Donald Trump said abortion should be left to the states in an April 8 video on his social media platform Truth Social.

“The states will determine by vote, or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land — in this case, the law of the state,”  said Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. “Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks… at the end of the day it is all about the will of the people.”

Up until now, Trump didn’t state his position on abortion in the 2024 presidential race, but abortion is a top voter issue he needed to get right. By giving the states the power to decide on the issue of abortion for themselves, Trump is establishing a campaign theme of fighting for limited government. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he disagrees with Trump’s position. 

“Trump’s retreat on the right to life is a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020,” Pence said.

Admittedly, abortion is not the issue to demonstrate this with, but Trump won’t necessarily lose voters because of his announcement. Some pro-life voters may not vote for Trump, but most will still vote for him because they know there is no better alternative to be found in President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

As long as the media is around, it will always twist Trump into an evil man, pitting many Americans against him. But he can try to take a middle position on abortion and appeal to pro-choice conservatives and suburban women, too. This strategy may not work out, but if he can rely on losing some pro-life voters and keep most of them who will still vote for him, the risk might gain Trump some independent and left-of-center voters. It’s a long shot, but ultimately, Trump is showing Americans he wants to give them their power back and making abortion a state issue is how he has decided to do that. 

Restrictions on reproductive rights won’t help Republicans get the votes they need to beat Democrats. For example, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled April 9 to uphold the state’s 1864 law which bans almost all abortions including instances of rape and incest. The only exception is to save the life of the mother. 

According to an April 16 Data for Progress poll, high numbers of voters from both parties disapprove of the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision with 82% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans saying they do not like the heavy abortion ban.  

Trump is using abortion as the issue to make voting Republican more appealing to all Americans rather than just pro-life Americans. If Trump wins the presidential election, he will be able to tackle other issues Americans care about like the border crisis, education, and lowering taxes.

Trump has demonstrated an effort in the 2024 presidential race to find a position on abortion that satisfies the majority of Americans. In March 2024, Trump said he would be open to a 15-week ban on abortion, but he said he would announce his position later, wanting to figure out how best to play the abortion issue.

“Seems to be a number [15 weeks] that people are agreeing at, but I’ll make that announcement at the appropriate time,” Trump said.

Some Republicans have gone too far with reproductive restrictions, and Trump is going the other direction to make the party more appealing to win elections.

In a September 2023 interview with “Meet the Press,” Trump said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his Republican primary rival at the time, made a mistake with his six-week abortion ban.

“Both sides are going to like me,” Trump said. “I’m going to come together with all groups, and we’re going to have something that’s acceptable.” 

In January, Trump said during a Fox News town hall that Republicans need to win elections, and being staunchly against abortion is why many Republicans lose elections. 

“We’re going to come up with something that people want and people like,” Trump said. “First of all, you have to go with your heart… But you do also have to put in a little bit — you have to win elections.”

It might seem like Trump blew it on his announcement to leave abortion to the states, but he’s a smart man who knows how to play his cards right. Trump is making an offer based on a compromise that may not satisfy his pro-life voters but one that will find a middle ground.