Former President Donald Trump said that he was “honored” to have appointed three Republican Supreme Court Justices, which led to Roe V. Wade getting overturned during his CNN Town Hall in New Hampshire on Wednesday, May 10. Trump spoke about being glad to have appointed the justices during his presidency, but he didn’t directly say whether or not he’d sign a federal abortion ban, when pressed by anchor Kaitlan Collins. “The fact that I was able to terminate Roe v. Wade after 50 years of trying,” Trump said. “I was so honored to have done it.”
Donald Trump BOASTS about overturning Roe v Wade:
"The fact that I was able to terminate Roe V Wade… I was honored to have done it." #CNNTownhall pic.twitter.com/x2GWcvVnzi
— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) May 11, 2023
With Roe V. Wade being overturned with a Republican-majority in the Supreme Court, Trump pointed towards the three conservative judges that he appointed: Justices Neil Gorsuch, Bret Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. “The fact that I was able to put three great justices on the Supreme Court,” he said.
Kaitlan Collins lets Trump slide when he lies about Democrats supporting the murder of born babies. Trump then refuses to answer a question about if he would sign a federal abortion ban, but indicates he's open to it. pic.twitter.com/0e8B6VR4Z8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2023
As he continued, Trump also made false claims about late-term abortions, and he continued to say that he was “proud” of appointing the justices who overturned the monumental Supreme Court case. “Now for the first time, the people that are pro-life have negotiating capability, because you didn’t have it before. They could kill the baby in the ninth month or after the baby was born. Now they won’t be able to do that,” he said. “I am honored to have done what I did.”
Collins did press Trump on whether he would sign a federal abortion ban, but he didn’t give a straight answer. “I’m looking at a solution that’s going to work. Very complex issue for the country. You have people on both sides of an issue, but we are now in a very strong position. Pro-life people are in a strong position to make a deal that’s going to be good and going to be satisfactory for them,” he said.
Trump took part in the town hall as part of his 2024 presidential campaign, after losing the 2020 election. He first announced his candidacy as a Republican candidate for the Oval Office in November 2022. He made his bid for president during a rally at his home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. “America’s comeback starts right now,” he said. “In order to make America great and glorious again I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.”
Trump is one of five declared candidates on the right to be running for office against incumbent President Joe Biden. Other Republicans making a run for the Oval Office include Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, and Vivek Ramaswamy. While Biden is expected to be the nominee on the Democratic side, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson have also announced runs for president on the left.
Besides the election, the town hall came as Trump is facing a series of legal battles. A jury decided TK during his civil trial against writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her in the 90s, which Trump has denied. He is also awaiting trial in New York after being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, including his alleged hush money payment to adult star Stormy Daniels. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied having a relationship with Daniels. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is also expected to announce if she will prosecute him for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, following a grand jury investigation. The Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into his involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021, after the House Select Committee recommended four criminal charges in December 2022.
After Trump’s arrest in April, he gave a speech at Mar-a-Lago, where he accused the prosecutors of trying to put an end to his campaign. “They can’t beat us at the ballot box, so they try to beat us through the law,” he said during the rally. “With all of this being said, and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt nevertheless we will make America great again.”