Trump's Abortion Strategy? Do Nothing. But His Base Has Other Plans.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump made a suggestion that landed on a key part of his far-right coalition like a sucker punch. Referring to negotiations over the Affordable Care Act, he urged House Republicans to be "a little bit flexible" on the Hyde Amendment, which for 50 years has banned the use of federal funds for abortion.

Republicans had allowed ACA subsidies to expire in December, causing insurance premiums to skyrocket for millions of Americans just in time for an election-year backlash. Now, Trump was pushing them to cut a deal with Democrats to resurrect the subsidies, even if it meant compromising on a bedrock conservative principle: no taxpayer support for abortion...