Trump team deflects on report he privately backs 16-week abortion ban

Former President Donald Trump's campaign declined to dispute a New York Times report claiming he privately supports a 16-week abortion ban but does not intend to unveil his position until after the Republican primary.

The NYT reported on Wednesday that Trump had settled on the 16-week threshold, but with exceptions for rape, incest, and instances threatening the life of the mother. Trump has long expressed support for those exceptions, though he has thus far declined to commit to a specific week threshold for a national ban.

In the wake of the report, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told The Hill that "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 further called the NYT report "fake news" but did not specifically dispute the 16-week claim.

While president, Trump appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, all of whom voted to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion established in Roe v. Wade. The former president has pointed to that development as evidence of his support for the pro-life cause amid disputes with major advocacy organizations over his position.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.