Two Republican governors responded this week to a recent interview in which former President Trump called heartbeat laws “a terrible thing.”
Trump said this during an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” this week. Welker asked him for details about when he thinks abortion should be prohibited.
After talking about the problem for a few minutes, Trump fired a shot at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is his main rival for the Republican ticket for president.
“I mean, DeSanctus is eager to sign both a five-week as well as a six-week ban,” Trump stated.
“Do you agree with that?” Welker inquired. “Don’t you believe that’s too much?”
“I believe what he did represented a terrible thing as well as a terrible mistake,” Trump said.
In response to Trump’s comments, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who enacted a heartbeat measure into law in 2019, sent a message to The Daily Wire.
“There is nothing ‘terrible’ with regard to standing up for life,” said Kemp. “Georgia has proudly safeguarded and cherished life by enacting adoption and foster care reform, fighting human trafficking, and passing the heartbeat law. We will keep up this good work as long as I serve as governor.”
Kemp’s comment was followed quickly by one from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
“Preserving innocent life is never a ‘terrible thing,’” Reynolds posted on the social networking site X, which was once known as Twitter. “In 2018 and once again earlier this year, I signed the fetal heartbeat measure that the Iowa legislature enacted, and I am very proud of it.”
After responding to Trump’s remark this week, DeSantis wrote in response to Reynolds’ statement on X, saying, “I commend Governor @KimReynoldsIA as well as the Iowa legislature for their efforts to promote a culture of life. Donald Trump is not right to call the heartbeat bill ‘bad.’ Standing up for life is a good thing to do.”
Several other Republican governors reacted by putting out statements that showed they would always back the pro-life cause.
In response to The Daily Wire’s request to provide comment, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee stated: “I firmly believe that defending all lives, including those of unborn children, is an issue of human decency, not of politics. In Tennessee, we are dedicated to protecting the human worth of the unborn and making sure that mothers, kids, and families possess access to important tools and our full support.”
“As governor, I pledged to Oklahomans that I would sign any pro-life bill that crossed my desk,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt stated to The Daily Wire. “I’ve kept that pledge, and I’ll keep it in the future, too. Oklahomans will always defend life.”
