Exclusive: Sen. Britt says Trump has "set the agenda" on abortion

• "I think obviously President Trump has set the agenda," Britt, the youngest woman ever elected as a GOP senator, told Axios.
• "He ran both and '16 and in '20 on returning [abortion policy] to the states," she said. "We have done that now. I think we'll continue to work to find ways to protect life and and I think that the platform says that."
• The issue of reproductive rights has deepened fractures between anti-abortion groups and the GOP, after voters in red and blue states have backed abortion protections since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

State of play: For the first time in four decades, the Republican National Committee left pursuing a national abortion ban off the party's plaform — leaving several of Britt's colleagues unhappy.

• When asked by Axios recently about her take on the RNC's party platform, she said she had not looked at the platform yet. But she said she's "proud to be pro life" and noted it had support from anti-abortion groups.
• Trump, for his part, has suggested a 15-week abortion ban would be "very reasonable" but most recently says that restrictions should be left to the states. He has repeatedly bragged about appointing the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

Between the lines: Britt said Republicans have to "do a better job telling our story" on the issue of abortion when pressed by Kight on voters rallying to protect access to the procedure.

• "I remember when I found out I was pregnant, and I really didn't know where to start. I really didn't know what to expect. And so helping that woman through that journey," she said.

Catch up quick: Britt gained more national attention recently after her widely panned State of the Union response earlier this year.

• It was staged around her kitchen table to reflect messaging she reiterated Monday: "We're at the party of life, the party of parents, the party of families."
• In her speech, she slammed President Biden over immigration and tried to distance her party from an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that halted IVF treatment in the state until lawmakers there passed legislation protecting it. But shortly after the ruling, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would codify federal protections to the treatment.

Zoom out: Britt attempted to appeal to bipartisanship, noting legislation on social media and maternal health she's worked on with legislators across the aisle.

• She highlighted Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Laphonza Butler (D-California) and Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), among others, as Democrats with whom she's collaborated.
• "I think that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle took the same oath of office that I did, and they're they're serving the same nation and the same hardworking Americans," she said.
• "Where I share a common goal with someone, even if they have a different letter beside their name, I'm going to get in a room with them and try to figure out a path forward," she added.

By the numbers: A record 32% of voters say they would only vote for candidates for major offices if they share their views on abortion, per a Gallup poll out last month, Axios' Jacob Knutson previously reported.

• The surge in single-issue voters who are "pro-choice" could spell trouble for vulnerable Republicans. Some have already distanced themselves from hardline views on abortion over fears of an Election Day rout in November.

Go deeper: Senate GOP pushes bill to provide support to pregnant women, moms

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say lawmakers in Alabama passed legislation providing IVF protections, not that the state Supreme Court ruling had been overturned.