Trump Sparks Backlash After Saying He’s ‘Looking At’ Birth Control Restrictions ‘Very Shortly’

Former President Donald Trump has sparked backlash in a controversial interview when he hinted he would support restrictions on birth control access. The comments have prompted a fierce backlash from the Biden-Harris administration and women’s rights advocates.

In an interview with political analyst Jon Delano on KDKA-TV of Pittsburgh, Trump was asked whether he supports any restrictions on a women’s right to contraception. In response, Trump stated that he is “looking at that” and will release a policy on the issue “very shortly.” 

When pressed further on the matter, Trump said, “You know, also, things really do have a lot to do with the states, and some states are going to have different policy than others.” This implication of potential state-level restrictions on birth control has drawn widespread criticism.

However, later on Tuesday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to issue a categorical denial in all caps that he would “never, and will never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control.” He added, also in all caps, “I do not support a ban on birth control and neither with the Republican party.”

The Biden-Harris campaign seized on the initial comments, with a statement from spokesperson Sarafina Chitika, “Women across the country are already suffering from Donald Trump’s post-Roe nightmare, and if he wins a second term, it’s clear he wants to go even further by restricting access to birth control and emergency contraceptives.”

Chitika added, “It’s not enough for Trump that women’s lives are being put at risk, doctors are being threatened with jail time, and extreme bans are being enacted with no exceptions for rape or incest. He wants to rip away our freedom to access birth control, too.”

In a response from the Trump campaign, a spokesperson stated that in the same interview, Trump had said he “would be making his announcement regarding mifepristone in the near future” about one of the two drugs used for medication abortions. The spokesperson also claimed that “President Trump has never advocated for restrictions on contraceptives.”

While Trump himself may not have explicitly advocated for restrictions on birth control, his administration did take steps that limited access to contraception. The Trump administration issued a regulation that allowed certain employers to remove birth control coverage from their health plans based on religious or moral objections, a move that the Supreme Court later upheld.

The latest comments have reignited concerns about the potential erosion of reproductive rights under a possible second Trump presidency. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the debate over access to birth control and other reproductive healthcare is likely to remain a hot-button issue.