Asked repeatedly during a CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump refused to say whether he’d sign a nationwide abortion ban if he were elected to the White House again.

Trump, who is running for president in 2024, took credit for last year’s Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, returning abortion decisions to state legislatures. 

“Getting rid of Roe v. Wade was an incredible thing for pro-life,” Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in New Hampshire. 

“I was able to do it, and I was very honored to do it,” said Trump, who nominated three of the judges who voted to end abortion protection.

But pressed on whether he’d support a nationwide abortion ban, Trump was evasive.

“What I’ll do is negotiate so people are happy,” he said without elaborating.

Trump, however, did say he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.

He tried to deflect questions about his own position by falsely claiming that abortion rights supporters wanted to “kill a baby” in the ninth month of pregnancy or even after a birth. The claim is based on a misleading interpretation of a Senate vote. 

Abortion has been a thorny issue for Republicans since Roe v. Wade was struck down, blamed for why the party fell short of expectations in last year’s congressional midterms. Voters in several states have since cast ballots in support of protecting abortion rights, and polling led many GOP candidates to shy away from discussing an achievement their party fought decades for. 

The issue could continue to present pitfalls for conservative candidates next year. A poll by the Public Religion Research Institute in February found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 

Meanwhile, there have been rumblings from some Republicans on Capitol Hill that they would like to restrict abortion nationwide. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe last June, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., now the House speaker, said he’d support a 15-week nationwide abortion ban. And in September, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced a bill that would have restricted abortions at 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest or life-threatening emergencies for the mothers.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who might challenge Trump for the GOP nomination, has signed a six-week ban in his state, a glimpse into what he might do if he were elected president.

The Democratic National Committee seized on Trump’s remarks Wednesday, posting to Twitter the video clip of the former president saying he was honored to have helped end Roe v. Wade.

President Joe Biden’s campaign has not replied to an email Thursday from Spectrum News seeking comment about Trump’s remarks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.