A month before the election, Melania Trump hints at her support for abortion rights

Former first lady Melania Trump posted a video to takes.

In the 28-second video, Trump said: “Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I protect. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth.”

“Individual freedom. “What does my body, my choice really mean?” she added.

The video comes a day after The Guardian reported that the former first lady defended abortion rights in her new memoir, due out October 8.

NBC News has not independently verified the Guardian’s report, which said Trump wrote: “Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to decide what she does with her own body?” A woman’s fundamental right individual freedom and her own life gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.

“Restricting a woman’s right 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 adult life,” she continued, according to the report.

Former President Donald Trump was asked about his wife’s comments about abortion in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.

“We talked about it and I said, ‘You have to write down what you believe. I’m not going to tell you what to do. You have to write down what you believe,'” he said. “She is very popular. People love our former first lady, I can tell you that, but I said, ‘You have to stick with your heart.’ I told everyone: ‘You have to go with your heart.'”

When asked for comment on the former first lady’s views on abortion, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung referred to Donald Trump’s comments in the Fox News interview.

The former president has repeatedly highlighted his role in overturning nationwide abortion protections, saying he supported “Roe v. Wade could kill”.

“My view is that now that we have abortion, where everyone wanted it from a legal perspective, the states will decide by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” said him in April. Earlier this week, Trump said he would not sign a bill banning abortion nationwide if such a law were to land on his desk as president.

Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said in a statement earlier Thursday that “to the chagrin of women across America, Ms. Trump’s husband strongly disagrees.”

Chitika pointed out that Trump’s presidency has led to abortion restrictions and bans in many states. Harris has made reproductive care and abortion access a centerpiece of her campaign.

The comments from Melania Trump, who has been largely absent from the 2024 campaign, sparked criticism from the anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life, which said in a post that “much of what she says is simply not accurate .” .”

The group’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, reissued the statement, adding: “The women of America are capable of great strength and creativity. They have a natural tendency to speak for those who are powerless. Abortion is not the source of their freedom and liberation.”

The former first lady’s new position also sparked backlash from reproductive rights groups, who pointed to the Republican presidential nominee’s abortion record.

“This is just the latest example of politicians – or those close to politics – changing their position in rhetoric but not in action,” Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement Thursday.

“As president, he has made it his mission to ensure that Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Melania stood by him and never once publicly disavowed his actions until weeks before an election in which our boards are on the ballot again and they are losing voters because of this issue.” she continued. “Read between the lines.”

Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, told NBC News that Melania Trump’s apparent endorsement of abortion rights upset her because her statements could confuse voters who are not fully informed about the fight for abortion rights.

“If the Trump campaign were actually being strategic, I would suspect that this could actually help confuse under-informed voters and perhaps give soft Republican women who are conflicted about abortion permission to hold their noses and for.” to vote for Trump,” she said. “Trump’s record is very clear. He overturned Roe. The contrast with Vice President Harris is clear. She has been an advocate for reproductive freedom throughout her career.