.
NBC News did not independently confirm The Guardian’s report that Trump wrote: “Why should a woman have the power to determine what anyone but herself does with her body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty over her own life gives her the right to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.
“Limiting a woman’s right to choose whether or not to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my adult life,” she said, according to the report.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, former President Donald Trump responded to a question about his wife’s comments on abortion: “We talked about it and I said, ‘You have to write what you believe.’ you must write what you believe to do.
“He’s so cute,” she said. “People love our former first lady, I can tell you that, but I said you have to hold on to your heart. I told everyone that you should go with your heart.
Asked to comment on the former first lady’s views on abortion, Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung pointed to Donald Trump’s words in the interview.
The former president has come up many times his role said he could “kill Roe v. Wade” by ending nationwide protections for abortion.
“I think now that we have the abortion that everyone wants from a legal standpoint, the states will determine whether they vote or legislate, or maybe both, and whatever they decide should be the law of the land.” he said in April. He said this week that if he reaches his desk as president, he will not sign into law a nationwide ban on abortion.
“Unfortunately for women in America, Mrs. Trump’s husband strongly disagrees with her,” Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said in a statement Thursday.
Chitika pointed out that Trump’s presidency has led to abortion restrictions and bans in many states. Vice President Kamala Harris has made access to reproductive care and abortion central to her campaign.
Melania Trump’s comments, which did not take part in the election campaign, drew criticism from the anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life. said in an article “A lot of what he says is just not true.”
The group’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, reposted the statement, adding, “American women are capable of great strength and creativity. They naturally tend to speak up for the powerless. Abortion is not the source of their freedom and liberty.”
The former first lady’s new position also drew backlash from reproductive rights groups, who pointed to Donald Trump’s record on abortion.
“This is the latest example of politicians — or those politically close to them — shifting their positions in rhetoric but not in action,” Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement Thursday.
“As president, he made it his mission to overturn Roe v. Wade. Melania stood by him, never publicly repudiating his actions until weeks before the election, when our bodies were on the ballot again and he lost voters on the issue,” he continued. “Read between the lines.”
Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, told NBC News that Melania Trump’s appearance as a supporter of abortion rights angered her because her comments could confuse voters who are not fully informed about the abortion rights fight.
“If the Trump campaign was really strategic, I would guess that it might actually help confuse uninformed voters and maybe allow soft Republican women who are conflicted over abortion to hold their noses and vote for Trump,” she said. “Trump’s record is very clear. He overpowered Roe. The contrast with VP Harris is clear. She has been a champion of reproductive freedom throughout her career.”