Tim Walz deftly handled Fox News’ Shannon Bream’s grilling on abortion rights during his appearance Sunday, calling her attempts to steer the conversation to whether there would be limits to how late the procedure would be allowed a “distraction.”
In what was his first solo interview since becoming the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Walz keep his cool and deflect tricky questions.
“I have been clear. The restoration of Roe versus Wade is what we’re asking,” Walz said when Bream asked him on Fox News Sunday whether the Democrats would allow abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
“The law is very clear. It does not change that. That was been debunked on every occasion.”
Bream interjected to claim that when he enshrined the right to abortion and reproductive health care into Minnesota’s statutes last year, the legislation did not have a “single limit through nine months of pregnancy.”
Walz, however, calmly kept on message, continuing, “This puts the decision with the woman in her health care providers.”
“The situation we have is when you don’t have the ability of health care providers to provide that, that’s where you end up with a situation in Texas, where they are afraid to do what’s necessary,” he said.
“This doesn’t change anything. It puts the decision back on to the woman, to the physicians, and we know that this is simply to be brought up,” he added.
When further pressed on abortion laws in Minnesota, the governor pushed back.
“This is a distraction from the real issue here is women being forced into miscarriages, women being forced to go back home, get sepsis, potentially die.”
“Maternal mortality rates in Texas have skyrocketed off the charts because of this. This is bad policy.”
Walz also repeated his claim that Trump would go further by signing an “outright nationwide ban.” Questions have been raised over how far Trump could implement policies outlined in Project 2025 but the Republican presidential candidate has stated he would veto any such ban.
“Are you calling that a flat out lie?” Bream asked Walz.
“Yes, of course. And Senator Vance has in the past said so too,” Walz responded.
He also accused Vance and Trump of making the issue political.
“Now look, they may see this as an election issue. We see it as a right of women to make their own bodily decisions. That’s what the states, like my state, have the ability to put that in.”
“Let’s be very clear: trying to cut hairs on an issue on this is not where the American public’s at.”
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