SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
When Donald Trump first ran for president, he promised to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices who would overturn abortion rights in the United States.
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DONALD TRUMP: Well, if I appoint two or three more justices, that actually would happen, and I think that would happen automatically, because I’m appointing pro-life justices to the Supreme Court.
DETROW: In fact, all three justices that President Trump appointed as president voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. But since then, it has become increasingly clear that more voters want to expand abortion rights rather than restrict them. That’s why, during this campaign, Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from that landmark moment and the many restrictive state laws it led to. And yet, as a resident of Florida, he must vote on the issue himself. The state is scheduled to hold a referendum this fall to overturn a recent law banning abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy. In recent days, Trump has made a number of contradictory statements about the referendum, known as Amendment 4. Last night, he said he would vote against it.
Now joining us is Romy Ellenbogen, Tallahassee correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald, who has covered the twists and turns of this case. Hi.
Romy Ellenbogen: Hi. How are you?
DETROW: All right. Thanks for joining us. So let’s start with Amendment 4. Can you just briefly explain for those outside of Florida what this bill would specifically be?
Ellenbogen: Yes, that’s right. This amendment is very succinct. It basically says that no law can prohibit, delay or restrict abortion before viability or when a health care provider determines it is necessary to protect the patient’s health. So if this amendment passes, it would repeal the six-week ban in Florida that’s currently in place.
DETROW: Okay. So a vote against this bill is essentially a vote for the status quo that bans it in six weeks.
ELLENBOGEN: Yes, if someone votes against this bill, restrictive abortion laws will remain in place.
DETROW: Let’s talk about Donald Trump, who voted in Florida this year and is running for president. Can you expand on some of the different statements he’s made in the last few days about this bill?
ELLENBOGEN: Yes. You see, first, at the Mar-a-Lago press conference, he avoided a direct question about how he would vote on Amendment 4, promising to say something later. Then weeks have passed, and he hasn’t commented on Amendment 4 at all. And then in an interview with NBC earlier this week, he reiterated something he’d said before, which is that Florida’s six-week ban is too short.
But when asked by a reporter if that meant he would vote yes, Trump said he would vote for more than six weeks. The Trump campaign quickly intervened to clarify that this wasn’t a vote yes or no; Trump was simply reiterating that he thought six weeks was too short. Then, 24 hours later, on Friday afternoon, Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he would, in fact, vote no on the amendment, marking the first time he’d directly answered what he would do in November.
DETROW: How much has this debate over whether candidates running for president support this bill overshadowed the broader movement on this bill?
ELLENBOGEN: I don’t know if it’s subsiding. Both candidates running for president have brought up the Fourth Amendment and abortion extensively when they’re talking about Florida. The Democrats have, I would say, gone on the offensive there, and the Trump campaign maybe went on the defensive a little more. But this is an issue that’s on the ballot in November, and I think the candidates understand that and are using that in their campaigns.
DETROW: Do you know what the polls are looking at right now on Amendment 4?
Ellenbogen: Well, it’s all over the place. Polls are showing them just short of passing. Florida is a tall state. It needs 60% of voters to pass, but it needs 50% or a majority. Polls are saying 57%. Some polls are saying over 60%. The highest I’ve seen is 69%. But neither side is anywhere near getting their campaigns into gear. Right.
DETROW: What will you be watching for on this front in the coming weeks?
ELLENBOGEN: Yes. I expect to see a lot more money coming in from outside the state for both sides. Governor DeSantis has vowed to oppose this amendment and has raised a lot of money for his gubernatorial campaigns in the past. We’re already seeing the Florida Civil Liberties Union, which supported the amendment and put it on the ballot, raising money from major organizations now that it’s officially passed.
DETROW: Romy Ellenbogen, Tallahassee correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald. Thank you very much.
ELLENBOGEN: Thank you.
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