Former President Donald Trump denied a report on Friday that said he favors a 16-week abortion limit, with his campaign calling the outlet “fake news.”
“As President Trump has stated, he would sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with,” campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
The statement came after the New York Times reported earlier Friday that Trump had “privately expressed support” for the 16-week limit on abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother, “according to two people with direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s deliberations.”
Trump has not taken a hard stance on abortion limitations during his 2024 candidacy. While some Republicans and national organizations such as SBA Pro-Life America have supported at least a 15-week restriction on the procedure, citing scientific evidence that babies in utero can feel pain at that point in pregnancy, Trump said he will negotiate a deal that both sides of the issue will back.
It remains unclear where Trump would draw the line on a limit to abortion.
Trump accused Democrats of holding an extreme position on abortion, as most Democrats support allowing abortion without exceptions through all nine months of pregnancy.
“Joe Biden and virtually every Democrat in Congress is on the record supporting radical on-demand abortion up until the moment of birth, and after birth, as well as using American tax dollars to fund the killing of the most vulnerable,” Leavitt’s statement continued.
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The newspaper said Trump sees the topic of abortion as a political weak spot for the GOP, especially if Republicans do not support exceptions to limitations on the procedure. According to the report, Trump’s team has dismissed vice presidential contenders out-of-hand if they do not support exceptions. However, that seemingly contradicts previous reporting from multiple media outlets that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is on the short list for the VP slot, as he was one of the most conservative candidates for president this cycle.
Even if Trump does, in fact, support a 16-week restriction on abortion, it is unclear if such a limit would satisfy the conservative base of the party, as 94% of abortions occur before 13 weeks gestation. However, the 15-week restriction is being pushed by many Republicans as a politically palatable stepping stone toward more expansive restrictions, potentially provided a cultural shift in the way society views the procedure.