Report: Trump Favors 16-Week Abortion Ban

Donald Trump has at times boasted about his role in getting Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court, but he also has been reluctant to talk in detail about his position on abortion since the monumental decision. The New York Times is now reporting what the former president has been telling advisers and allies in private:

• Trump favors a national 16-week ban on abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother, according to the story, based on two unnamed sources. The position is more moderate than many social conservatives want.
• In looking for a running mate, Trump is skeptical of anyone not on board with those three exceptions, says the story, which adds that Trump is waiting until after the GOP primary to talk about his position.

• So why 16 weeks? One of the Times sources quotes the president as saying: "Know what I like about 16? It's even. It's four months." The vast majority of abortions in the US take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.
• As the Guardian notes, backlash to the Roe decision is credited by Democrats with helping them in congressional elections since it happened, and Trump is acutely aware of that.
• Forbes pulls together Trump's previous stances, noting that he described himself as "very pro-choice" back in 1999 before describing himself as "pro-life" in 2016 as he ran for president.

(More Donald Trump stories.)