President Trump's 2020 campaign begins as voters give their view on his first term

  • Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore

The least surprising news on planet Earth is about to be revealed: The President is running for re-election.

Donald Trump will make the announcement later on Tuesday during a “mega-rally” at a sports stadium here in Orlando, and if you think the Tory party leadership contest is interminable consider this: Americans must wait 504 days before election day.

It’s not a coincidence that this rally is being held in Florida.

As in all recent election cycles, Florida is the battleground state to end all battleground states.

Whoever wins here in 2020 almost certainly owns the keys to the White House.

Donald Trump launches his 2020 campaign in the key battleground state of Florida. Credit: AP

So ahead of the President’s arrival I went to talk politics with a group of Floridians I have always been in awe of - some of the smartest people in America.

We drove the short distance from Orlando to Cape Canaveral to chat with the veteran scientists, engineers and project managers who drive America’s space programme.

  • Dr Shannon Roberts, a retired NASA executive, says the Trump administration has been "disruptive and chaotic" and wants a strong president with vision to replace him

Having worked for decades to launch rockets to Mars and to explore the cosmos, what do these NASA boffins make of the President’s performance and behaviour?

Having shot for the stars, what do they think of the state of their own nation?

  • Dr Al Koller, a retired NASA engineer, believes the president has had to fight for his life since day one and would not want anyone else replacing him at this stage

And you guessed it: like all Americans, they are deeply divided.

Some see Trump as a political, moral and reputational disaster for the US.

Others love the great disruptor, relish his combative character, and think he will win another four years in office.

  • Terry White, a retired NASA technician, is behind the 'great disruptor' and believes he is doing an "excellent job at turning the country around"

America’s space coast is booming.

It’s a modern day high-tech Gold Rush, with private companies like Space X investing heavily in this part of Florida and young talent is pouring in.

But whether President Trump deserves the credit is a matter of fierce debate.