Donald Trump says he would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans; the best way to fight back is to elect Democratic majorities in state legislatures
WASHINGTON — In an exclusive interview with TIME, Trump once again reiterated the crucial stakes of the 2024 legislative elections saying, “I’m leaving everything up to the states” when it comes to abortion rights and other important issues. In Trump’s world, fundamental freedoms are on the line in state legislatures.
Among other terrifying ideas, Trump said he would let red states handle every aspect of reproductive freedom– including monitoring pregnancies, prosecuting women who get abortions, and allowing states to consider fetal personhood legislation that threatens reproductive care like IVF.
From TIME interview and transcript:
- “He would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans.”
- “The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes more than 80% of the House GOP conference, included in its 2025 budget proposal the Life at Conception Act, which says the right to life extends to ‘the moment of fertilization.’ I ask Trump if he would veto that bill if it came to his desk. ‘I don’t have to do anything about vetoes,’ Trump says, ‘because we now have it back in the states.’
- “But with all of that being said, it’s all about the states, it’s about state rights. States’ rights. States are going to make their own determination.”
- “He is weighing pardons for every one of his supporters accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 of whom have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury.”
- Reminder: 15 state legislators who were in Washington on January 6th are currently serving in state capitols around the country.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Communications Director Abhi Rahman issued the following statement:
“Everybody agrees that 2024 is the most important year in state legislative campaign history, as states are on the frontlines of every fundamental freedom and major political issue that is at stake in November. Donald Trump laid out the stakes in the states clearly: State legislative elections in November will decide who has their fundamental freedoms protected, and Republicans are depending on their power in the states to secure the MAGA agenda. 2024 is the year of the states, and the contrast between Democratic and Republican leadership has never been so stark, and the stakes have never been higher.
“As the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in state legislatures and setting the national agenda at the state level, the DLCC is leading the fight to hold and flip state legislatures for Democrats across the country in 2024. Alongside winning at the top of the ticket, we must vote for Democrats up and down the ballot to protect fundamental freedoms and safeguard our democracy. States will continue to be a bulwark against Republicans’ MAGA agenda, and the DLCC is all in to win as many state legislative seats as possible in November.”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
###
