What talk of ‘abolishing the suburbs’ is really about

President Trump has made repeated overtures to suburban voters over the past month, mostly in the form of social media posts saying that Joe Biden wants to “abolish the suburbs” and poses a threat to the “Suburban Lifestyle Dream.”

Suburbs are not something that can be formally abolished through legislation, of course. Trump’s attacks are inspired by a Obama-era rule that sought to decrease racial segregation in housing. It required local governments to consider eliminating zoning laws that create barriers to fair housing or risk losing federal grant money. Despite...