The Note: Trump vulnerabilities revealed through masks, convention messaging
Trump and Biden may see their actions judged by a changed nation.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
President Donald Trump sees no reason there can't be a convention with "full attendance" this summer. He also sees "no way" that election results can be trusted this fall.
When it comes to wearing a mask, Trump had this to say about former Vice President Joe Biden: "I thought it was very unusual that he had one on."
Countered Biden: "He's a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way," he told CNN Tuesday. "It's costing people's lives."
Trump will no doubt beat Biden when it comes to insults and nicknames. Yet this moment is revealing a president with significant vulnerabilities -- and perhaps some real worries -- as politics ramps back up this summer.
Trump needs rallies to tend to his base, particularly as his strongest advantage over Biden is voter enthusiasm. He needs a normal-ish convention -- and seems to prefer not being photographed with a mask -- to fit with his insistence that life as we once knew it can return in plenty of time for November.
Meanwhile, the president sees the need to sow doubt about election preparations -- including expansions in vote-by-mail driven by the COVID-19 crisis -- to galvanize his supporters. And if he may lose in November, he is sowing seeds of doubt that could turn into something ominous to even consider.
Trump heads to Florida Wednesday for what should be a feel-good moment in any presidency -- the SpaceX launch that could mark a new phase in exploration, and a national breather from the pandemic. It's hard to imagine the president hits a battleground state without fresh political attacks.
Trump and Biden are both acting as they imagine a president should act in a time of crisis. Both will largely get the campaigns and the conventions they like -- but may see their actions judged by a changed nation.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
At a time when worker safety and benefits feel especially urgent and front-of-mind, the country's largest coalition of labor groups, the AFL-CIO, endorsed Biden.
"Joe Biden is a lifelong supporter of workers and has fought his entire career for living wages, health care, retirement security and civil rights," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wrote in a statement released Tuesday.
He promised to mobilize members despite the pandemic via virtual phone banks, texting campaigns and digital work.
Trumka acknowledged that many union workers supported Trump in 2016, but argued that since the president has "shown his true colors" during his time in office by doing away with safety procedures, undermining collective bargaining and other actions.
Since taking office, the president has often framed his messaging to appeal to blue-collar workers, but the current pandemic has put that rhetoric to the test.
With outbreaks continuing at large plants, there is new pressure to establish guidelines, best practices and an enforcement mechanism to keep employees safe and allow them to take time off if they get sick.
The TIP with Benjamin Siegel
While nearly 60 House Democrats plan to authorize colleagues to cast votes for them this week in the first test of the chamber's new proxy voting rule, Republicans are going to court, filing a lawsuit against the new protocol. They plan to argue that the new system -- where lawmakers can cast votes for up to 10 colleagues who provide them instructions during the coronavirus pandemic -- is unconstitutional, violating the requirements for members to be physically present in the chamber while casting votes.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the procedure a "dereliction of our duty as elected officials," and said it would "silence the American people's voice during a crisis." Republicans have pushed Democratic leaders to mirror the Senate posture and return to Washington for business with new protocols to encourage social distancing and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the challenge a "sad stunt," noting that the Supreme Court has affirmed each chamber's right to make its own rules.
The challenge won't change the House's schedule this week, which includes expected votes to ease the terms of the Paycheck Protection Program and reauthorize law enforcement surveillance powers.
BRINGING AMERICA BACK
There is an "infodemic" of misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. ABC News looks at potential sources of false information and has some tips for navigating it. Read this story and more by checking out Bringing America Back, an ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in economic recovery and medical preparedness amid the coronavirus pandemic.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Wednesday morning's episode features ABC News Senior Congressional correspondent Mary Bruce and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein, who discuss how politics is informing multiple aspects of the Trump administration's pandemic recovery response. ABC News' Alex Perez joins us from Minneapolis, where outrage is growing after a black man died at the hands of police. Then, ABC News Transportation correspondent Gio Benitez previews Wednesday's historic manned space launch in Florida.http://apple.co/2HPocUL
ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast.Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, joins ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl to talk about her new book, "Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country that Raised Me." https://bit.ly/2w091jE
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