Rick Klein: “Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in politics today, with his unlimited funds, overall showmanship, and disregard for conventional political and even human rules of interaction, coupled with his threat to bolt the Republican Party if things don’t go his way. But in dragging the campaign show – 100-odd reporters following around the white baseball cap that came out of a 1980s golf pro shop – to the Texas-Mexico border, Trump looks like he got what he wanted yet again. The focus was on immigration and the border, not on disparaging comments about Sen. John McCain’s service, or even Trump calling anyone a ‘loser’ or a ‘dummy.’ If you needed yet another exhibit in Donald Trump’s capacity to dominate the media cycle – and more on his terms than not – the images from the border, white hat and all, should suffice for a while.”
Cruz Accuses McConnell of Lying to Him
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a blistering floor speech accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of lying to him over a deal to vote on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, The Hill reports.
Said Cruz: “The majority looked at me and said ‘there is no deal, there is no deal, there is no deal.”
He added: “Well, we now know that when the majority leader looks us in the eyes and makes an explicit commitment that he is willing to say thing that he knows are false. That has consequences for how this body operates,” he said. “If you or I cannot trust what the majority leader tells us, that will have consequences on other legislation, as well as on how this institution operates.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m the tortoise in the race. Slow and steady progress each and every day.”
— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Washington Post.
Rand Paul Won’t Share Campaign Data with the RNC
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “is the only one of the party’s candidates trying to assemble a full-fledged presidential campaign who has refused to sign a so-called data agreement with the RNC,” Bloomberg reports.
“This is a standard arrangement in both parties, designed to permit candidates to benefit from one of few durable resources in American politics: a national party’s voter database. In exchange for access to it, candidates pledge that after the election they will enrich the database by returning intelligence gathered on the electorate through their interactions with individual voters.”
Trump’s Cash Might Not Be Enough for Long Campaign
Although he claims he’s self-funding his campaign, Donald Trump’s “financial disclosure made public this week casts doubt on the idea that he has access to enough cash right now to spend the $1.5 billion or more it’s expected to cost to reach the White House in 2016,” Politico reports.
“Three estimates calculated after the release of the document on Wednesday put the upper limit of his cash and liquid assets at roughly $300 million. That’s plenty of money to get him a long way, but not necessarily all the way to November 2016, if he doesn’t implode first.”
Trump Admits He’s Thin-Skinned
Donald Trump admitted on Morning Joe that he’s “thin-skinned” when it comes to media coverage of his presidential campaign.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, I’m leading in all of the polls by a lot. I was just listening to you, Joe, and you know we all love you and Mika, but I was listening to you talking about Bush and Rubio and a couple of others and you sort of forgot to mention my name even though I’m creaming them all in the polls. I don’t understand what you’re doing.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Donald, what are you talking about? What are you talking about? We’ve been talking about you for a week. What are you talking about?
TRUMP: Joe, you were talking about Kasich and you mentioned Bush and Rubio and somebody else that I won’t mention because I actually like that person.
SCARBOROUGH: What are you talking about? What are you talking about, Donald? How thin is your skin? I’ve been talking about you for a week.
TRUMP: No, no, I agree with that. But when you were talking about Bush who, by the way, is about ten points lower than me, you sort of mentioned like, you know, can Kasich beat Bush? Well, you know, excuse me, what about Trump? I mean, you know, we are ten points ahead.
SCARBOROUGH: Donald, you don’t really – You aren’t really that thin-skinned, are you?
TRUMP: Yes, oh, I’m thin-skinned.
Trump Third Party Bid Would Seriously Hurt GOP
Harry Enten: “Donald Trump is making noise about an independent bid for president. If the Republican National Committee doesn’t treat him fairly, Trump says, he’ll be more likely to launch a third-party run. I don’t know if he is at all serious, but I do know two things: History suggests that an independent Trump campaign would crash and fail; polling suggests that even if that happened, Trump could take the Republican candidate down with him.”
Trump Quote of the Day
“I’m just chugging along. You know, maybe people will get tired of me. Who knows? This press is crazy.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by Politico.
Quote of the Day
“It’s unbelievable to me that liberals, that President Obama, of course he sends his children to private school, as did Al Gore, and Bill Clinton and every other celebrated liberal. They just don’t want to let those idiot inner city kids that they purport to be so supportive of… they don’t want to give them the same opportunity their own kids have. It’s disgraceful.”
— Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), quoted by the Washington Post.
Christie Faces Growing Backlash Over Train Delays
“Facing growing anger from commuters over systemic and lengthy delays on New Jersey Transit trains, Gov. Chris Christie refused to answer a question about the state’s rail service before he left for a campaign trip to Iowa,” the New York Times reports.
“Electrical problems under the Hudson River have caused three days of delays for commuters this week, raising fresh questions about the region’s languishing infrastructure and Mr. Christie’s move to abort plans for a new rail tunnel under the river. Critics have accused Mr. Christie of abandoning the tunnel partly to solve the state’s budget woes and to earn more credibility with fiscal conservatives as he prepared for a presidential run.”
Bush Holds Big Lead Over Rubio in Florida
A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds Jeb Bush holds a commanding lead over Sen. Marco Rubio among registered Florida Republicans, 28% to 16%, who have soured on the senator since he announced his presidential bid in April.
“Rubio’s 15 percentage-point drop coincides with the rise of Gov. Scott Walker, who’s now in third place with 13 percent – an 11 point increase for the Wisconsin governor since the April survey.”
Criminal Investigation Sought Over Clinton Email
“Two inspectors general have asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into whether sensitive government information was mishandled in connection with the personal email account Hillary Clinton used as secretary of state,” the New York Times reports.
“The Justice Department has not decided if it will open an investigation… At issue are thousands of pages of State Department emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private account. Mrs. Clinton has said she used the account because it was more convenient, but it also shielded her correspondence from congressional and Freedom of Information Act requests.”
Politico notes the newspaper made “small but significant changes” to the story last night after being pressed by the Clinton campaign.
Pataki Says He’ll Win If Anyone Pays Attention
If he gets enough attention, former New York Gov. George Pataki says “he’ll win over Republican voters skeptical of a moderate Northeasterner. If he can raise enough money he’ll be a force in the GOP primary. If he wins the nomination, he will absolutely win the White House next November,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Pataki: “If I have the opportunity to compete, and I believe I will, then I will win this race.”
GOP Insiders Think Trump Has Peaked
“About three quarters of Republican early-state insiders say they believe Donald Trump has peaked — but many acknowledge that may also be wishful thinking,” Politico reports.
“The controversial real estate mogul and GOP presidential candidate provoked some caucus insiders into offering expletives and other colorful language when asked whether Trump has hit his ceiling.”
Clintons Will Vacation in the Hamptons Again
“After much hand-wringing over their vacation plans, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton will return to the Hamptons this summer,” Politico reports.
“The Clintons have been mainstays of the hamlets on the shores of Long Island in recent years… But now that Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign is official and she is taking her message of lifting the middle class and alleviating income inequality to voters, the vacation spot, known as a playground for the wealthy, seemed like it could prove problematic image-wise.”
DNC Will Accept PAC Donations for Convention
The DNC “will lift its ban on donations from political action committees and lobbyists for it convention fund-raising and for the accounts it shares with presidential campaigns, highlighting the coming shift within the party as it moves from being led by an incumbent president to its next nominee,” the New York Times reports.
“The committee’s current policies, put in place by President Obama’s team when he was the nominee in 2008, reflected his desire to change the culture of Washington.”
Bush Fundraises in Christie’s Backyard
“Jeb Bush went to New Jersey on Thursday and raised more than $500,000 at two events, a huge haul in the home state of one of his rivals, Gov. Chris Christie,” the New York Times reports.
Will Cruz Emerge as the Anti-Establishment Candidate?
Charlie Cook: “There are as many ways to look at the unfolding Republican presidential race as there are people thinking about it, but one common thread is that the fight will come down to one candidate from the more conventional, mainstream side of the GOP and another from the more conservative, more ideologically driven part of the party. For some time my thinking has been that that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was the most likely to emerge from the latter, more ideologically driven side of the party.”
