Poll: Trump and a National Abortion Ban

This Navigator Research report contains polling data on the latest perceptions of abortion rights following former President Trump’s announcement that abortion rights should be left to the states, including what Americans think Trump’s position on abortion is and whether he would sign a nationwide abortion ban into law if given the opportunity.

A majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal nationwide rather than left to individual states.

Amid former President Trump’s announcement that abortion should be left to states to decide, 57 percent of Americans agree more that abortion should be legal nationwide compared to just 43 percent who say that individual states should decide whether abortion is legal or not in their state. Four in five Democrats (80 percent), over three in five independents (62 percent), and a third of Republicans (32 percent) agree more that abortion should be legal nationwide. 

• Nearly two in three Americans agree more with a statement that “we shouldn’t let our fundamental rights and freedoms be decided by the whims of politicians… everyone in the country should have the same basic right to an abortion, no matter where you live” (64 percent, including 64 percent of independents) over a state rights argument that “every state should be able to decide what its own abortion laws look like… having one federal rule that decides how all states should handle the issue means a one-size-fits-all approach that not every state will agree with” (36 percent).

A majority of Americans believe Donald Trump would sign a nationwide abortion ban into law.

A growing majority of Americans think Trump believes abortion should be illegal and that he would sign a nationwide abortion ban into law. Two in three Americans think Trump believes abortion should be illegal in all or most cases (65 percent), a net 9-point increase since September when 56 percent said the same. The share who are unsure of Trump’s stance on abortion has declined 9 points over the same period of time (from 29 percent to 20 percent now). 74 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of Republicans, and 47 percent of independents believe Trump thinks abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. 

• When given the hypothetical of whether Trump would sign a national abortion ban if he becomes president and Congress passes one, a majority of Americans believe Trump would sign a ban into law (net -29; 26 percent would veto a ban – 55 percent would sign a ban into law). Democrats are most likely to believe Trump would sign a ban into law (72 percent); however, pluralities of independents and Republicans say the same (42 percent and 40 percent, respectively).
• The most concerning statements Trump has made about abortion include that “there has to be some form of punishment for women who have abortions” (66 percent concerning, including 67 percent of independents), that “he was ‘proud’ to have been able to ‘kill Roe v. Wade’ and eliminate the federal right to an abortion” (61 percent concerning, including 63 percent of independents), and that “Roe v. Wade being overturned was ‘only made possible because I delivered… three highly respected and strong Constitutionalist [justices] confirmed to the United States Supreme Court’ who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade” (59 percent concerning, including 64 percent of independents). A majority also find his comments about states determining abortion rights in their own state concerning, though by smaller margins. As advocates frame for their audiences who is responsible for taking away abortion rights, these are important arguments to include in advocacy that illustrate the stakes for abortion rights.

More than three in five Americans say Donald Trump is responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

62 percent of Americans hold Trump responsible for overturning Roe and eliminating the federal right to an abortion, including pluralities of independents (46 percent) and Republicans (45 percent). Democrats are most likely to hold Trump responsible (82 percent), and in an open-ended question asking who is most responsible, Democrats largely cite both “Trump” and “the Supreme Court,” while Republicans and independents mostly blame the Court. 

• When it comes to positions on abortion, the most concerning for the American people is one that “supports a national abortion ban, eliminating the federal right to an abortion and banning abortion in all states” (78 percent concerning), including to 95 percent of Democrats, 86 percent of independents, and 58 percent of Republicans. Three in four also are concerned with one that “supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to an abortion” and one that “supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to an abortion and allowing states to completely ban all abortions” is also concerning (76 percent and 74 percent, respectively).