“Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary of state under George W. Bush, says he will vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, in one of the most dramatic signs yet that Republican national security elites are rejecting their party’s presumptive nominee,” Politico reports.
Is Trump Now Pushing for Gun Control?
Rick Klein: “The latest Trump endorsee forced to wonder what Trump is thinking is the NRA, which didn’t anticipate a certain Tweeting presidential candidate in writing its post-Orlando script. It’s not clear what specific policy Donald Trump is pushing in his not-yet-scheduled meeting with the NRA. It’s not clear if the NRA knows what he’s up to in pushing for suspected terrorists to be denied access to guns. It’s also not clear that the Senate’s decision to hold votes on gun control Thursday is directly connected to the pressure applied by Trump.”
“But what is clear is that Trump – despite his half-threat to ‘do this alone’ on the campaign trail – will have outsized influence on national debates over the next five months, at the very least. His unpredictability, along with the more predictable populist streak he flashes so often, won’t exist by itself, no matter who endorses his candidacy.”
Trump Fights to Keep Deposition Video Secret
“Lawyers for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are intensifying their drive to make sure the public doesn’t see videos of Trump’s recent testimony in connection with class-action fraud lawsuits over his Trump University real estate seminar program,” Politico reports.
“In a court filing late Wednesday night, Trump’s attorneys argued explicitly for the first time that the deposition videos should be kept under wraps because they would become weapons in the ongoing presidential contest.”
Trump to Hold Fundraiser at Goldwater Home
“An exclusive fundraiser featuring presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will take place at the landmark former home of Barry Goldwater, the five-term conservative U.S. senator from Arizona who clinched the GOP nomination for the presidency in 1964 over more moderate rivals,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“Trump’s insurgent GOP run has invited numerous comparisons with Goldwater’s doomed bid. Like Trump, Goldwater upended the Republican establishment in the primaries but faced a difficult general-election landscape. However, despite his dramatic defeat at the polls, Goldwater’s candidacy is credited with helping to remake the Republican Party and paving the way for fellow Cold War conservative Ronald Reagan’s victory in the 1980 presidential race.”
Can Clinton Do to Trump What Obama Did to Romney?
Byron York: “In post mortems of the 2012 presidential race, President Obama’s team gave much credit for their victory to early ad campaigns portraying Mitt Romney as an uncaring, out-of-touch rich guy.”
Said David Axelrod to the Harvard Political Review in 2013: “We defined the race and Gov. Romney before the conventions. And he was digging out of that hole for the remaining two months.”
“Now, there’s talk in the political world that Hillary Clinton and Democratic strategists are trying to do the same thing to Donald Trump — to define him, and the race, before the conventions and put him in a hole he can’t dig out of. Democrats are running millions of dollars in ads portraying Trump as dangerously unfit for the office of president.”
Clinton Has the Airwaves to Herself
First Read on Hillary Clinton’s battleground ad blitz:
“Don’t be surprised if the positive spots run more often than the anti-Trump contrast ad. Why? Because the Clinton camp probably realizes it needs to work on Hillary’s favorable numbers, especially since Trump’s unfavorable ratings are about as low as they can go. More than anything else, the ad blitz demonstrates Clinton’s financial superiority right now. How long will she have the battleground-state airwaves to herself? Remember, the pro-Clinton Super PAC is already on the air in these states. But where’s the Trump/GOP cavalry?”
Trump May Start a TV Network
Vanity Fair: “Trump is indeed considering creating his own media business, built on the audience that has supported him thus far in his bid to become the next president of the United States. According to several people briefed on the discussions, the presumptive Republican nominee is examining the opportunity presented by the ‘audience’ currently supporting him. He has also discussed the possibility of launching a ‘mini-media conglomerate’ outside of his existing TV-production business, Trump Productions LLC.”
“He has, according to one of these people, enlisted the consultation of his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who owns the The New York Observer. Trump’s rationale, according to this person, is that, ‘win or lose, we are onto something here. We’ve triggered a base of the population that hasn’t had a voice in a long time.'”
Clinton Unveils New Ad in Battleground States
Hillary Clinton is out with a new positive ad in eight battleground states.
Politico: “By reserving time in key swing states — at least Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia — the Clinton camp is sending an unmistakable message to the presumptive GOP nominee that it intends to press into traditionally Republican territory without spending too much time worrying about defending traditionally Democratic destinations where Trump insists he will compete, said a handful of high-level Democrats close to the Clinton effort.”
Florida Insiders Give Rubio the Advantage If He Runs
Tampa Bay Times: “We asked more than 150 experienced Florida politicos to asess Rubio’s reelection prospects, and a remarkable 96 percent in the Florida Insider Poll predicted Rubio would win if the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee is Alan Grayson. But if Democrats nominate Patrick Murphy, only 55 percent think Rubio will win a second term.”
James Hohmann: Marco Rubio flip flops on hating the U.S. Senate.
Sanders Not Being Considered as Running Mate
“Hillary Clinton’s campaign isn’t considering primary rival Bernie Sanders as her running mate, but is actively looking at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whose populist politics line up closely with Mr. Sanders,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The vetting remains in its early stages. So far, potential candidates have been scrutinized using publicly available information. The Clinton team hasn’t asked anyone to submit tax returns or other personal information.”
Other prospective candidates: Labor Secretary Tom Perez, HUD Secretary Julián Castro; Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Tim Ryan (D-OH).
Trump’s Relationship with RNC Sours
“Donald Trump is relying heavily on the Republican Party to bolster his skeletal operation, but his campaign’s relationship with the Republican National Committee is increasingly plagued by distrust, power struggles and strategic differences, according to sources in both camps,” Politico reports.
“In recent days, RNC chairman Reince Priebus has privately grumbled that his advice doesn’t seem welcome with Trump… Other party officials have expressed frustration that Trump’s campaign is trying to take too much control over a pair of fundraising committees with the party while adding little to the effort, according to campaign and party officials familiar with the relationship.”
Kasich Says He Can’t Support Trump
Gov. John Kasich (R) “is in agony over his decision last year to support the Republican nominee and the reality that Donald Trump is his party’s presumptive nominee,” Politico reports.
Said Kasich: “You know, it’s painful. It’s painful. You know, people even get divorces, you know? I mean, sometimes, things come out that, look, I’m sorry that this has happened. But we’ll see where it ends up. I’m not making any final decision yet, but at this point, I just can’t do it.”
Christie Sticks with Controversial Endorsement
Bloomberg: “In the months since Christie endorsed Trump following his own failed campaign, the second-term governor hasn’t had it easy. He’s been heckled at home and on the trail, and been mocked on social media. He’s lost favor with voters in his own party. He’s been urged to resign by Democrats already eyeing his job. Even Christie, with 19 months left in office, has referred to his tenure in the past tense.”
“His approval, already at a record low after spending more than half of 2015 out of state, has slid even further since his surprise Trump endorsement in February. Still, Christie hasn’t wavered.”
House GOP Wants to Take Power Back from President
“A House Republican task force is offering a sweeping series of recommendations to redress what GOP lawmakers see as a decades-long imbalance between the executive and legislative branches,” Politico reports.
“The fourth of six task forces created by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) — this one on ‘The Constitution’ — calls for Congress to reassert its authority over drafting laws and deciding how federal funds are spent.”
Democrats End Marathon Filibuster with Promise of Vote
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) “ended a blockade of the Senate floor after nearly 15 hours Thursday, announcing Republican leaders had agreed to hold votes on Democrat-backed measures to expand background checks and prevent suspected terrorists from acquiring guns,” the Washington Post reports.
“Democrats were angling for votes on the two gun control measures, which they are presenting as amendments to a pending spending bill, demanding that it was the least the Senate could do to respond to the Orlando massacre that killed 49 last weekend.”
Clinton Maintains National Lead
A new CBS News poll shows Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump nationally in the presidential race, 43% to 37%.
Interesting: “Fifty-one percent expect Hillary Clinton to finally win the 2016 presidential election, compared to just 35% that expects Trump to win. Most Republicans think Trump will win, while Democrats and independents think Clinton is more likely.”
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Clinton Begins Swing State Ad Blitz
Hillary Clinton “is set to storm the airwaves in a host of battlegrounds states as she looks to showcase a stark contrast between her vision for America and Donald Trump’s,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Clinton purchased air time beginning Thursday in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, according to a Democrat who tracks media buys.”
