Trump privately supporting 16-week abortion ban because he likes even numbers, report says

Former President Donald Trump has quietly expressed support for a 16-week abortion ban but told his advisers he wants to keep his opinions close to his chest until the end of the Republican presidential primary, according to reports.

The New York Times was the first to report the news. According to the outlet, Mr Trump is advocating for a ban with three exceptions: in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. The paper said the information came from “two people with direct knowledge of Mr Trump’s deliberations.”

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Mr Trump, told The Hill, “President Trump appointed strong Constitutionalist federal judges and Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v Wade and sent the decision back to the states, which others have tried to do for over 50 years.”

She referred to the story as “fake news”. The Independent has reached out to Mr Trump’s campaign.

The former president is not the first Republican politician to suggest a federal abortion ban. Former Vice President Mike Pence voiced his support for a 15-week ban while speaking to a group of conservative Christians. In 2022, US Senator Lindsey Graham introduced legislation that would allow for a 15-week federal ban.

Still, the former president expressed concerns about potentially alienating social conservatives before a nominee is chosen. Mr Trump reportedly told a member of his team that he liked the idea of a 16-week ban because it’s an even number.

“It’s even. It’s four months,” he apparently told a staffer.

Up until now, little has been known about what Mr Trump currently thinks on the topic. Per The New York Times, he immediately dimisses prospective running mates when he finds out they don’t agree with the three exceptions he’s proposed, claiming that Republicans will continue to lose elections with that mentality.

However, Mr Trump appointed three conservative US Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that made access to the procedure a constitutional right.

The former president said his proposed ban would target the remaining states that have not imposed restrictions on abortion. Currently 14 states have prohibited the procedure in some capacity.

Throughout his life, he’s appeared to go back-and-forth about his thoughts regarding the procedure, with his opinions varying depending on political trends. He recently criticised Florida’s six-week abortion ban and told a prospective voter that he wouldn’t be able to guarantee a total ban because “we still have to win elections”.

In a September interview with NBC, he said Republicans would need to determine a limit based on the mindsets of voters.

“What’s going to happen is you’re going to come up with a number of weeks or months,” he said. “You’re going to come up with a number that’s going to make people happy”.

While running for election in 2016 he suggested women who have terminations should be liable for criminal prosecution, saying “there has to be some kind of punishment”, although he later backed away from that opinion.