It’s been about a month since The New York Times and NBC News reported that Donald Trump had privately told his team that he liked the idea of a new, 16-week national abortion ban that he would impose on states in a second term. His campaign issued a press release soon after, but it made no effort to deny the accuracy of the reporting.
It was against this backdrop that the former president sat down over the weekend with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz, who asked Trump whether he believes a 16-week national abortion ban “could be politically acceptable.” The presumptive GOP nominee replied, “So, we’re gonna find out.”
Trump on if a national 16 week abortion ban would be politically acceptable: "We're gonna find out."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2024
He then lies about Democrats supporting the murder of born babies. pic.twitter.com/B5e41m9ftm
“Pretty soon, I’m gonna be making a decision. I would like to see if we could make both sides happy,” the Republican added.
Trump went on to boast about his role in ending the Roe v. Wade precedent and sending the matter “back to the states,” before concluding that Democrats support abortion “even after birth.”
So, a few things.
First, Trump and his party did not, strictly speaking, send the matter “back to the states.” Under the Dobbs ruling from Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices, Congress could approve and impose a federal abortion ban, which is precisely why the candidate’s position on the issue remains highly relevant.
Second, there’s no such thing as abortion “even after birth” — I believe that’s better known as “murder” — and literally zero Democratic officials have endorsed such an absurdity.
And third, what makes Trump’s rhetoric so notable is that he genuinely seems to believe that he might be able to come up with a national abortion ban that satisfies both opponents and proponents of reproductive rights.
He’s mistaken. This issue has been contentious for so long because a grand compromise isn’t possible.








