Florida abortion measure shows how Trump has struggled with abortion politics after Roe

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

60% : By Friday Trump was decided.
56% : Conant said Trump just needs a consistent message when it comes to abortion.
45% : Faced with angering his base or continue nodding to those who oppose the measure, Trump chose his base.
40% : "Pressed on how he would vote on the Florida ballot measure, Trump told NBC: "I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks."
35% : After months of dodging and initially signaling he favored a more permissive approach, Trump came out Friday against an abortion rights measure on the Florida ballot that would make the procedure legal up to the point of fetal viability outside the womb, which currently corresponds to about 24 weeks of pregnancy and was the standard under Roe until it was struck down.
33% : That has left the field open for proposed state and federal abortion restrictions that leave Trump in a bind.
33% : Trump has tried to avoid embracing his party's most unpopular policies during the 2024 campaign while also placating anti-abortion advocates.
33% : "The Trump campaign worked to contain the fallout on the right from his Thursday comments, releasing a statement that evening insisting Trump hadn't decided how he would vote on Amendment 4.
33% : Trump immediately came out in support of IVF and went further this week, saying he wants to mandate that insurance companies pay for the costly procedure, although his campaign has not produced a written proposal or provided any details of how it would work.
29% : Now it was the left's turn to pounce on Trump.
28% : Trump criticized the six-week ban, saying there "has to be more time.
27% : It is one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, and one that Trump has been eager to distance himself from.
25% : Dannenfelser later put out a second statement saying she spoke to Trump and he was undecided on the Florida ballot measure.
23% : ""I think Trump is grappling with this issue like every other Floridian," he said.
23% : Trump has tried to distance himself from more extreme anti-abortion measures without upsetting supporters who are staunchly against the procedure.
20% : Scrambling to contain the falloutOn Thursday, Trump was asked about Amendment 4 and gave an answer that alarmed some anti-abortion activists.
12% : Trump's abortion paradoxTrump created a paradox for himself when he followed through on conservatives' long-held desire to overturn Roe.
11% : Republican consultant Mike Murphy, who worked for multiple GOP presidential candidates and is a vocal critic of Trump, wrote on X that the former president is "actually multiple choice on abortion.

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