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Trump seeks to make impeachment a campaign asset | TheHill

posted onDecember 23, 2019
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Article snippet: MORE is hoping to turn the dubious distinction of impeachment into a rallying cry in his reelection bid. Trump has long cast himself as a Washington outsider unwelcome by establishment politicians, and allies say he is likely to use the partisan impeachment votes to entrench that image and energize supporters on the campaign trail. "I think it plays into an overriding message that I know the president and his team have been pushing for a while now,” one former White House official said. While the House vote on Wednesday made Trump just the third U.S. president to be impeached, he will be the first to seek reelection with the notorious label attached to his name. The president's campaign has already set out to portray impeachment as a boon to its strategy. It has released limited but favorable polling data showing impeachment is unpopular in certain swing districts, and the campaign boasted eye-popping fundraising totals on the heels of Wednesday's vote. Gary Coby, the campaign's digital director, tweeted Friday that more than $10 million in donations had rolled in during the previous 48 hours. Trump rode a populist wave to the White House in 2016 after a campaign in which he pledged to "drain the swamp" and railed against "elites" in the nation's capital. That rhetoric has endured even after nearly three years in office, and Trump's allies and advisers believe the fact that no Republicans voted for impeachment will allow Trump to frame that debate in similar "us ... Link to the full article to read more

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