Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) fired back at former President Donald Trump's dig at the state's fetal heartbeat bill the governor signed last month.
Trump gently knocked the abortion ban, noting that many anti-abortion activists felt it was too "harsh," but refrained from outright opposing it. DeSantis rejected Trump's characterization and affirmed that he was proud to have signed the bill into law.
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"Protecting an unborn child when there's a detectable heartbeat is something that almost probably 99% of pro-lifers support. It's something that other states like Iowa under Gov. Kim Reynolds have enacted," DeSantis said. "I signed the bill, I was proud to do it. He won't answer whether he would've signed it or not."
#BREAKING: DeSantis hits Trump on suggesting the six-week abortion ban may be "too harsh"
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) May 16, 2023
"As a Florida resident, he didn't give an answer about 'would you sign the heartbeat bill that Florida did?' [...] He won't answer whether he would sign it or not." pic.twitter.com/2yYoYZSt7F
DeSantis has shown a penchant for steering clear of directly rebuking Trump when given the opportunity, despite the former president unleashing a barrage of attacks against him.
The governor signed the Heartbeat Protection Act last month, banning the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks of gestation. The bill featured exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, human trafficking, and incest. That law is currently in limbo amid court challenges to a prior 15-week abortion ban.
“He has to do what he has to do,” Trump told the Messenger about DeSantis signing the bill. “If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don't even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh.”
Abortion has emerged as a political landmine issue for 2024 Republicans who are seeking to court their base without alienating general election voters. Democrats have hammered the GOP on abortion, sensing a weakness that some analysts believe helped them blunt a red wave in the 2022 midterm elections.
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Trump has faced criticism from anti-abortion groups such as Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America for giving mixed signals on whether he would back a federal abortion ban. The group's leader later appeared to patch things up with him.
"I want to do what’s right. And we’re looking. And we want to do what’s right for everybody," Trump said at a CNN town hall event last week when asked if he'd back federal restrictions.