Donald Trump has been privately telling aides that he would support a nationwide 16-week abortion ban if he is re-elected, according to a report from the New York Times.
Trump appointed three of the conservative justices on the Supreme Court who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and has been taking credit for the decision.
According to The Times, the former president has been privately telling aides that he is onboard with banning the procedure after 16 weeks of pregnancy because the number 16 is “even”.
“Know what I like about 16?” Trump told one individual, according to the Times, which based its report on two people familiar with Trump’s thinking. “It’s even. It’s four months.”
He is reportedly waiting until after the Republican primary has ended to announce his position.
Republicans across the country have passed legislations to restrict abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. But, efforts to restrict abortion have failed when the issue was left up to voters.
The Trump campaign pushed back on The Times story Friday, but notably, they did not contradict the claim that the former president wants to ban abortion after 16 weeks.
Instead, campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt claims Trump would “sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with.”
