The Note: Trump changes the subject -- though not much else -- as voting begins
The TAKE with Rick Klein
President Donald Trump managed to change the subject, just as voting season starts.
But that's not the same as changing the direction of the campaign. Fresh data out Friday suggest that while the country may be dialed in to the issues Trump is pointing toward, that's not happening on the terms the president might prefer.
A clear majority of voters -- 55% -- view what Trump has said about protests across the country as making matters worse rather than better, a new ABC News/Ipsos Poll finds. Former Vice President Joe Biden -- who has been making that exact case against Trump -- is viewed as a more neutral actor, with 49% saying he's not having much of an effect either positively or negatively.
As for "law and order," Biden is viewed as the stronger candidate in terms of keeping the country safe, keeping individual families safe, addressing racial discrimination, handling protests, reducing violence and -- with a 64-33 split -- doing more to unite rather than divide the country.
It's a sentiment echoed in sometimes conflicting polls out since the Republican National Convention. For all the scenes of tumult and threats of action from the president in recent days, Biden is in "almost exactly the same position he was in before the conventions," according to FiveThirtyEight's Nathaniel Rakich.
Biden has picked up his campaign pace, with more trips scheduled for after Labor Day. Trump continues to do more and dominate more headlines -- creating news-cycle scenarios that Biden backers will worry about constantly.
Yet as ballots start to go out, perceptions start to set in.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
The president continued to cast doubt on the country's election systems Thursday without offering any real remedies. The only advice he gave to voters was instead confusing, largely inaccurate and arguably contrary to most state laws.
In a series of tweets Thursday, the president attempted to clarify his earlier and more blunt suggestion that people perhaps try to vote twice -- which is uniformly illegal -- by instead suggesting people demand to vote in person, as well as by mail, unless they are told their mail-in vote definitely counted.
In most states, Americans, in fact, can track their mailed-in ballot. Many states, anticipating a surge in absentee voting, have been updating these systems to make them more user-friendly in the last few months. To date, however, fewer than two dozen states allow voters to remedy their mailed-in ballot, if, for some reason, it was rejected because of an issue with stamps or signatures. Democrats have been pushing for more states to offer voters options for fixing or verifying their ballot in the event it is dismissed when they send it back.
However, as of now, 14 states will not even start processing mailed-in ballots until Election Day, meaning in those states, it would be nearly impossible for a poll worker on site on Election Day to know the status of a mailed-in ballot. Instead the counting will just take time.
Big picture, not only does the president seem to be encouraging people to try to stress test the system, but he also continues to tell Americans they should be worried about trusting the system at all.
The TIP with Alisa Wiersema
The post-convention spotlight has been shining on Pennsylvania this week as both the Biden and Trump campaigns worked their way around the northeastern and western, working-class-focused areas of the state. On Monday, Biden delivered remarks in Pittsburgh, then on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence visited Exeter, and Thursday night, Trump capped off the week with remarks in Latrobe.
Why is Pennsylvania seeing so much action? After Florida, the Keystone State boasts the second highest number of electoral votes at stake among the other major battlegrounds, making it critical in any possible mathematical calculation of winning the presidency. For Trump, a second win in Pennsylvania would represent a defense of his slim 2016 victory when he topped Hillary Clinton by just .7%, and for Biden, a Scranton native, the state carries sentimental value, while also presenting an opportunity to rebuild a strong Democratic following in a state that he won with Barack Obama back-to-back.
Based on this week's travel, it seems that both Biden and Trump are currently focusing on reinforcing support in the areas where they are each already likely to be popular, rather than expanding their political presence into less friendly territory. But their paths are set to cross next week as both presidential candidates plan to visit the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville on Sept. 11, to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the attacks. The move will put Biden into Trump-friendly territory given that Somerset County, where Shanksville is located, voted in favor of the current president by a landslide in 2016 -- nearly 76% to Clinton's 20%.
Whether that's still the case come November could still be determined, given that recent polling paints a murky picture of Pennsylvania voters' current sentiments. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, Biden has an 8-point lead in Pennsylvania, 52 percent to Trump's 44 percent. Meanwhile, a Monmouth University poll released on Wednesday indicated a tighter race between the two, with Biden leading Trump by four points among Pennsylvania registered voters, 49 percent to 45 percent.
ONE MORE THING
A significant majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump's rhetoric on the unrest in parts of the country is making matters worse -- with even members of his own party divided on his approach -- a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday finds.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News Deputy Political director MaryAlice Parks, who explains President Donald Trump's call for people to vote twice in the upcoming election -- which is illegal -- and the concerns about voting as the first ballots are sent out. ABC News Chief National correspondent Matt Gutman tells us about new police shootings that are sparking outrage in the streets. And, ABC News Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang and producer John Kapetaneas provide an explainer on the QAnon conspiracy theory. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEKEND
- President Donald Trump greets the president of Serbia and the prime minister of Kosovo and observes a signing ceremony in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. He then participates in a trilateral meeting with them.
- Former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, and later will attend virtual Biden for President finance events.
- Sunday on ABC's "This Week": The Powerhouse Roundtable discusses all the week's politics with ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd, ABC News Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks and former editor of the Denver Post Greg Moore.
Download the ABC News app and select "The Note" as an item of interest to receive the day's sharpest political analysis.
The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back Tuesday for the latest.
