Trump denounces federal right to "unlimited abortion" at March for Life
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Anti-abortion rights activist rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, during the annual "March for Life," on Jan. 24. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images
President Trump bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade in a video address to tens of thousands of attendees at the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
The big picture: Trump had shied away from abortion while campaigning after it became a winning issue for Democrats. His speech Friday found him once again leaning into a core priority for many Republicans.
- The annual March for Life comes one day after Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists who were convicted of illegally blockading a reproductive health clinic in D.C.
Driving the news: In a recorded video address, Trump called Roe v. Wade an "unconstitutional decision" that kicked off "50 years of division and anger."
- He vowed to "stop the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion-on-demand, up to the moment of birth and even after birth," repeating a false claim he's made in the past.
- After flip-flopping on a national ban, Trump vowed on the campaign trail to leave abortion to individual states. Vice President JD Vance previously expressed support for a national ban, and Trump once called a national ban after 15 weeks "very reasonable."
- "In my second term, we will again stand proudly for families and for life," Trump said.
Vance, attending in person, touted the "return of the most pro-family, most pro-life American president of our lifetime."
- He said it's the task of the government to make it easier to afford having children.
- "We need a culture that celebrates life at all stages, one that recognizes and truly believes that the benchmark of national success is not our GDP number or our stock market, but whether people feel that they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country," the VP added.
Zoom out: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also addressed the rally Friday afternoon, and told the crowd: "Since we were able to beat Amendment Four, Florida's not only the place where woke goes to die, it's the place where babies go to live."
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) gave remarks earlier too.
What they're saying: "President Trump governed as a pro-life president during his first term, which resulted in a long list of accomplishments," March for Life leaders Jeanne Mancini and Jennie Bradley said in a statement Thursday.
- "We look forward to working with him and Vice President Vance as they dismantle the Biden Administration's aggressive and unpopular abortion agenda and once again put wins on the board for vulnerable unborn children and their mothers."
What we're watching: Anti-abortion groups see limiting access to mifepristone as a top priority in Trump's term, but the president in a December Time magazine interview committed to protecting access to the abortion pill.
Flashback: Trump in 2020 became the first sitting president to attend the March for Life rally in person.
March for Life 2025: in photos
Go deeper: These states backed both Trump and abortion rights
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
