Biden and Democrats attack Trump over abortion after report that he supports a 16-week ban


President Joe Biden and his allies attacked Donald Trump over abortion after the New York Times reported Friday that the former president has privately expressed support for a 16-week federal ban, as Democrats center the politically potent issue ahead of November’s election.

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told CNN the former president has not committed to backing a national abortion ban. In a statement in response to the Times report, she said Trump would “sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with.”

But Biden and other Democrats have seized on the report, which says Trump has privately said he likes the idea of a 16-week ban with exceptions for rape, incest and if the life of the mother is in danger. Biden argued in a statement Friday that Trump was trying to “rip away your rights,” while Biden was “running to protect them.”

“Now, after being the one responsible for taking away women’s freedom, after being the one to put women’s lives in danger, after being the one who has unleashed all this cruelty and chaos all across America, Trump is running scared,” the president said.

He continued, “He’s afraid the women of America are going to hold him responsible for taking away their rights and endangering their rights at the ballot box in November. Which is exactly what’s going to happen.”

After the publication of the Times report, the Biden campaign held a call with reporters to blast Trump on the issue, and the Democratic National Committee put out a statement asserting that “Trump is making it clear that access to abortion for all women is on the ballot this November.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/17/politics/biden-democrats-attack-trump-abortion-report/index.html