The Note: Trump family affair to highlight campaign launch

The Trumpian touches are a key part of the reelection argument.

June 18, 2019, 6:02 AM

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Trump wants plenty of Trumps to help let Trump be Trump.

Donald Trump's official campaign kickoff on Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida, will showcase the president and Vice President Mike Pence, along with Trump's adult children, campaign officials told ABC News.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally in Montoursville, Pa., May 20, 2019.
President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally in Montoursville, Pa., May 20, 2019.
Matt Rourke/AP, FILE

Amid flourishes, such as a convention-style balloon drop, there will be the implicit message that what's being sold is not just Trump, but his family. First lady Melania, Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, Don. Jr. and Eric are their own political celebrities now -- visiting royalty in the United Kingdom and part of the package that the president is offering up for a second term.

Trump's main messages on Tuesday night are a mystery to even his campaign staffers, who were building in the expectation that he would go off script -- if he had one.

But with the president rejecting evidence that he's starting from behind, and drawing confidence from the enthusiasm of the crowds he sees, the Trumpian touches are a key part of the reelection argument.

Thus comes a new launch with some familiar faces, for a campaign that never really ended.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Days ago Trump told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that he would be revealing a new health care plan by the end of the summer as his re-election campaign kicks into gear.

It remains to be seen if anything he proposes will include input from Democrats.

PHOTO: Sen. Lamar Alexander speaks at the unveiling of the official portrait of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Dec. 17, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn.
Sen. Lamar Alexander speaks at the unveiling of the official portrait of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Dec. 17, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn.
Mark Humphrey/AP, FILE

A bipartisan group of senators is scheduled to work through some shared proposals in a health care hearing on Tuesday afternoon. The two leaders of the Senate Health Committee, Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Wash., have a draft of a new bill they worked on together, called "Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019." They have also worked with administration officials on some proposed rules changes, which could be achieved without legislation.

The hearing Tuesday morning will look at issues that lead to high medical expenses for Americans, including surprise medical bills from out-of-network billing, prescription drug costs, and a lack of transparency in contracts between hospitals and providers.

In the past, Trump has been dismissive of some of bipartisan work coming from the Hill, but this could give him a framework for his health care proposal.

The TIP with Cheyenne Haslett

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, one of the only candidates not to make the stage for the first Democratic debates later this month, will instead head to two early voting states and hold televised town halls.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Steve Bullock speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Celebration on June 9, 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Democratic presidential candidate Steve Bullock speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Celebration on June 9, 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall/AP

On June 26, when the first 10 candidates take the stage in Miami, Bullock will participate in a televised town hall in Des Moines, Iowa. On June 27, when the second slate of Democrats debate, Bullock will head to New Hampshire for a televised town hall in Manchester.

"I've won in a Trump state because I've showed up and listened to voters where they are -- and that's exactly what I'll do at these town halls and for the next 230 days until the first voters express their preference," Bullock said in a press release announcing his counter-programming plans.

Capitalizing on his narrowly missing the cut-off for the debate, he made a series of media appearances in an effort to differentiate himself from the crowded field, solidify his record in a Republican state and highlight his connection to voters who have supported Trump. He also released a few buzzy campaign ads, one with a Montana man, sitting in his truck bed, who called the Democratic National Committee's rules that kept the governor from the debate stage "horsesh--t."

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Tuesday morning's episode features ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, who tells us more about Iran's announcement regarding its uranium stockpiles. Then ABC News Senior Washington Feporter Devin Dwyer decodes the major rulings from the Supreme Court on Monday. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News' "The Investigation" podcast. Following two ABC News exclusive interviews from the weekend -- Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos' interview with President Donald Trump and News Chief White House Corespondent Jonathan Karl's interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- "The Investigation" co-hosts Chris Vlasto and John Santucci break down all the key takeaways. Highlights include Trump's comparison of his White House to that of another: "I watched Richard Nixon go around firing everybody, and that didn't work out too well" to Ocasio-Cortez's statement on impeachment that "the pressure … grows" with each passing day. ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce joins with analysis from Capitol Hill. https://apple.co/2GjL25N

FiveThirtyEight's "Politics Podcast." As Democratic candidates prepare for their first primary debates, Trump is gearing up for the general election by launching his reelection campaign in Orlando, Florida, this week. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates who the persuadable voters are in the 2020 race. They also discuss the implications of the newly announced lineups for the Democratic primary debates and play a round of "Good Use of Polling or Bad Use of Polling." https://apple.co/23r5y7w

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

  • Vice President Mike Pence will be at Port Miami in Florida for a press conference to discuss the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort's upcoming humanitarian mission in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
  • The three-day Poor People's Moral Action Congress continues for the second day at Trinity Washington University.
  • Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., returns to New Hampshire for series of events beginning with a New Hampshire Medical Society Forum in Concord at 7:50 a.m.
  • Former undocumented Trump organization workers, local union members and faith leaders hold a press conference in Orlando, Florida, at 11 a.m.
  • Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., participates in a national town hall hosted by Business Insider at 7 p.m. in New Hampshire.
  • Download the ABC News app and select "The Note" as an item of interest to receive the sharpest political analysis every weekday.

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