“I think he’s hijacked the debate. I think he’s a wrecking ball for the future of the Republican Party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back. This is a defining moment for the Republican Party. We need to reject this.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by CNN, on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Donald Trump “delivered a rambling monologue on Saturday, dismissing a long list of critics — including Jeb Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Macy’s — while rallying what he termed a new silent majority of voters,” the New York Times reports.

“It also demonstrated what his party fears most about him: that he is an orator without regard for decorum who is willing to mock other Republicans.”

Politico: “Most other candidates would have folded. Some might have doubled down. On Saturday, Donald Trump tripled down.”

“After weeks of criticism — and rising poll numbers — in the wake of controversial remarks on immigration, Donald Trump brings his spotlight to Arizona, a longtime hotbed of border security debate,” The Hill reports.

Trump will be “joining forces at a rally Saturday afternoon with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration hardliner who has said illegal aliens in his jurisdiction can expect a ‘free ride to jail.’ The event shows Trump has no intent of softening his rhetoric, which is unnerving Republicans even as the outspoken billionaire has gone sky-high in the polls.”

The Arizona Republic notes Trump repeated his vow to construct a border wall: “I build the best walls, believe me, for the lowest cost, but Mexico is going to pay for it. And you’re going to start treating us with respect.”

The New Republic: “Who will incur The Donald’s wrath next? Here’s a guide for those seeking to annoy the famously thin-skinned Trump.”

New York Times: “With the party’s first debate scheduled for Aug. 6, Republicans are absorbing the likelihood that Mr. Trump, and his parade of provocations, will be on stage. Fox News has set criteria for participation primarily on the candidates’ standing in national polls, and Mr. Trump is now comfortably ensconced in the top 10.”

Said Trump adviser Michael Cohen: “He’s 100 percent going to do the debates.”

“Republican Party leaders agonize over the prospect that Donald Trump will mount a third-party candidacy that could undermine their nominee. They fear insulting the white working-class voters who admire him. They are loath to tangle with a threat-flinging firebrand for whom there are no rules of engagement,” the New York Times reports.

“Since the start of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, a vexing question has hovered over his candidacy: Why have so many party leaders — privately appalled by Mr. Trump’s remarks about immigrants from Mexico — not renounced him?”

“It turns out, interviews show, that the mathematical delicacy of a Republican victory in 2016 — and its dependence on aging, anxious white voters — make it exceedingly perilous for the Republican Party to treat Mr. Trump as the pariah many of its leaders now wish he would become.”

In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with thge Washington Post, Donald Trump said he has “serious concerns about other Republican candidates and refused to commit to supporting the eventual nominee in the general election.”

Said Trump: “So many people want me to run as an independent — so many people. I have been asked by — you have no idea, everybody wants me to do it. I think the best chance of defeating the Democrats and to make America great again is to win as a Republican because I don’t want to be splitting up votes.”

First Read: “Here’s a fairly safe prediction: Trump’s poll position in the GOP race is going to go down. It might not happen tomorrow, or next month before the first debate, or the month after that. But it’s going to happen. And it won’t be due to immigration, but instead past statements on a slew of important issues to the GOP base.”

“Exhibit A: His comment to NBC’s Tim Russert in 1999 that ‘I’m very pro-choice.’ … Exhibit B: His remark on not opposing gays serving in the military in that same 1999 interview. ‘Hey, I’ve lived in New York City and Manhattan all of my life. So my views are a little different than had I lived in Iowa.’ (Expect that line in a TV ad to Iowa voters.) Exhibit C: Another 1999 quote from Trump via Buzzfeed. ‘I’m very liberal when it comes to health care. I believe in universal health care.’ Make no mistake, GOP rivals and outside groups will make Iowa and New Hampshire voters know about those lines if Trump is still riding high in the polls by November or December.”

Mark Halperin: “Strength might be the defining factor in the 2016 presidential cycle so far…. To the other candidates, therefore, Trump should represents a target of opportunity‑because there’s no better way to show strength than by attacking a potent rival. And with Trump, of course, there’s much to attack…. Anything that he says is instantly national news, which, for his rivals, makes attacking him an extraordinarily risky proposition.”

“The risks are huge for anyone who makes a frontal assault, a full repudiation that goes beyond just challenging Trump on his immigration comments, a truly epic mud war. But a candidate who undertook it might be seen as both a party savior and pillar of strength, definitely prepared to be an Oval Office occupant. Even Bill Clinton might be impressed. Will any of them seize the moment?”

David Remnick: “The personal brand is, depending on your inclinations, a gilded jackass or an up-from-nothing tell-it-like-it-is-type-a-guy (without the up-from-nothing part). But it’s always been more than buffoonish entertainment. The sheer number of people and peoples who Trump has managed to insult, bully, and mistreat is, in its way, awe-inspiring.”

“Back in the spring, when Donald Trump first started making noise about a presidential bid, CNN President Jeff Zucker sent a message to his producers: Don’t cover him,” Politico reports.

“Trump had teased a presidential run many times before — in 1988, 2004, and 2012 — and Zucker had watched each time as the media got played by a braggadocious showman who relished the limelight. Zucker didn’t want CNN to get played again, sources there said.”

“Then, on June 16, Trump announced that he was, in fact, running for president. Since then, CNN has covered Trump more than 400 times on television and on its website, according to the Nexis database. That’s more coverage than CNN has given to Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker or any other major GOP candidates. It’s even more coverage than CNN has given to Hillary Clinton.”

“I have a great relationship with the Mexican people. I have many people working for me – look at the job in Washington – I have many legal immigrants working with me. And many of them come from Mexico. They love me, I love them. And I’ll tell you something, if I get the nomination, I’ll win the Latino vote.”

— Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News.

CNN: “One person in Trump’s inner circle, who spoke anonymously to share Trump’s private thoughts, said the businessman was genuinely stung by NBC’s decision to sever ties with him. Even after announcing his presidential campaign, Trump had always expected to return to being host of ‘The Apprentice’ — a platform that has been central to creating an image of a tough boardroom CEO and experienced business leader.”

Said the person: “I don’t think it has anything to do with money. It has everything to do with prestige.”

“The PGA of America is moving its Grand Slam of Golf from Donald Trump’s golf course in Los Angeles, the first significant fallout for golf from the Republican presidential candidate’s comments on illegal Mexican immigrants,” the AP reports.

Meanwhile, Yahoo News reports that ESPN announced “that it has moved its ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic from Trump National Los Angeles to Pelican Hill Golf Club in nearby Newport Beach, Calif.”

Said ESPN: “We decided it was appropriate to change the venue, and are grateful for the opportunity to stage the event at Pelican Hill on short notice.”