Trump second-term agenda begins to emerge

The contours of a second-term agenda for President Trump are coming into view, 18 months before the 2020 election.

Immigration and the economy will be at its heart, just as they were during his 2016 run. But issues of trade and deregulation will be there, too — as will a nominal proposal to replace ObamaCare with some as-yet-unspecified legislation.

It’s a very early stage at which to begin laying out a second-term platform. But supporters of the president argue the haste is justified. The Democratic nomination process, featuring a huge field of contenders, is already consuming a lot of media oxygen.

“You have to air these things now,” said Brad Blakeman, a senior staffer in former President George W. Bush’s White House and a strong Trump backer. “Democrats are taking up all this space because you have so many of them. We have to offer all our plans earlier, because the Democrats are otherwise going to be given free rein.”

Trump unveiled his new immigration plan at the White House on Thursday. It centers on a pledge to move from a green card system primarily based around family relationships to one primarily based around education and job skills.