A new USA Today/Suffolk University poll finds Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump, 46% to 40%.
Also interesting: “Sixty-one percent report feeling alarmed about the election, swamping the 23% who are excited. Few are bored: Just 9%.”
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Trump Meets with Ernst as Possible Veep
Donald Trump “met in New Jersey on Monday with Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, as he screens potential running mates in a series of meetings,” the New York Times reports.
“One person briefed on the process, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that the campaign began vetting Ms. Ernst in recent days as a possible vice-presidential pick. But it is not clear how seriously Ms. Ernst is being considered for a position that Mr. Trump has kept close counsel about filling.”
Clinton Looks to Reverse Trend with White Voters
“Hillary Clinton’s path to the White House relies on reassembling the winning Obama coalition of minority voters and women, but her campaign is vying for a demographic long out of reach for Democrats—college-educated whites—that could reshape the map of U.S. swing states this year,” Bloomberg reports.
“For decades, white voters with at least a bachelor’s degree have favored the Republican nominee over the Democrat in U.S. presidential elections, although not by as much as working-class whites.”
“The 2016 presidential election is turning that dynamic on its head.”
Third Party Vote Could Be Decisive
Nate Silver told Politico that the huge number of voters deeply dislike both presidential candidates — 20% of the electorate are currently opting for neither — increases volatility and make the election harder to predict.
Said Silver: “My gut is that there is going to be a fairly significant third- and fourth-party vote, and people under-voting the top of the ballot… That’s a big thing that we’re looking at.”
Trump’s Son-In-Law Takes a Powerful Role
New York Times: “Mr. Kushner has become involved in virtually every facet of the Trump presidential operation, so much so that many inside and out of it increasingly see him as a de facto campaign manager. Mr. Kushner, who is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, helped recruit a sorely needed director of communications, oversaw the creation of an online fund-raising system and has had a hand in drafting Mr. Trump’s few policy speeches. And now that Mr. Trump has secured the Republican nomination, Mr. Kushner is counseling his father-in-law on the selection of a running mate.”
“It is a new and unlikely role for Mr. Kushner, a conspicuously polite Harvard graduate whose prominent New Jersey family bankrolled Democrats for decades and whose father’s reputation was destroyed, in a highly public and humiliating manner, by his involvement in electoral politics.”
“Now, in a Shakespearean turn, Mr. Kushner is working side by side with the former federal prosecutor who put his father, Charles Kushner, in prison just over 10 years ago: Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, whom Mr. Trump named as a top adviser.”
Trump Plans Celebrity Convention
“Donald Trump’s team promises an extraordinary display of political entertainment at this month’s Republican National Convention, with the accent on entertainment,” the AP reports.
“The former reality television star plans to feature his high-profile children at the summer gathering in Cleveland, with the hope they’ll be joined by a number of celebrity supporters. Prospects include former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and longtime boxing promoter Don King.”
Trump Insists Star Was a Sheriff’s Badge
Donald Trump blasted “false attacks” by Hillary Clinton’s campaign over his use of a six-pointed star in a tweet, saying Clinton is trying to divert attention away from “dishonest behavior,” The Hill reports.
Said Trump in a statement: “These false attacks by Hillary Clinton trying to link the Star of David with a basic star, often used by sheriffs who deal with criminals and criminal behavior, showing an inscription that says ‘Crooked Hillary is the most corrupt candidate ever’ with anti-Semitism is ridiculous.”
A Rush of New Books About Trump
New York Times: “Every election cycle brings a tsunami of political books from campaign reporters, pundits and candidates… But this year is shaping up to be an exceptional one in terms of the sheer volume of writing devoted to Mr. Trump. Some publishers and writers are exhuming out-of-print Trump biographies published decades ago and slapping new covers and introductions on them. Others are rushing out new books that explore Mr. Trump’s stunning political rise.”
“Still others are producing parodies, comic books and satires, including a faux thriller titled The Day of the Donald, which takes place two years into a Trump presidency. There is also a mock children’s book by the comedian Michael Ian Black titled A Child’s First Book of Trump, and a collection from the cartoonist Garry Trudeau called Yuge!: 30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump. (And in a sign that no publishing niche has been left unexploited, there are more than a half-dozen Trump-themed adult coloring books. Also, a book of Trump paper dolls.)
Trump Could Keep Running His Business
Wall Street Journal: “No federal law would require Mr. Trump, famous for putting his name on his swath of enterprises, to remove himself from running his empire, ethics experts say. But Mr. Trump, who has financed some of his real estate with debt and expanded his organization globally, would be closely scrutinized for any policy stance that would affect banking, real estate or the foreign countries where his properties sit.”
“Mr. Trump dismisses those concerns, saying his business dealings wouldn’t influence how he would approach the banking or real-estate sectors or foreign policy. He also said he would let other executives run the trust if his children would be considered too close to him to serve as trustees.”
Johnson Says Trump Is ‘Clearly Racist’
Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson told CNN that Donald Trump is “clearly racist,” citing Trump’s history of “incendiary” racial comments.
Said Johnson: “He has said 100 things that would disqualify anyone else from running for president but doesn’t seem to affect him.”
Clinton Would Bring Different Style to White House
New York Times: “Mrs. Clinton would even schmooze differently than the past few presidents have. Not one to do business over golf or basketball, she would bring back the intimate style of former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson, negotiating over adult beverages. Picture a steady stream of senators, congressmen and other leaders raising a glass and talking policy in the Oval Office with her and her likely chief of staff, John D. Podesta, as her husband pops in with a quick thought or a disarming compliment.”
“Deeply confident that she would perform better as the president than as a political candidate, Mrs. Clinton wants to pursue a whole new approach at the White House to try to break through years of partisan gridlock, according to a dozen campaign advisers and allies who described her goals and outlook. From policy goals and personnel to her instinct for patiently cultivating the enemy, Mrs. Clinton thinks she would be a better dealmaker than President Obama if she finds willing partners on the other side.”
Priebus Hopes for Unity at Convention
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Republicans need “more than ever” to have a unifying convention this month.
Said Priebus: “Given the drama that we’ve had… I think now, more than ever, the role of the convention to assist in the unification of the party is going to be extremely important.”
He added that “it’s going to take some people longer than others” to support Donald Trump.
Gingrich Says Trump Is Part P.T. Barnum
Newt Gingrich called Donald Trump a great populist leader and said he “is one part Andrew Jackson as a disruptor, one part Theodore Roosevelt with manic energy, and one part P.T. Barnum as a salesman, which resonates well with the working class, but not the elite,” the Aspen Daily News reports.
Said Gingrich: “That blend of those three explains the sort of ‘Trumpian’ phenomenon. That frankly is fairly offensive if you’re part of an establishment that goes to think tanks and comes to Aspen, and has conversations appropriate for corporate boardrooms. Guys who talk at fourth-grade levels and speak in the language of a good working-class bar, drive you crazy. And if they succeed they really drive you crazy, because they disrupt everything you thought you invested your life in.”
Farage Steps Down in Britain
“Right-wing firebrand and populist politician, Nigel Farage, resigned as leader of his U.K. Independence Party on Monday morning, saying he had ‘done his bit’ as one of the chief campaigners for the country to leave the European Union,” the Washington Post reports.
“The resignation is the latest political bombshell to hit British politics in the wake of last month’s popular vote to withdrawal from the 27-member bloc… Despite having won the campaign to extricate the U.K. from E.U. institutions, the leaders of the movement — popularly known as Brexit — all appear to be fading into the background of British politics.”
Obama Prohibits Cabinet from Speaking at Convention
“The White House has forbidden members of President Obama’s cabinet to address the Democratic National Convention this month, a stark break from past policy that is intended to avoid the appearance that the administration’s final months are being consumed by the politics of Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” the New York Times reports.
Many Lobbyists Will Skip GOP Convention
Donald Trump “has spent months railing against Washington lobbyists. He may soon pay a price,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Lobbyists typically act as the party elders at political conventions, ensuring that the program runs smoothly and coordinating many of the festivities surrounding the official events.”
“This year, many of them are opting out of the Cleveland event later this month, both because they have not been tapped to raise money for the campaign and because some of their clients have expressed concern about funding a convention with Mr. Trump at the top of the ticket.”
Lawyer Vetting for Trump Also Vetted Palin
Washington Post: “The contenders under the most serious consideration, such as Gingrich and Christie, have been asked by attorney Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. to answer more than 100 questions and to provide reams of personal and professional files that include tax records and any articles or books they have published.”
“Culvahouse, a former White House counsel who is managing the vetting for Trump, was the lawyer who vetted then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the GOP vice-presidential nomination during the 2008 campaign.”
Booker Stokes Speculation About Veep
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) “is now referring questions about whether he is being vetted as a potential running mate for Hillary Clinton to her campaign — a shift from as recently as two weeks ago, when he flatly denied he was in the running for the job,” CNN reports.
Said Booker: “I’m just referring questions about the vice presidency to the woman who is going to have to make this decision. You should talk to the Clinton campaign.”
