Trump furious at leaked report that could upend his re-election campaign: sources

Donald Trump and his senior staff are pointing fingers after a leak from his camp wound up on the front page of the New York Times.

The newspaper revealed that Trump had privately told allies he supports a 16-week national abortion plan, with some exceptions. The former president's campaign reportedly greeted the story with anger, frustration and paranoia that's left them scrambling to clean up the political fallout.

The Trump campaign initially called the newspaper report "fake news," but did not deny or dispute the reporting, but a campaign spokesman said Wednesday the story was "fake and untrue."

But a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to Rolling Stone that the former president had privately expressed enthusiasm for the 16-week prohibition, saying that was the position shared by most Americans.

“He said it,” that source said. “Sixteen with exceptions.”

Trump has been privately endorsing the 16-week ban in conversations with so many allies and confidants that a leak was inevitable, said that source and two others briefed on the matter, although the campaign's frustration is hardly surprising.

The former president has described himself as the “most pro-life president ever," and certainly needs anti-abortion conservatives to turn out for him in November, but sources said Trump is terrified that his positions on abortion rights would alienate independents and suburban women voters.

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But his camp is also apparently fearful that the leak of his stance will also hurt his election chances with anti-abortion supporters who don't think his position is extreme enough.

“He is a negotiator by trade, and I think he will negotiate a good deal on this issue, and on a whole host of other issues,” said megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump adviser.

“Just about three weeks ago, I was talking to President Trump about this issue, and he and I agreed that a six-week ban with no exceptions policy is not going to fly in America today, because the overwhelming majority of Americans are against something that is that ‘extreme.’ But he also said they are against the ‘extreme’ abortion-on-demand. So he’s clearly trying to get to a position that is staunchly pro-life, but also realistic, given where most Americans are.”

Some Trump advisers suspect the leak may have originated with anti-abortion conservatives in hopes of pushing the former president into committing to a federal ban before the general election race kicks off, which President Joe Biden and other Democrats would view as an even bigger gift than a leaked report.