- Donald Trump lied about Democrats' view on abortions.
- Trump echoed his past claims about how Democrats support babies being "executed after birth."
- Biden slammed Trump for being the most responsible for the Supreme Court overturning Roe.
Former President Donald Trump lied on Monday and said that Democrats want babies "executed after birth" in a video that was supposed to unveil his views on the politically fraught issue of abortion.
"They support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month," Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. "The concept of having an abortion in the later months, and even execution after birth." That's exactly what it is, the baby is born, and the baby is executed after birth."
Trump's claim was part of an announcement that sought to finally establish his views on abortion amid a series of sometimes contradictory statements. He declined to support a nationwide abortion ban. The former president said that whatever individual states determine "must be the law of the land" but did not establish an explicit position on abortion rights ballot initiatives that are pending in states throughout the country.
As he has in the past, Trump argued that since Democrats articulate few limits they want to place on abortion therefore, it means they want to allow abortions up until the point of birth or even after that. This "infanticide" argument has been part of the abortion debate for years.
The fact is that abortions beyond 21 weeks are rare, as multiple outlets and fact-checkers have confirmed. According to CDC data from before the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade, less than 1% of abortions were performed at 21 weeks or later in gestation. Doctors have said such abortions are only performed for medical emergencies.
The Biden White House has backed the Women's Health Protection Act which, as Business Insider previously reported, did not allow for post-birth termination. The bill did allow for later abortions for "health" reasons, which anti-abortion groups have argued is too vague of a position and could allow for abortions for psychological or emotional reasons.
President Joe Biden, in a statement released by his campaign, said that Trump "more than anyone in America" is most responsible for the current uncertainty around nationwide abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision.
"Trump is scrambling," Biden said in a statement. "He's worried that since he's the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024."
In his video statement, Trump expressed pride in his role of appointing the three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped provide the majority that overturned Roe.
