Trump reveals he will make decision on abortion stance 'pretty soon' that will make 'both sides happy' amid reports he backs a 16-week national ban

Former President Donald Trump says he will make a decision 'pretty soon' on where he stands on abortion nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.

In an interview with Fox News aired Sunday, the ex-president said he would like to make 'both sides happy' as he seeks a second term in the White House.

Abortion is expected to be one of the top issues heading into the November election and has proven to be a huge motivator for Democrats and moderate voters.

Trump has privately expressed support for a sixteen-week national abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, the New York Times reported in February.

'I would like to see if we could make both sides happy,' Trump told Fox News in the interview on Sunday.

Trump in an interview with Fox News said he will make a decision on his abortion stance 'pretty soon' and said he wants to make 'both sides happy'

Trump has touted nominating three of the justices on the Supreme Court who overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. The New York Times recently reported the ex-president has privately expressed support for a 16-week abortion ban

On the campaign trail, Trump has celebrated the overturning of Roe and touts nominating the three justices to the Supreme Court during his first term that helped overturn the landmark ruling in 2022.

'They did something that, from a lot of standpoints, is extremely good,' Trump told Fox News.

He blasted Democrats as the ones who are 'radicals' on the issue.

But abortion rights divided Republicans during 2024 presidential primary. 

While Trump has praised the Supreme Court justices he nominated for overturning Roe v Wade, he also went after his GOP opponents for their stances on abortion.

Last year, Trump called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a six-week ban a 'terrible mistake.' 

Trump also declined to say during the primary whether he would support a federal ban on abortion, a stance several of his former GOP presidential opponents supported.

In an interview with NBC, Trump said he could 'live with' abortion being banned in individual states. 

Fourteen states have full abortion bans following the overturning of Roe with limited exceptions. Another seven states have abortion bans ranging between six and 18 weeks. Several states that have passed bans have seen them held up in court.

A sixteen-week national ban would further restrict abortion in 30 states and the District of Columbia. 

Republicans suffered a series of losses in the 2022 midterms and special elections in recent years which have been attributed to Roe being overturned. 

Trump blamed the 'abortion issue' for Republicans underperforming expectations in 2022.

When abortion rights were put on the ballot in the form of amendments in more than a handful of states since the 2022 decision, voters came out in support of abortion rights even in red states like Kansas and Ohio. 

Exit polling showed abortion was the number one issue in several battleground states in the midterms. 

Democrats have seized on this forcing Republicans to grapple with where they stand on abortion in races across the country.

President Biden's reelection campaign has already aired a series of ads on abortion ahead of the November election. 

The president has vowed sign legislation to codify Roe if Congress sends him a bill, something that currently does not have enough support on the hill.

President Biden has called on Congress to pass a bill to codify Roe v Wade but Democrats do not have necessary support to pass a law

Abortion rights advocates rally outside the Supreme Court on April 14, 2023. Abortion is expected to be one of the top issues in the 2024 elections

Anti-abortion advocates participating in the 'March for Life' on January 19, 2024 in Washington, DC

Vice President Kamala has toured a series of states as she led the administration's charge to protect abortion rights. Last week she became the first vice president or president to tour an abortion clinic during her visit to Minnesota. 

Trump has been inconsistent on the issue since before his first White House bid. As a New York businessman, he singled support for abortion rights but that changed once he began signaling an entrance into politics as a Republican.

In 2016, the then-GOP candidate Trump said in a television interview there should be 'some form of punishment' for women who had illegal abortions. His campaign at the time quickly walked it back.

Polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation in early March found one in eight voters said abortion is the most important issue for them in the 2024 elections.

The majority of Americans - 58 percent - said they oppose a national abortion ban at sixteen weeks, though the majority of Republicans - 63 percent - said they favor it.

That same poll found two-thirds of the public including 67 percent of independents support a law guaranteeing a federal right to abortion.