On Thursday, former President Donald Trump appeared to suggest he would consider restricting access to mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion. Within a day, his campaign team angrily retracted Trump’s statement, claiming the former president had misunderstood the question.

Trump’s record in his first term on reproductive rights is clear: his three decisions for the Supreme Court led directly to the annulment of Roe v. WadeBut as that record has become a political liability, the former president has been evasive about how far he would go to restrict abortion access in a post-election era.roe United States. And this week he complicated matters even further.

At a rambling press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked Trump, “Would you, for example, instruct your FDA to shut down access to mifepristone?” He was referring to one of the two pills used in medication abortions. Drugs like mifepristone are now used in most abortions and have allowed people across the country to circumvent certain state bans.

“Sure, you could do things that would be … complementary, absolutely,” Trump said in response. “And those things are pretty open and humane. But you have to be able to vote, and I just want to give everyone a vote. The votes are happening right now as we speak,” he added.

That answer, like many Trump statements, was opaque. The phrasing of the question seemed to indicate that he acknowledges that, instead of a national abortion ban, there are other “things” the federal government can do to “supplement” state restrictions. Trump did not elaborate on which of those proposals he would pursue, but his ambiguity led many to interpret his answer as meaning he would at least be open to restricting access to abortion pills.

In a statement to NBC News explaining his remarks, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed that interpretation, arguing that some of the questions at the briefing were “difficult to hear” and that the former president was sticking to the stance he took at a debate earlier this year. “His position on mifepristone remains the same – the Supreme Court unanimously ruled on the issue and the matter is settled,” Leavitt said in the statement.

The confusion – and subsequent correction – raises an important question ahead of Election Day: What does Trump actually think about abortion? The answers could ultimately have significant implications for people’s access to reproductive health care, including abortion pills, across the United States.

Throughout his campaign, Trump had repeatedly stated that states should set abortion laws and that he supported exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is threatened. As Leavitt pointed out, he also supported the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss a challenge to access to mifepristone on the grounds that the plaintiffs did not have standing. “The Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill, and I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it,” he said during the June presidential debate on CNN.

In his election program for 2024, Trump also refrains from supporting a nationwide ban on abortion.

“In my view, we now have abortion, even though everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint. The states will decide that by vote or legislation or maybe both. And whatever they decide has to be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said in a Truth Social video in April.

In July, the Republican National Committee adjusted its policy platform to reflect Trump’s views, moving away from the support of many Republicans in the House for a federal abortion ban. This stance is intended to ease some of the pressure Republicans face on the issue – Americans generally support at least some access to abortion – but it is also intended to obscure how Trump might curtail abortion rights in other ways.

Although Trump expressed a more moderate stance, he still emphasized his role in the Supreme Court’s decision. Dobbs v. Jackson – Women’s Health Organizationwhich abolished the long-standing right to abortion, which was roepossible. That decision, made by the Supreme Court in 2022, had a majority of all three justices nominated by Trump – and has since allowed numerous states to pass strict restrictions on reproductive health care.

“After 50 years of failure, with no one even coming close to me, I was able to overturn Roe v. Wade,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in May 2023. “Without me, there would have been no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is eventually agreed upon.”

During his first term, Trump also supported a federal ban on abortion beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy – and said he would sign it if Congress approved it.

While Trump has said he does not support a ban this time around, it is not the only option he has to restrict abortion at the federal level. And while he has not publicly committed to seeking other restrictions, many Republicans — including his allies — are pushing for the party to adopt additional restrictions, including on medication abortion.

Abortion opponents have long called for the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone. It’s one of the proposals laid out in Project 2025, a Republican policy wish list pushed by the Heritage Foundation and other Trump allies. (Trump has tried to distance himself from the document, with limited success.)

Trump’s recent comments have been interpreted by some as leaving room for consideration of these ideas. And despite his statements that abortion policy is a state matter, Trump has also privately expressed interest in “Washington’s role” on the issue, according to a January 2024 Washington Post article.

If Trump wins and his administration decides the federal government should play a role, the ability to crack down on medication abortion would be within the executive branch’s power. Mifepristone can be obtained by mail and via telemedicine. Some conservatives hope that a second Trump administration will restrict both of these channels in the future.

One such approach is to direct the FDA to take action to restrict mifepristone. Another approach is to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to require in-person doctor visits to obtain abortion pills. A third approach is to urge the Department of Justice to enforce the Comstock Act, which criminalizes the mailing of abortion pills.

Despite attempts to take less extreme positions on the issue – probably out of fear of alienating moderate voters who mobilized in the last election – Trump’s recent comments suggest that he does not yet have a clear answer on the issue of medical abortion and are a reminder that he may consider tougher measures if he wins the election in November.