How Democrats can compete with Trump’s 2020 campaign pitch

There was nothing new in Donald Trump’s pitch to his supporters during his 2020 election campaign launch – his fervent base were sated with references to how a vote for the “socialist” Democrats would be a vote for the “destruction of the American dream” and that the president would crack down harder on immigration.

The president knows his core support inside-out, he speaks to them daily on Twitter and receives thousands of likes and retweets in return. He has had four years to hone his message as the outsider who will fight for the people. In Orlando, Trump – a man who spends quite a lot of time at his private club in Florida – said that his political movement was about reclaiming power “from a permanent political class that enriched itself at your expense”.

Across dozens of rallies around the country during his White House tenure, Trump has never really stopped campaigning. His 2020 bid is a direct continuation of his 2016 campaign. On Tuesday night, as well as the immigration talk and Democrat-baiting, the crowd were treated to the usual constant moaning about the press and “fake news” and the old favourite of chanting “lock her up” whenever former rival Hillary Clinton was mentioned.

Trump’s events exist in a time-locked bubble: the economy is always rising, and Trump will always look to ensure America is “great”. The only differences are which Democrats the president has added to his list of verbal targets, and which element of the Mueller investigation he is railing at.

The only other thing that has changed is the president’s reach, after two-and-a-half years in the White House his social media reach has increased – which is likely one of the major things he cares about. Although reports of the president having raised nearly $25m (£19.8m) in the first 24 hours of his 2020 campaign will no doubt have gone down well. For co​mparison, Joe Biden raised $6.3m. With no major competitor to his re-election from within the Republican party and a solid fundraising profile, Trump is in a good position.

If anything, the Democrat task to beat him has got tougher from 2016. With more than 20 candidates running the full range of age, background, political stance and experience, it will be tough to be heard above the noise, particularly given the attention being paid to frontrunners Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

But there is one way that Democrats can make themselves distinctive and heard – in terms of both their own primary and against Trump – and that is with policies. Trump has no need for direct policy at this stage –soundbites work and his supporters expect not much more than he is providing, bar perhaps the border wall. That leaves him open to being caught short by innovative policy.

On healthcare, the environment and the money being taken home by working families, there are plenty of areas where Democrats can gain the upper hand. Warren has gained in the primary polling by putting out a number of new policies early and others seem to have cottoned on.

Just this month, Biden put out a $1.7 trillion plan (£1.35 trillion) to combat climate change, joining a number of other candidates in having ambitious plans. Warren has issued a $2 trillion proposal to promote a green economy, Cory Booker has spoken of an affordable housing plan that could cost over $130bn annually and Beto O’Rourke of Texas has released a blueprint to overhaul the political system including congress and the Supreme Court.

Bold ideas will always gain traction, particularly if they help in areas of less interest to Trump – that is what the Democrats have to remember.