Trump wades deeper into abortion politics as midterms loom

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has long been an unlikely sweetheart for conservative and evangelical voters. Now, in the lead-up to the midterm elections, the thrice-married former Democrat who used to describe himself as "very pro-choice" is offering catnip to conservative voters with a new administration push to strip funding from Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics.

The initiative, announced last week, is aimed at resurrecting parts of a Reagan-era mandate banning federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions, or sharing space with abortion providers. And it arrived just in time for Trump to highlight it Tuesday night when he spoke at the Susan B. Anthony List's annual "Campaign for Life Gala." The speech, said one administration official, was aimed at a core constituency of conservative activists who will be key to energizing the party entering the fall midterm elections.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List, said the move "will help tremendously" in the midterms.

It's also the latest evidence as he frets over the Russia investigation and prepares for a planned summit with North Korea, Trump has also been focused on fulfilling campaign promises and tending to issues galvanizing his base: holding a series of events to rail against the dangers of illegal immigration, pulling out of the Iran-nuclear deal and wading anew into the fight over abortion rights.

Trump is far from a natural fit for conservative voters. He recently admitted to reimbursing his lawyer for paying hush money to a porn actress who claimed she had sex with Trump (a charge he denies). And Trump has bragged about groping women without their permission.

During the campaign, he sometimes had trouble articulating his views on abortion, at one point suggesting women should be punished for having abortions. His campaign later walked back the statement, saying if abortion were ever outlawed, he believed doctors who perform them should be punished.

Nonetheless, white evangelical voters overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016, and the support has only grown. A PRRI survey released last month found white evangelical support for Trump at an all-time high, with 75 percent of those polled holding a favorable view of the president and just 22 percent holding an unfavorable view. Support for Trump within the general population in the poll stood at 42 percent.

Religious groups such as the Catholic Medical Association approve of a series of actions Trump has taken, beginning with his appointment of judges who oppose abortion rights, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Trump's reinstatement of the global "gag rule" barring federal funding for nongovernmental organizations providing abortion referrals.

The White House also points to the administration's support for religious objectors in court and Trump's efforts to bring religious groups "back into the fold by ensuring religious groups and their partners are critical participants in the policy making process."