Donald Trump would ‘strongly consider’ move to overturn same-sex marriage decision by Supreme Court if elected

Trump believes that same-sex marriage decision should have been left to individual states

Donald Trump was talking about the 11 September terror attacks and the San Bernardino shooting when he was interrupted by a man with a 'Stop Hate' sign (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has said that if he is elected to become the next President of the United States that he would “strongly consider” having the Supreme Court’s decision to legalise same-sex marriage overturned.

Speaking to Fox News ahead of the first US presidential nominating contest in Iowa, Mr Trump said: “If I’m elected, I would be very strong in putting certain judges on the bench who maybe could change things. But we have a long way to go.”

America’s highest court ruled in June last year that the US constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, making it legal in all 50 states.

Mr Trump went on to say he disagreed with the Supreme Court decision, and instead believes same-sex marriage should be “a states’ rights issue and that’s the way it should have been ruled on,” adding: “I would have much preferred that they ruled at a state level and let the states make those rulings themselves.”

At the time of the landmark ruling, Mr Trump had refused to publicly back same-sex marriage in interviews, instead claiming to support “traditional” unions.

The billionaire has previously publicly supported the Supreme Court’s ruling, however, calling it “the law of the land”.

In September last year Mr Trump said he wished Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, had not been jailed for six days for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, but stated that “the decision’s been made, and that is the law of the land”.