President Trump’s team, “lit up” by special investigator Robert Mueller’s report clearing the administration of serious Russia collusion and obstruction of justice charges, is turning quickly to the 2020 reelection with plans to heighten the war on “fake news” and push on with achieving 2016 election promises.
“This has all been an effort to obstruct the president from succeeding,” said his 2016 pollster John McLaughlin.
? #winning Any bets on what Democrats will make up next? Maybe martians are helping us?
— Brad Parscale (@parscale) March 24, 2019
Now that the probe is done, he added, Trump can turn all his attention to his agenda.
“The real solution to that is ending the phony investigations and getting back to the business of the country. The president proposed a very popular policy agenda in his February State of the Union. He needs to focus on advancing that agenda. Congress needs to get back to focusing on those issues. That’s what the people want,” he said.
Co-pollster Jim McLaughlin added, “This puts the president, the White House and Republicans for the first time in his presidency truly on offense. The president was right, it was a witch hunt and a hoax. What happens with the IG investigation and the Huber investigation? Was the real corruption with the Democrats and politicizing our Justice Department?”
He added, “Yes, the president’s base will be fired up by this through the election and I think it also gives the president an opportunity for a second look among independents and even some Democrats.”
Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale ripped Democrats in a statement previewing the next two years.
“Democrats took us on a frantic, chaotic, conspiracy-laden roller coaster for two years, alleging wrongdoing where there was none. So distraught and blindsided by the results of the 2016 elections, Democrats lied to the American people continually, hoping to undo the legitimate election of President Trump. Their dirty tricks have not ended. Even today Democrats have picked up the disgraceful mantle of investigating, obstructing, and destroying the will of the American people at any cost. They failed once and they will fail again,” said.
Parscale added, “The American people should take notice: the Democrats have lied to you, while President Trump has been hard at work building a booming economy and making you safer.”
The Trump campaign is also expected to step up its war on the media and specific reporters who played up collusion allegations without any real evidence.
Statement from @DonaldJTrumpJr on Mueller finding NO COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and Russia. pic.twitter.com/TP6DXZOGuD
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) March 24, 2019
Trump supporter and Fox contributor Dan Bongino said hitting the media is a good plan. In an email he said, “This is a complete and total vindication of President Trump. It is also a damning indictment of the collusion hoaxers on the Left and in the media. No media figure, or politician who, WITHOUT EVIDENCE, promoted this hoax, should be taken seriously ever again.”
Trump sons Eric and Donald Jr. also said that the media will become an even bigger part of the Trump re-election effort.
McLaughlin said that Mueller’s finding will bolster Trump’s base and fuel concerns about the whole process.
“The president’s base is ecstatic that the report confirms what they always believed. However, his opposition is still in disbelief. Back in December our national poll showed that only a third of all voters thought that there was collusion. Now it’s certain there wasn’t,” he said.
With the noise around the Mueller probe expected to quiet, administration officials said that they plan to promote the president’s achievements, which some have suggested top recent administrations.
In October, Secrets reported that the administration had pursued a “relentless” effort to fulfill 2016 campaign promises. A list Secrets published included 289 promises kept.
They include 173 major wins, such as adding more than 4 million jobs, and another 116 smaller victories, some with outsize importance, such as the 83 percent one-year increase in arrests of MS-13 gang members.
Despite the administration’s characterization of the Mueller report findings as a victory, pollsters said that it is unclear if the president will see a major jump since the nation is so split over him.
McLaughlin said, “As far as the polls are concerned, it doesn’t end the pro-Trump and anti-Trump partisan polarization.”
And Democratic pollster John Zogby said, “I believe that GOP voters will be outraged that all this money and time was ‘wasted’ on an investigation that went nowhere. Meanwhile, Democrats could not hate the president more than they do already. Those who are undecided are watching the NCAA Tournament. It puts Congress in a tough position. Do they continue the investigations to give red meat to their supporters or do they punt on this and say Mueller took two years and came up with nothing? Or do they simply let the NY Attorney General continue with business-related questions about Mr. Trump? My sense is that the House Democrats are on automatic pilot and will continue with investigations. In the final analysis, Mr. Trump will stem the downward slide in polls and gain a few points. The economy is good and we are not under attack.”
