President Trump could have been forgiven for ignoring the first Democratic presidential debates. He was meeting world leaders in Japan and preparing for a high-stakes visit to South Korea.
In fact, he might have been well-advised to stay out of it. It would have left the field free for the candidates to take each other out and for Kamala Harris to land her punches on Joe Biden.
But he couldn’t resist.
“I am in Japan at the G-20, representing our Country well,” he announced at 5 a.m. EST on Twitter, “but I heard it was not a good day for Sleepy Joe or Crazy Bernie. One is exhausted, the other is nuts — so what’s the big deal?”
Whether Trump likes it or not, the Democratic race is the big deal for now, sucking up acres of newsprint and hours of air time. So how does a president who catapulted himself into the conversation by starring in the Republican debates and who dominated news coverage of the 2016 primaries maintain his reputation as the headline act?
The danger, say allies, is that his opponents could draw strength from being targeted in a presidential tweet.
“Running as president is different to running as an outsider when disruption is all,” said a friend and ally. “He believes he has a winning strategy and doesn’t want to change it, but there are some candidates who could become stronger opponents with a Trump tirade in their face.”
Those who know him wonder whether next year’s primaries and caucuses might tempt Trump to hold election rallies in the early states, despite the absence of a Republican challenger.
“The networks could not ignore covering it,” said Sam Nunberg, who worked for the 2016 campaign. “If he does an event in New Hampshire during the primary, it will set up such a stark contrast and get so much media — local and national — that his message will be covered.”
The campaign declined to comment on future rally plans.
One aspect of Trump 2020 counterprogramming was unveiled during the first Democratic debates. The campaign bought prime digital real estate on the YouTube homepage during the run-up to the showdown in Miami, running essentially a Trump livestream across the U.S.
“Drugs, terrorists, violent criminals, and child traffickers trying to enter our country,” begins one video. “But Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer care more about the radical Left than keeping us safe. The consequences? Drug deaths. Violent murder. Gang violence.”
The YouTube homepage slot is considered by digital strategists to be one of the most effective ways of reaching a mass audience, with the potential to reach as many as 80 million people during the course of a day.
In contrast, the first night of the Democratic debate, headlined by Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator, reached an audience of just over 15 million, according to Nielsen, which tracks viewing numbers.
Nunberg said the digital strategies were tailored to Trump’s position as the incumbent as well as to his love of the limelight.
“He does not have the luxury of rising above the debate without responding,” he said. “He’s a very divisive candidate.”
In the future, expect more Twitter commentary, he added, complete with opposition research and campaign talking points designed to refute and rebut Democratic claims.
“He doesn’t want to give attention to people who don’t deserve the attention. But his campaign is well staffed and sophisticated, and when he’s back home and able to have [campaign manager] Brad Parscale and his comms team with him, they could have some interesting and exciting things that could get coverage, that the media could not ignore.”
