Ramaswamy argues abortion 'not a presidential issue anymore'

Vivek Ramaswamy argued Wednesday that abortion is “not a presidential issue anymore” as he defended former President Trump’s stance on the issue.

CNN’s Kate Bolduan pressed Ramaswamy on Trump’s recent statements about Florida’s ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and suggested that he made conflicting statements on the issue. Ramaswamy maintained that Trump believes that the issue of abortion should be left up to the states and that the former president does not support a federal ban on abortion.

He also argued that abortion is not a significant issue for presidents, despite voters repeatedly saying that it is a top concern for them this election season.

“And where I give Donald Trump a lot of credit — this was my position during the presidential campaign as well — is that this is an issue for the states in a post-Dobbs world. I think Roe was correctly overturned. I think most Republicans agree on that,” Ramaswamy said.

“This is now an issue for the states. And I know that Democrats want to make this a core issue. But the reality is, it's not a presidential issue anymore. It belongs to the states,” he added.

Trump made a number of statements about abortion last week, including saying that Florida’s ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy was too strict and claimed on social media his administration would be “great for women and their reproductive rights.” Shortly after, he said he would vote against a referendum that would overturn the Florida law and protect abortion access.

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He has said he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban, but he has declined to say whether he would veto such a ban if it made it to his desk.

Ramaswamy pushed back on criticism from Harris’s campaign about Trump’s abortion stance. Vice President Harris has repeatedly attacked Trump over abortion and has vowed to continue supporting abortion access.

“Kamala Harris has wrongly characterized and wrongfully stated, I think in this case I'd call it an outright lie, saying Donald Trump would sign a federal abortion ban when he's been clear that he's against a federal position on this issue. And I think voters deserve that kind of clarity,” Ramaswamy said on Wednesday.