In theory, this is fertile ground for a compromise, a chance for Trump to deliver the “beautiful” health care he promised during the campaign. He could give up his unpopular and divisive attempt to repeal Obamacare and take the moderate path of Medicare expansion. If “Medicare for all” is too much, there’s also “Medicare for most,” which would allow consumers to buy into the program as an option on the exchanges. If he wants to aim directly for the center, he could urge Republican lawmakers in states like Alabama, Florida and South Carolina to adopt the Medicaid expansion and extend health insurance to their most disadvantaged residents.

On the economy, Trump could reach out to moderate voters with a minimum-wage increase. In a January poll from The Hill , 55 percent of registered voters said they would support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour from $7.25. While only 36 percent of Republicans supported $15 per hour, 70 percent said they would support a lesser but still significant raise. Only 14 percent of registered voters want the minimum wage to stay the same and only 5 percent think it should be reduced or eliminated. In the same survey, an even larger number of voters — 59 percent — said that they support a 70 percent tax rate on the amount of income over $10 million. By adopting both policies, Trump could claim the middle and grow his coalition beyond its current confines.

Finally there’s immigration. Trump has made draconian border policies the centerpiece of his administration, at the cost of alienating much of the public. He is trapped in a bubble, unable to see the facts: that a large majority of Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, oppose a wall along the southern border and disapprove of how the federal government has treated migrants attempting to cross into the United States. Most Americans, likewise, would allow refugees from Central American countries to continue to seek asylum.

Here is another opportunity to claim the middle. The president could abandon his harsh immigration policies and adopt the measured, more humane approach favored by most of the public.

As it stands, all of this is obviously unlikely. It’s also striking to see how far the president is from the center of American politics. The most expansive Democratic proposals for strengthening the social safety net are far closer to the political mainstream than the great majority of Trump’s actions as president. And he shows no sign of changing course. Trump is still committed to his base, still obsessed with mobilizing his strongest supporters. This may get big crowds in friendly territory, but it might not be enough to win a second term in 2020.

A majority of the American electorate — liberals, moderates and even some conservatives — want a greater government role in health care, a higher minimum wage, higher taxes on the rich and less punitive border policies. If Trump isn’t going to move to the center, then their only choice should be the party that, no matter its nominee, backs each item on that list.