Report: Melania Trump splits with husband's abortion stance in memoir
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Former first lady Melania Trump at the Republican National Convention on July 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Former first lady Melania Trump vehemently defended abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, according to an advanced copy obtained by The Guardian.
Why it matters: Former President Trump has continuously boasted that he was responsible for the Supreme Court overturning federal abortion protections, and while he's flip flopped on the issue, he's now campaigning with the position that abortion should be left to states — a view women largely oppose.
- Melania Trump has largely stayed off the campaign trail during her husband's 2024 presidential bid, and has rarely expressed her own political beliefs throughout the family's time in the White House.
What she's saying: In her first memoir, set to be released Tuesday, Melania Trump wrote that it's "imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government," per The Guardian.
- "Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?" she questioned. "A woman's fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes."
- "Restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life," the former first lady continued.
- "The slogan 'My Body, My Choice' is typically associated with women activists and those who align with the pro-choice side of the debate," she added. "But if you really think about it, 'My Body, My Choice' applies to both sides — a woman's right to make an independent decision involving her own body, including the right to choose life. Personal freedom."
The big picture: The issue of abortion is a weak point for Republicans going into the November election, while Democrats have made it a defining issue.
- Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said during the vice presidential debate Tuesday that the Republican Party has to do a better job in "earning the American people's trust back" on the issue "where they frankly, just don't trust us."
Zoom out: Last week, in her first interview in more than two years, she said it was time to "tell my story and the truth," adding that there "is a lot of misinformation and falsehoods written about me, and I want to put the record straight."
- Representatives for the Republican presidential nominee, the former first lady and Skyhorse Publishing did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
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