This is the DNC’s Battleground Brief — a weekly wrap-up of Trump’s broken promises and everything you need to know across the path to 270. 

A WEEK OF CONTRASTS: BIDEN ROLLS OUT CAREGIVING PLAN WHILE DEMOCRATS CALL OUT TRUMP’S FAILURES. This week, as Joe Biden unveiled his plan to build a robust 21st century caregiving and education workforce, Democrats across the battleground states slammed Donald Trump’s broken promises to seniors, working parents, and caregivers.

In Arizona:

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick: “Trump’s disastrous pandemic response left older Americans to fend for themselves and now, Arizona’s seniors are paying the price. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to hit seniors hard, Trump has utterly failed to prioritize quick testing and necessary protective gear for health care workers who are on the frontlines of fighting this deadly virus.”

In Florida:

Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo: “Trump never delivered on his promises to address child care costs, is recklessly demanding schools reopen amidst the raging coronavirus pandemic, and has utterly failed to deliver the PPE and testing nursing homes needed to keep their staff and residents safe. Enough is enough. Floridians deserve a leader capable of following through on his promises and prioritizing our caregivers — that leader is Joe Biden.”

In Georgia: 

Gloria Jenkins, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia Seniors Caucus: “He has continuously downplayed the threat of coronavirus and proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security even after vowing to protect them. We deserve better, and Trump’s broken promises to older Georgians are going to hurt him at the ballot box. We deserve a president who respects and fights for those who have spent their lives building our country and raising our families.”

In Michigan: 

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes: “Biden’s commitment to making caregiving more accessible and affordable stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who has failed to bring progress on paid family leave, cheaper child care, or support for elder care.”

In Minnesota: 

Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin: “Our state is experiencing a caregiving crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and Trump’s disastrous response. Trump failed to deliver on his childcare promises, failed to secure real progress on paid family leave, and is now pushing all schools to fully reopen, but has no plan on how schools, teachers, and caregivers can do so safely.”

In Nevada:

Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II: “Home means Nevada to thousands of home care workers facing long hours and low wages, and these conditions have only been exacerbated as they serve on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus.”

In New Hampshire:

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley: “Trump’s tax scam took money out of the pockets of working parents, and since the outbreak, his administration has only made it harder for Granite Staters to make a living while taking care of their kids.”

• Heather Ledoux, Registered Nurse: “As a nurse of 18 years, a mom, and a Granite Stater … I can say with the utmost certainty that especially now during the pandemic, the Trump-Sununu agenda harms New Hampshire caregivers … Trump and Sununu didn’t support us before the crisis, they aren’t supporting us now, and we can’t give them another chance to push their agenda that harms us after the COVID-19 crisis is over.”

In North Carolina: 

North Carolina Democratic Party Communications Director Austin Cook: “Donald Trump’s empty promises to reduce the cost of child care show exactly how detached he is from the struggles of everyday Americans. The high costs of quality child care and early development programs hurts our children, prevents parents and guardians from entering the workforce, and leaves millions of families in financial uncertainty.”

In Ohio:

Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper: “Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Trump has continued making it harder for working parents to take time off and care for their families. Ohioans deserve better than his broken promises.”

In Pennsylvania: 

Pennsylvania Democratic Party Spokesperson Andres Anzola: “Since his first day in office, Donald Trump has put the interests of the wealthiest Americans and large corporations before the needs of working families, our parents, and our children … Pennsylvanians deserve better than Trump’s failed, ineffective leadership.” 

In Texas:

Texas Democratic Party Executive Director Manny Garcia: “For four years, Donald Trump has left working families across Texas out to dry. As a candidate, Trump vowed to lower child care costs but he has utterly failed to deliver at every turn. Now, as coronavirus cases continue to surge across Texas, working families are paying the price as they struggle to juggle the responsibilities of care.” 

In Virginia:

Democratic Party of Virginia Executive Director Andrew Whitley: “Donald Trump promised to stand up for working families. But for three and a half years, he has continued to put himself and his rich friends first … Virginia saw through Donald Trump’s empty rhetoric in 2016, and this November, we’re bringing an end to his broken promises.”

• Dr. James Fedderman, Virginia Education Association President-Elect: “Everyone’s top priority should be the health and safety of our students, their families, communities, and the educators who serve them … They are quite literally risking the lives of students, bus drivers, and teachers, not to mention the other members of their families.”

In Wisconsin: 

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Spokesperson Philip Shulman: “Older Americans deserve to live their lives with dignity and respect, instead of living with the threats of Trump’s heartless policy goals. He doesn’t care about the well-being of older Wisconsinites and they see just how dangerous another four years of his presidency would be for them.”

• WKOW: “Several mothers joined Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) to call for better child care support from the Trump Administration. … She highlighted the struggles mothers Mary Lockwood and Sarah Knowles have faced during the coronavirus pandemic.”

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRATS SLAM TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES — AND A BUNGLED BUS TOUR. Wherever Trump and his cronies go, Democrats will be there to hold them accountable. See for yourself:

In North Carolina:

Triangle Business Journal: “Not everyone is excited about Trump’s trip, however. Late Thursday, the North Carolina Democratic Party put out a statement, attributed to its communications director, Austin Cook. ‘That Donald Trump will visit North Carolina just after the state surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases is a fitting visualization of his failure to contain this pandemic,’ the statement reads.”

WTVD: “That Donald Trump will visit North Carolina just after the state surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases is a fitting visualization of his failure to contain this pandemic. Small businesses across the state have shuttered and hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians remain out of work because of the Trump administration’s mismanagement of the crisis, and no photo op can change those facts. The Trump legacy will be one of sheer incompetence, and in just over 100 days, voters here will reject it.”

In Colorado:

CO Dems: “Ivanka Trump and David Bernhardt’s photo ops can’t spin Donald Trump’s disastrous record on child care and public lands. Four years ago, Trump pledged to lower child care costs, but he has utterly failed to deliver at every turn — and now hardworking families across Colorado are paying the price. Meanwhile, Bernhardt’s political stunt will do nothing to change his boss’s toxic environmental agenda, which has wreaked havoc on the public lands that millions of Coloradans cherish so deeply.” 

In Maine and New Hampshire:

WCSH: Freeport brewery cancels Women for Trump event after supposedly being misled by campaign. “‘This event that was kind of snuck up on us was not supposed to be a political event. From what we understood it was a group of women traveling on a Trump bus that wanted to come in and grab a beer.’”

WABI: “Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra said of the situation, in part, ‘While the rest of the country deals with the fallout from Trump’s failed coronavirus response, the Trump campaign can’t even get a photo op right.’”

Portland Press Herald: Women for Trump make campaign stop in Old Orchard Beach. “Earlier Wednesday, the Maine Democratic Party held a virtual round-table discussion with state party Chairwoman Kathleen Marra, Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, and Rep. Lois Reckitt, D-South Portland, to highlight the ways the president has broken his promises to women in the U.S. during his term in office.”

WMUR: “The New Hampshire Democratic Party criticized the tour in a statement from communications director Holly Shulman: ‘No amount of out-of-state Trump boosters can hide the fact that Donald Trump has broken virtually every single promise he’s made to New Hampshire women.’”

In Indiana:

IN Dems: Pence can’t spin Trump’s incompetence with another photo op. “Hoosiers deserve a president who will work every day to protect the health of our students, teachers, and families. Instead, Donald Trump has ignored CDC guidance, demanded that schools reopen without essential safeguards, and even threatened to withhold the education funding that we need to keep kids safe.”

In Ohio:

OH Dems: “Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos have no idea what they’re doing and no real plan to reopen our schools safely. … Betsy DeVos has been a disaster for public education and removing her as education secretary is one more reason we have to defeat Trump this November.”

OH Dems: “Seema Verma is coming to Ohio today to hold a photo op to distract from the Trump administration’s abject failure.”

In New York:

New York Daily News: AFT President Randi Weingarten: Betsy DeVos vs. public school teachers and families. “Whatever goes on in DeVos’ closed-door meeting Thursday, New York’s teachers and students will continue paying the price for her failures. Now more than ever, educators deserve leaders who will have our backs. We deserve advocates in Washington who will deliver the resources and safe classrooms we need to teach our kids. We certainly deserve better than Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos.”

In South Carolina:

DNC: “In the midst of an unprecedented crisis, South Carolina families need leaders who will put their health and safety first. But instead of doing their jobs, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Betsy DeVos are putting politics before the needs of students and teachers.”

In California:

DNC: “Pompeo can’t spin his boss’ incompetence with a photo op. From starting and losing a disastrous trade war to groveling for reelection help, Donald Trump has always failed to stand up to China.”

“CONCEDING VOTES:” 102 DAYS OUT, TRUMP’S SELF-SABOTAGE CONTINUES.

• SHOT: The Hill: Republicans fear Trump might be too successful with attacks on mail-in voting. “GOP strategists around the country are concerned that President Trump’s vocal opposition to mail-in voting is resonating with Republicans, imperiling years-long efforts by the party to sign people up to vote by mail. … ‘Whether we like it or not, increased vote-by-mail is going to be a reality this fall,’ said Phil Cox, a former head of the Republican Governors Association. ‘Successful campaigns will need an integrated mail-in ballot strategy that blends messaging, modeling, and targeting. Anything short of that will be conceding votes.’”

• CHASER: Arizona Mirror: Democrats surge in early vote by mail returns. “Democrats are returning early ballots at a substantially higher rate than they have in the past two elections, a potentially good sign for them as November approaches […] [A]s of Monday, Democrats had returned about 195,000 early ballots, compared to 193,000 Republican ballots. At the same time in 2018, 14 days before the primary election, Democrats had returned about 150,000 ballots; in 2016, they had only returned around 102,000.”

REPUBLICANS’ CONVENTION CHAOS: TRUMP’S JACKSONVILLE SAGA COMES TO A SPUTTERING END.

DNC Chair Tom Perez: “From the very beginning of this pandemic, Democrats have put the health and safety of the American people first. Unlike Trump, we followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and worked through plans to protect lives.”

In Florida:

• Orlando Sentinel: “In a statement, Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo said, ‘I’m glad Donald Trump took his head out of the sand long enough to realize what a predictable, preventable disaster he was about to inflict on the city of Jacksonville.’”
• Tampa Bay Times: Democrats pounced on Trump’s reversal. … ‘His ego-driven political stunt has wasted precious time and resources during a pandemic, and Floridians will remember his reckless leadership in November.’”
• New York Times: “Terrie Rizzo, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, sharply criticized the president’s weekslong insistence on holding a crowded, multiday event in Florida and bringing in people from around the country, and said that ‘Floridians will remember his reckless leadership in November.’”

In North Carolina:

• WRAL: “‘He may have been late to the party, but at least President Trump finally recognized the dangers of the situation he and his party were creating,’ North Carolina Democratic Party spokesman Austin Cook said in a statement.”

“Y’ALL MEANS ALL:” DEMOCRATS STAND WITH IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. In the wake of Donald Trump’s unconstitutional memorandum excluding undocumented immigrants from the census, Democrats across the battlegrounds spoke out: 

• NV Dems: “This latest unconstitutional stunt threatens vital resources Nevandans rely on; resources like education, health care, and nutrition assistance. Nevada’s diversity is our greatest strength. Nevada Democrats stand with undocumented immigrants. We will not allow the thousands of undocumented immigrants in Nevada to be intimidated or silenced by Donald Trump.”
• Dallas Morning News: “Democrats also ascribed political motivations, calling it an obvious attempt by Trump to gin up enthusiasm with his base as polls show him lagging with about 100 days to go before Election Day. ‘Trump’s latest racist attempt to undercount Texans comes at a steep cost,’ said Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, challenging Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican state officials to fight for a full count to ensure that Texas gets the clout it deserves in Washington.” 
• North Dallas Gazette: “Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa says this is one issue where Texas GOP members should depart from the national leadership. … ‘Y’all means all, especially in Texas. … Make no mistake about it, if Trump is allowed to exclude people from the census count, there is no state harmed more than Texas.’”

YOUR WEEKEND READING, COURTESY OF WWII VET AND MICHIGANDER EDWARD GOOD. The Oakland Press: Veteran Backing Biden. “I’m a 95-year-old World War II Veteran and lifelong Republican. In 2016, I supported and voted for Donald Trump. Now, the most important thing I’m living for is to get him out of office and elect Joe Biden president.”

• “Over the last four years, I’ve seen Donald Trump abandon many of the values that I and my Party hold dear. He has fought to take health care away from millions of Americans, and his racism has divided us in a time where we must stand together. His response to COVID-19 has been a disaster, especially endangering people like me and my wife.”
• “But there’s no better example of his weakness than Trump’s refusal to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for placing bounties on the heads of American soldiers. By sweeping this report under the rug, and lying to us about it, he has undermined the role of American soldiers who are putting their lives on the line for our country. It’s a gross and offensive dereliction of duty from a president who has shown he doesn’t have the intellect to be the Commander-in-Chief.”
• “This weakness in the face of blatant attacks on our service members rejects everything I fought for and leaves a stain on American history. In World War II, America stood up to authoritarian dictators and fought for our values. Now, it seems we’ve lost our way.”

Make sure to follow the DNC’s War Room (@DNCWarRoom) to get real-time updates on Trump’s abuses of power and broken promises.

Happy Friday! 

The DNC Comms Team