Biden vows to hold Trump accountable for his role in restricting abortion rights

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (Apr 23) vowed that he will personally hold opponent Donald Trump "accountable" for his role in restricting abortion rights.

Bragging and accountability

Addressing a crowd at a university in Tampa, Florida - a state where starting May 1 abortions after six weeks of pregnancy will be banned - Biden held Trump responsible for the demise of abortion rights.

"Let's be real clear. There's one person responsible for this nightmare. And he's acknowledged it, and he brags about it: Donald Trump," he said.

In 2022, America's conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned decades-old legal precedent, revoking the nationwide right to abortion. Many Republican-led states quickly moved to impose restrictions or outright bans via a series of 'heartbeat bill(s)'.

Trump has been known to brag about his three Supreme Court judges being behind the contentious abortion decision.

The restrictions are "literally taking us back 160 years," said Biden, apparently referring to Arizona's strict new ban based on a law that dates back to 1864, reported AFP.

US elections and abortion rights

The United States is set to hold General Elections in just a few months. Abortion rights have emerged as a matter of paramount importance in the elections.

Democrats, led by the party's presumptive presidential candidate, seek to capitalise on the issue that has been a major topic of debate ever since Roe v Wade was overturned

Meanwhile, Republicans have sought to capitalise on the pro-life movement. The party's presumptive presidential candidate Trump, however, recently sought to soften his stand and said that Arizona's near-complete ban on abortion goes too far.

Despite that, slamming the Republican, Biden said, "Trump is worried voters are going to hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created. Folks, the bad news for Trump is, we are going to hold him accountable."

 Can Joe Biden win US Elections on pro-choice?

Florida, a populous state, is a key territory in the November elections. Previously, in 2016 and 2020, Trump won there. However, this time, Biden's reelection campaign believes that the state will flip.

In a statement, Biden's campaign spokesperson Julie Chávez Rodríguez said, "Florida is not an easy state to win, but it is a winnable one for President Biden."

"Trump is hoping that Americans will somehow forget that he's responsible for the horror women are facing in this country every single day because of him," she added.