Trump advisers say their ideal Democratic primary scenario is taking shape

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One clear winner has emerged so far from the Democratic presidential contest, according to strategists aligned with the presidential re-election team this year — Donald Trump.

That's the thinking among Republican strategists as Joe Biden sees his poll numbers decline in New Hampshire and a two-way race between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg appears to emerge ahead of Tuesday's Democratic primary here, yielding what they see as a best-case scenario for Trump.

Trump himself agrees. "If you want to vote for a weak candidate tomorrow, go ahead," he told supporters at a primary eve rally Monday night in Manchester, New Hampshire, suggesting they were free to sabotage the Democratic vote, since his victory in the Republican contest was certain. "Pick one. Pick the weakest one you think. I don't know who that is."

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Still, Trump's allies say they see the prospect of a face-off with Sanders as so appealing that they have been making moves to help boost his primary season support. The best scenario for Trump, they say, would be if the Democratic contest continued all the way to the convention, with Sanders battling a candidate backed by the establishment wing of the party.

Trump's advisers are still skeptical of Sanders' odds of winning the Democratic presidential nomination. But even if he does not, they are looking to help fuel divisions within the party in hope that Sanders' supporters will stay home in 2020, or even vote for Trump if they feel the Democratic Party unfairly denied Sanders the nomination.

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