The Note: Trump leaves Democrats less divided but more disgusted

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It's ugly, vile and divisive. It's also going to get worse.

For all that this week revealed about President Donald Trump and the campaign he plans to run, Democrats find themselves less divided than they are disgusted -- and a little distraught.

The president's half step-back of disavowing chants that broke out at his rally on Wednesday night doesn't change the fact that the crowd adapted to a climate Trump is working to shape. Trump and his campaign are still leaning in on attacks that most candidates or presidents would never consider.

None of that changes the fact that the most diverse field of presidential candidates in history recognizes the pattern but doesn't quite know how to break it.

"This is a game," former Vice President Joe Biden said in California Thursday. "This is about dividing and raising the issue of racism across the country. Because that's his base."

"He obviously is working out of the playbook that he's used to get elected," Sen. Kamala Harris said on CNN.

"It's vile, it's offensive and it's not new in our country," Sen. Cory Booker said at a Washington Post forum.

The words that carried so much power and meaning this week when Trump tweeted them were simple enough: "go back."

But the problem for Democrats is that looking back shows that fresh outrage doesn't dictate outcomes.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Campaigns have been won or lost on debate stages, and, in that way, the random drawing Thursday night to decide which candidates would face off on which night at the end of the month for the second debate left a huge part of the Democratic presidential primary to chance.

Here are five quick takeaways from the lineups for Detroit:

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders will be side-by-side the first night. The two progressive powerhouses are arguably the most natural competitors in the race, fighting in very similar lanes when it comes to policy proposals and rhetoric. It may be too early for them to attack each other -- in fact, they often compliment one another -- but you can imagine the moderates will want them to draw contrasts.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who did not qualify for the first debates in Miami, will get his chance on night one. He probably benefits from a Biden-free stage and should be able to position himself as a moderate alternative to Sanders and Warren.

In that same way, the proximity of Sen. Amy Klobuchar to Warren and Sanders could be good for her. Like Bullock, she has tried to distinguish herself as someone who can win in red counties and opposes some of the more progressive ideas floating in the party's ranks.

Sen. Kamala Harris is back on stage with former Vice President Joe Biden. We could see a repeat of her offensive against him from the first debate. Sen. Cory Booker, though, will be on the same stage too. He has had tough words for Biden on race-related issues in the last few weeks as well.

In fact, all the nonwhite candidates will be together on the second night.

The TIP with Lissette Rodriguez

As Democrats condemn chants of "send her back" at a Trump rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, referring to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, 2020 presidential candidates are working to secure her second term.

One of the candidates, fellow progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, released a photo of the two at dinner Wednesday night, as they happened to be together when the rally was underway, according to a campaign fundraising email to supporters.

Sanders joined Omar, her daughter and some other members of Congress Wednesday evening, and in the email he describes Omar as a "leader with strength and courage," asking supporters to split a $2.70 contribution between Omar's reelection campaign and his own presidential election.

Omar joins Sanders as one of the leading faces in the progressive movement. The two have worked on a number of congressional bills together, their most recent proposal to cancel all student debt. Sanders, in the fundraising email, went on to say he would "work with her and other progressives" in the White House.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, who explains why the U.S. destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Then ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl discusses his back-and-forth with the president over chants of "send her back" at his rally Wednesday night. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights key political moments. Please check back Monday for the latest.