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Ron “Desanctimonious” DeSantis may get revenge on Donald Trump after all, but it’s not what he expected.
The Florida governor’s draconian six-week abortion ban, which he pushed as part of his presidential campaign, was cleared by the Florida Supreme Court on Monday, believing it would give him an edge over Trump and other Republican candidates. The bill is scheduled to go into effect within 30 days, up from a 15-week abortion ban in the state.
This is horrifying, but the state’s high court also ruled that an amendment protecting abortion rights will be on the Florida ballot in November, giving voters the option to override DeSantis’ ban. If given the chance to do so, and past elections serve as evidence, turnout will increase significantly.
DeSantis and the Florida Supreme Court lend a hand to Biden
You can parse these developments in the Sunshine State all you want, but there is no version that suits Republican presidential nominee Trump.
He previously called DeSantis’ six-week suspension “terrible,” knowing how unpopular it was with voters. Now, President Trump will face three choices in his home state that are bad for him but great for Joe Biden.
- Accept the six-week ban he disgraced and tell his supporters to oppose the Abortion Rights Protection Amendment.
- He remains opposed to the six-week ban and supports the Abortion Rights Amendment, but he can only do so by alienating evangelical voters.
- If he becomes president, let’s say he overrides the six-week state ban and institutes a federal ban on abortions at 15 or 16 weeks. This would be a gift to President Biden’s re-election campaign.
Oh, Ron. People might think you’re being sneaky if you planned this as a way to get back at the guy who nicknamed you “Ron Desanctimonious.”
Florida’s six-week abortion ban is essentially a complete abortion ban.
In a ruling Monday, Florida’s conservative Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution does not protect the right to abortion. This would re-enact Florida’s existing 15-week abortion ban.
The six-week suspension that DeSantis signed last April was scheduled to begin 30 days after the Supreme Court’s decision upheld the 15-week suspension. So the clock starts now.
For Floridians, the six-week ban effectively means a complete ban on abortion. That’s because most people don’t even know they’re pregnant until six weeks later. It would also further restrict access to abortion in the South.
Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Defending Freedom, which fought to pass the abortion amendment on the state’s 2024 ballot, told The Washington Post: “There’s no place in the Southeast that can absorb Florida’s patient population. It’s impossible. This is simply an unmanageable number of cases to try to move to another state.”
Why won’t Biden sell Bibles?Joe Biden hasn’t targeted a judge’s daughter or sold a single Bible. What a loser!
Trump will have a hard time considering this Florida voting issue
The real-world impact of DeSantis’ ban will be felt long before the November election, and it’s not something Trump can avoid.
Women in the state would completely lose their right to abortion. First, thanks to President Trump’s picks for the U.S. Supreme Court that helped overturn Roe v. Wade, and second, thanks to DeSantis’ conservative-backed anti-abortion policies on state supreme courts.
President Trump took credit for Roe’s overturn and then criticized DeSantis’ national ban, tweeting specifically that “a deal will be made” on a national abortion ban. We are trying to effectively overcome this problem.
During a CNN town hall last May, President Trump was asked if he would sign a 15-week federal abortion ban, but he didn’t respond, saying, “What I’m going to do is negotiate in a way that makes people happy.” “That’s it,” he said.
Good luck, Baba.
Recent Fox News poll shows widespread support for abortion access
To summarize voters’ opinions on this issue, let’s quote from a Fox News report released last week. “Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a record number of voters believe abortion should be legal, guaranteed access, according to a Fox News national poll.” Thirty percent of respondents supported a nationwide law to do so.
The Truth Social Stock:Thinking about buying Truth Social stock? Trump’s own filings include these warnings.
This “guarantees” access, not prohibits it.
The poll found that 59% of voters think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Fifty-four percent also oppose the federal 15-week abortion ban, with far more opposed to more restrictive laws.
Biden will still struggle in Florida, but this changes the outlook
This has been a weak issue for Republicans since Roe was overturned. Trump knows it, but like he does most things, he can’t find a way around it.
That dance has become orders of magnitude more complicated thanks to the actions of Mr. DeSantis, the chief Republican opponent whom President Trump defeated and humiliated.
And Florida, a seemingly deep red state featuring Mar-a-Lago and Trump himself, just got even more interesting.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Hupke on X (formerly Twitter). @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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