The 2020 campaign

[Kendra]

Oh well, I can't decide where to mention it. Big fund raiser tonight at the DC Trump Hotel. The Hill is live on FB right now (don't have a link the way the video is playing). Protesters outside (love the dude with the hospital gown and the bare back and fake bare bottom. It was noted that reporters were not allowed inside. Also noted (and video) of the rich peeps inside looking at the protesters, taking photos and laughing at protesters.

[Addie]

As Kendra notes, this event was held last night.

New Republic

Donald Trump is going to kick off his re-election campaign with some crude self-dealing.

Earlier than any president before him, Trump filed his paperwork for re-election on Inauguration Day. While the whole concept of the “permanent campaign” is not new, no president has approached it with Trump’s gusto. Along with the paperwork, he has kept his Trump Tower campaign office open, held a series of “thank you tours” that looked awfully similar to campaign events, and led five post-inauguration rallies. Now, after six months in office, he is already tapping big money, headlining a fundraiser tonight at his infamous D.C. hotel. (For context, Barack Obama held his first re-election fundraiser in April 2011, two years after his inauguration.)

Tonight’s proceeds will go to Trump Victory, which is a joint fundraising effort between his re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee. According to the event’s invitation, dinner costs $35,000 per person.

While this is the re-election campaign’s first high-dollar fundraiser, it has been raising money since Trump was sworn into office. By the end of March, Trump’s campaign had raised $7 million through small donations and sales of his Make America Great Again hats. Trump also spent roughly $6 million of that money in the first quarter—some of which has gone to his own businesses. This kind of self-dealing is not new: According to CNN, Trump’s 2016 campaign spent $12.5 million on his sprawling business empire.

Even though hosting the fundraiser at the property is not technically illegal, it should still raise red flags. Trump has visited his for-profit properties 37 times as president, a practice that allows him to have his official visits double as free advertising. He represents an unprecedented marriage between politics and business—the dinner will not only swell his campaign coffers, but also boost his business’s bottom line.

[Kendra]

I want to know who paid for the rooms, food, etc. to host the event. Or did he just give it away?

[Addie]

The Hill

Obama ethics czar: Trump fundraiser at his DC hotel ‘illegal’

The former top White House ethics lawyer from President Obama's White House accused President Trump on Wednesday of holding an "illegal" fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Former Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform Norm Eisen argued in a series of tweets that the reelection fundraiser – Trump's first since taking office – violates the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution because it is held at one of the hotels owned by a Trump company. ...

Trump International Hotel is located in the Old Post Office Building, just blocks away from the White House, and is leased by the Trump Organization from the General Services Administration, the federal agency that essentially acts as the government's landlord.

Eisen argued that by allowing Trump to hold a fundraising event for his personal reelection campaign at the hotel, he is violating both the Domestic Emoluments Clause and the terms of his real estate company's lease with the federal government.

[Kendra]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/2 ... off-240078

President Donald Trump, facing dimming approval ratings and a stalled legislative agenda, rolled out his greatest hits on Wednesday evening — ripping into CNN, assailing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and hailing his party’s string of special election wins.

Before a rapt audience of 300 supporters, major GOP donors and party leaders attending the first fundraiser of his 2020 reelection campaign at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the commander in chief returned to his comfort zone.

Speaking for about 30 minutes at the closed-door event, according to two people present, the president continued to bash a favorite target — the media, and, in particular, CNN. Trump derided the network for errors and presented himself as a victim of its reporting, which he described as deeply unfair. At one point, the president turned his fire on one of the network’s liberal commentators, Van Jones.

[Kendra]

https://theintercept.com/2017/06/30/her ... own-hotel/

HERE’S THE AUDIO OF DONALD TRUMP’S PRIVATE RNC FUNDRAISER AT HIS OWN HOTEL

Having a hard time following his comments, even with the headphones on.

[Dolly]

Is this a generic thread for the 2020 Election? <President & Executive Branch> I don't like starting threads.

Because there is another thread for Trump.

Trump Administration & the ResistanceTrump Administration
Elections 2020
viewtopic.php?f=98&t=9709&p=878043&hili ... 20#p878043

Maryland Dem considering bid to take on Trump

Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) has decided to not seek reelection or run for governor and is instead considering a presidential bid in 2020, a source confirmed to The Hill.

An announcement could come as soon as Friday, a source familiar with the plan told the Hill.

The surprise bid would make Delaney the first Democrat to openly begin planning to take on President Trump. But the wealthy congressman would likely be one in a sea of Democratic candidates and would face long odds, even if he telegraphs his move this early.

Bethesda Beat, a local Maryland blog affiliated with Bethesda Magazine, reported earlier this week that Delaney is planning to announce a presidential bid. The magazine added that Delaney is considering announcing his intentions with an op-ed in The Washington Post.

that is all at the link.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/34 ... e-on-trump

[Kendra]

That would be my bad for starting this and not knowing there's another thread? Do the mods want to combine?

[Foggy]

No problem. Don't be afraid to start new threads. If they're redundant, someone will point that out and it's still not a problem. Takes maybe 30 seconds to merge them.

No need to walk on eggshells here. Nobody is ever in trouble for starting a new thread.

[Estiveo]

That's what you said before the last round of executions.

[Foggy]

Yeah but I'm a much nicer person now.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

That's what you said before the last round of executions.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

http://shareblue.com/watch-jimmy-kimmel ... -campaign/

Watch: Jimmy Kimmel releases the perfect ad for Pence’s shadow presidential campaign

As Mike Pence and his operatives continue to push back against the exposé of his shadow campaign to run for president in 2020, late night host Jimmy Kimmel has added to the growing mockery of the entire episode.
Very few people are buying Team Pence’s claim that he isn’t making preparations for the job just one rung above his current position, and his press flack’s non-denials aren’t making it any easier.
On his ABC show, Jimmy Kimmel took aim at Pence, with a mock campaign ad highlighting Pence’s protests about not running with a sly wink and a nod towards how he really is running.
[bbvideo=560,315][/bbvideo]

[bob]

USA Today: Here's who the Trump campaign considers 'the president's enemies':

A new Trump re-election campaign ad proclaims the media "the president's enemies."

So, who's on that list?

Among those considered an enemy of the president's, per clips of them being featured in the ad:
•CNN's Don Lemon
•CNN's Anderson Cooper
•MSNBC's Joe Scarborough
•MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski
•CNN's Dana Bash
•MSNBC's Rachel Maddow
•NBC's Brian Williams
•MSNBC's Chris Hayes
•CNN's John King
•CNN's Brian Stelter
•MSNBC's Chuck Todd
•American Urban Radio Networks' April Ryan

[Lani]

I see the campaign continues its devotion to ending the free press.

[Addie]

New York Times OpEd - Jason Zengerle

Who Can Beat Trump in 2020?

Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a future president. But these days, for Democrats at least, it’s not just members of Capitol Hill’s upper chamber who are picturing themselves sitting in the Oval Office. Congressmen, governors, mayors, even people who hold no elected office — men and women at seemingly every rung of the political ladder, including no rung at all — are suddenly eyeing the White House.

For this, Democrats can thank (or blame) Donald Trump. His election in 2016 showed that the barriers to entry to the White House weren’t nearly as formidable as political professionals once assumed. More important, Mr. Trump at the moment seems eminently beatable, with an approval rating hovering just south of 40 percent. No other president in the era of approval polling (going back to the 1930s) has been this unpopular at this point in his presidency.

A result is that the Democratic presidential field in 2020 may be even bigger than the unwieldy Republican 17-member parade in 2016. Indeed, a recent informal survey of Democratic strategists produced a list of more than 30 fellow party members who are — or who, in the minds of these insiders, should be — thinking about running for president in 2020.

Although Democrats are united in their opposition to President Trump, the fundamental party cleavage runs between populists and centrists. The Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 will be the person who either finds a way to appeal to both wings or, just as likely, divines which wings represent the greater number of primary voters. Following is a guide to some of the potential candidates — and the political bets they’ll be making.

[Jeffrey]

Well 538 did say that Bernie would have beaten Trump in 2016, probably still the ideal candidate for 2020. #2 pick would be Warren for me.

[Suranis]

Bernie had zero negative ads thrown at him at that point. He would have gotten flattened by the GOP oppo research once it had gotten going. Plus none of the people he endorsed won an election. And, of course, Hillary, despite not pulling out any negative stuff on him at all, beat him by an even bigger number than she beat Trump - 3.6 mill.

www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-p ... ion-521044

Plus Bernie was getting boosted by Russian paid ads, and those would have flipped if he won the Primaries.

By the way, the Primary system is compleatly stupid. The other ways aren't much better, but its still stupid.

[Jeffrey]

Well I mean it's a year later and the worst they've found on Bernie was the rape article he wrote which nobody cared about and would have to be weighed against "pussy grab" where there's actual audio of Trump claiming to have sexually assaulted women.

[Suranis]

There was also the Nuclear waste on a town in Mexico, the racism allegations, etc. He had skeletons ready to go. AND if he didnt they would have made them up

And seriously. Trump could have been screwing a sheep live on air, and by contrast if Bernie so much has stubbed his toe it would be a scandal that would have have run and been talked about for weeks, and Trumps sheep shagging would have been basically ignored.


Anyway, there zero pont in rehashing the 2016 bernie shit.

[Jeffrey]

Kinda is a point if the argument is that he shouldn't be the candidate in 2020 for the same reasons as 2016.

[Suranis]

Ya, good point.

I think people shouldn't worry about what dirt can be dug up, because EVERYONE has done stuff that can be portrayed badly. people shouldn't be looking for a Pure candidate but a Good candidate.

[Lani]

Well 538 did say that Bernie would have beaten Trump in 2016, probably still the ideal candidate for 2020. #2 pick would be Warren for me.

[Foggy]

Bernie will be 78 years old in 2020.

[ZekeB]

Had Bernie been elected in 2016 he would be spinning his wheels against a Republican congress. He has more wits about him then Trump, hands down. Nonetheless, Bernie wouldn't have been damaging our country like the OSG is. Bernie will be too old in 2020. Hillary will be too old. OSG will be too old. I can't imagine who the candidates will be in 2020. We need another Obama.