Trump news: President teases 'wild' Orlando rally as state polls show every major Democrat swamping him in 2020
Thousands of supporters flock to president in Florida as he kicks off 2020 campaign
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump is reportedly toying with the idea of live tweeting the Democratic 2020 debates on 26 and 27 June to taunt his would-be rivals for the presidency as they face off against one another for the first time.
Ahead of his own formal campaign launch in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, the president has meanwhile announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will begin deporting “millions of illegal aliens” next week.
“They will be removed as fast as they come in,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people long before they get to our Southern Border. Guatemala is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement. The only ones who won’t do anything are the Democrats in Congress.”
Meanwhile, a boisterous crowd of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Amway Center arena in Orlando on Tuesday, hours before Mr Trump was set to hold a rally to formally launch his re-election campaign.
His official campaign launch in Florida today also coincides with a “national week of training” for his political supporters to build up ground game in the 2020 elections, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Just before his arrival, the Orlando Sentinel editorial board published a story titled, “Our Orlando Sentinel endorsement for president in 2020: Not Donald Trump”.
“Some readers will wonder how we could possibly eliminate a candidate so far before an election, and before knowing the identity of his opponent,” the paper wrote. “After 2½ years we’ve seen enough.”
“Enough of the chaos, the division, the schoolyard insults, the self-aggrandizement, the corruption, and especially the lies,” the paper continued, going on to mention several examples of the president’s most flagrant falsities.
Mr Trump meanwhile said his re-election launch will be a political spectacle. In a tweet, he wrote: "People have never seen anything like it (unless you play a guitar). Going to be wild — See you later!"
Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
The Independent's Andy Buncombe has just published analysis of Donald Trump's tenure as a politician thus far - and why it may not be enough to secure a second term in the White House:
Donald Trump has announced his nominee for Acting Secretary of Defence will not go forward with the confirmation process “so that he can devote more time to his family.”
The president added he would be nominating Mark Esper, the secretary of the US Army, to the role. “I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Here's the view from outside the Trump rally in Florida, where rain is pouring down on the president's supporters:
Donald Trump has described Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News as “fake news” in a rare outburst against the organisation after it reported the results of its own polls showing significant Democrat candidate leads against the president.
The polls by Fox showed Mr Trump trailing 10 percentage points behind Democratic hopeful Joe Biden when voters were asked who they would vote for if the election was now.
Donald Trump has discussed the Iran conflict before departing for Florida:
Donald Trump has insisted the Central Park 5 are guilty, despite the men being exonerated years ago. He also refused to apologise for suggesting they face execution over the crimes they were found not to have committed:
Donald Trump has departed for Florida, joined by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who tweeted about her final trip in the role just now:
Anti-Trump demonstrators have now arrived outside of the "45 fest" in Florida:
The president will begin speaking tonight in Florida at 8pm, but that's all for our live coverage from the White House. Be sure to check our US homepage and social channels as we bring you the latest from Orlando when the president takes the stage, and check out today's updates as they came in below!
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