Donald Trump's inconsistent messaging on abortion this week underscores the messaging challenges facing the GOP on this issue in the 2024 election. Democrats are aggressively seizing on new state abortion restrictions and court rulings to paint Republicans as extremist and inconsistent on women's rights. Trump's statement on Monday endorsing a states' rights approach drew swift criticism from Mike Pence and other allies who called it “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.”