The Note: Trump continues to reset the bar
In two years, the voters will decide where they think the bar should be.
The TAKE with MaryAlice Parks
On the anniversary of the violent confrontations in Charlottesville, Virginia, a year ago, the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said on ABC's "This Week" yesterday, "It's a low bar for the president of the United States to simply say he’s against racism."
Obviously, Cummings is a Democrat and has been routinely critical of this president, still his line about changing standards seemed to hit on broader themes plaguing this White House.
Many of the controversies swirling around President Trump could be whittled down to questions about what the appropriate bar is for any president.
That was the issue a year ago. Several businessmen and political partners pulled out of White House business councils after Charlottesville. It was too low a bar for the president to read a prepared statement condemning neo-Nazis after saying nothing head-on about the protests and uttering lines about fine people on both sides.
The frustration among moderate Republicans earlier this summer after that press conference in Helsinki? It's a low bar to say you don't question your own national intelligence.
The president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani reset the bar when he said there was no collusion between the campaign and Russia, but if there were ... collusion is not a crime.
In some ways it was a question of standards too, when the former senior adviser, Omarosa Manigault Newman, alleged over the weekend that she heard a tape where the president used the N-word.
And in two years, the voters will decide where they think the bar should be.
The RUNDOWN with John Verhovek
The 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses, with good reason, feel like they are eons away.
But that has not stopped the most unlikely of characters from throwing himself into the discussion as a potential Democratic contender to deny President Trump a second term.
"I’ve been fighting on behalf of Davids versus Goliaths, some of the largest corporations in the world, con men, fraudsters. I’ve had great success,” Michael Avenatti, best known as the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl Sunday on This Week, when asked why he should be taken seriously as a potential presidential nominee.
The actual chances of Avenatti storming the Democratic primaries are perhaps slim, but the party will no doubt have a robust discussion about what it is looking for in terms of a foil to President Trump. How early is too early to start that debate when it is sure to be crowded and expensive Iowa caucus?
Maybe voters will decide a bold and brash bomb-thrower in the mold of Avenatti is the right way for the party to go? Maybe they'll be turned off by something so usual and counter to elected officials and Democratic heavyweights already contemplating a run to unseat Trump?
Those are not questions we’re likely to get answers to any time soon, but are the ones party insiders will be asking themselves every day until the 2020 primaries begin.
The TIP with Kelsey Walsh
A leading candidate to be the next attorney general of Minnesota faces abuse allegations just four days until a contested primary.
Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and congressman from Minnesota, confronted allegations of domestic abuse from a former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, Sunday afternoon.
The allegations arose from a Facebook post Saturday night originating from Monahan’s son, who claimed he saw several angry threatening messages and a video of Ellison allegedly dragging his mother.
Monahan, a political organizer in the city of Minneapolis, confirmed her son’s account via Twitter.
Ellison responded to the allegations through a spokesman for his MN attorney general campaign.
“Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being … This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false,” the statement read.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I would say that – well first of all, you’re – you’re totally not covering the fact that our Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [is African-American.] – Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, stumped when pressed if there are African American high level advisors to the president in the West Wing.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News’ "Start Here" Podcast. Monday morning’s episode features ABC News’ Kenneth Moton breaking down the Unite the Right marches in Washington, DC, and the rise of hate groups in America. And, ABC News White House correspondent Tara Palmeri unpacks the explosive claims made this weekend by former Trump advisor Omarosa Manigault Newman.
NEED TO READ
President Trump to sign defense authorization bill bearing John McCain's name. When President Donald Trump heads to Fort Drum in upstate New York Monday to celebrate the signing of the 2019 military authorization funding bill, he will have a hard time ignoring the man whose name is attached to it: John McCain. (Jordyn Phelps) https://abcn.ws/2MnPpiK
For one black supporter, Unite the Right Rally a matter of free speech. Brandon Watson, clad in all black and wearing an American flag as a cape stood out as he marched and spoke alongside the Unite the Right leaders in Lafayette Park across from the White House on Sunday. (Kelsey Walsh and Karolina Rivas) https://abcn.ws/2MIU5g9
Trump said 'blame on both sides' in Charlottesville, now the anniversary puts him on the spot. It stands as a low point in the Trump presidency, a moment difficult to justify for even some of President Donald Trump’s most loyal allies. (Rick Klein) https://abcn.ws/2KJt8He
The right divided: Inside the far-right's year of turmoil after Charlottesville. When members of far-right groups marched offline and into Charlottesville, Virginia, a year ago, many observers feared the emergence of a movement with momentum. (Halley Freger) https://abcn.ws/2Mdpwmf
President Trump's words against racism 'ring hollow': Rep. Elijah Cummings. A top-ranking Democratic congressman and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus said President Trump's words this weekend against racism "ring hollow" in light of his administration's actions toward immigrant children, on health care and on ensuring all eligible Americans are able to vote. (Will Parsons) https://abcn.ws/2MFgtXJ
Kellyanne Conway on accusation Trump is racist: 'None of us would be there if that were true'. Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway responded to allegations that President Donald Trump is a racist, saying "none of us would be" at the White House if that were true. (Quinn Scanlan) https://abcn.ws/2vGhoAs
Trump calls Omarosa a 'low-life'; says Sessions is 'scared stiff'. President Donald Trump teed off Saturday on two of his earliest supporters with choice words for former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman and current Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (Meredith McGraw) https://abcn.ws/2w0GTvR
White House exploring legal options against Omarosa Manigault Newman for making secret recording in Situation Room. Omarosa Manigault Newman's former White House colleagues are looking into legal options to stop her from releasing more tapes and to punish her for secretly recording her conversation with Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly, White House officials tell ABC News. (Meridith McGraw and Tara Palmeri) https://abcn.ws/2MfDJza
Rep. Keith Ellison denies allegations of abuse against former girlfriend. Rep. Keith Ellison is denying allegations of abuse against a former girlfriend, made by the woman's son, just days before he runs in his state's primary for attorney general. (Mark Osborne) https://abcn.ws/2OxqU01
Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti: 'I should be taken seriously' as possible presidential hopeful. Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti is flirting with the possibility of a presidential run and says there are “a number of reasons” he should be taken seriously as a potential Democratic candidate in 2020. (Roey Hadar) https://abcn.ws/2B5G3Up
Indicted Republican Rep. Chris Collins changes course, suspends re-election campaign. Republican Rep. Chris Collins, indicted this week for alleged insider trading, has suspended his re-election campaign, and Republicans are expected to try to nominate him for a county clerkship in hopes of removing him from the ballot. (Benjamin Siegel) https://abcn.ws/2nw1JPW
White House undergoing renovations while President Trump away. While President Donald Trump, his family and staff are away in Bedminster, New Jersey, for an 11-day working vacation, the White House will be getting a summer makeover. (Meredith McGraw) https://abcn.ws/2M5bbYt
Ivanka Trump, administration mark anniversary of Charlottesville riot. Several members of the Trump administration on Saturday noted the one-year anniversary of the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended up with one woman dead and a reigniting of heated discussions of race in America. (Mark Osborne) https://abcn.ws/2w3vBXF
The New York Times reports: ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Lovely’: Trump Tweets Reflect Fixation on Women’s Appearances. https://nyti.ms/2MlQ588
Inside Omarosa's reign of terror: AXIOS reporters here: https://bit.ly/2OwvhZ4
The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Check back tomorrow for the latest.
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