Today in Campaign 2016
- Speaking with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declared that if he had been president in place of either George W. Bush or Barack Obama, Captain Humayun Khan would be alive.
- “I have great respect for the Khan family, I have great respect for - I mean, the son is a great hero,” Trump said, when asked if he should apologize to the Khan family for insinuating that their grief was choreographed by the Clinton campaign. “But if I were president at that time, Captain Khan would be alive today, George, because I wouldn’t have been in Iraq.”
- Khizr Khan, who is currently touring Virginia on Hillary Clinton’s behalf, called Trump’s comments “the most cruel thing you can say.” “There’s no sincerity in those remarks,” Khan continued. “He utters these words totally oblivious to the understanding of where we are, where we stand, what our values are, and how to be empathetic. There is one character that a leader must have to be the leader of a great country, to be the leader of the armed forces of the United States: empathy.”
- Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has announced the location of her Election Night party - and it comes with a literal glass ceiling.Clinton will deliver remarks to supporters and volunteers at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan on November 8, according to a release from her campaign. (You can RSVP here.) The Javitz Center is a massive convention center on the west side of Manhattan - and, has been noted, is made entirely of glass:
Reminder: The Javits Center, where Hillary Clinton is holding her election night party, has a literal glass ceiling pic.twitter.com/RvGLDx9cAc
— Elliot Smilowitz (@SmiloTweets) October 26, 2016
- Donald Trump is insisting that he will spend $100 million or more of his own money on his presidential bid. Campaign finance documents show he’s not even close, the AP reports: The Republican nominee said in a CNN interview Wednesday that his personal investment in his campaign will top $100 million. He said he’s “prepared to go much higher than that.” Yet finance reports current through Sept. 30 show Trump, a billionaire New York businessman, has put about $56 million into his own campaign. To hit $100 million, he would have to put another $44 million into his race - far more than he’s ever contributed in a single month.
Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who un-endorsed Donald Trump after the release of video in which the Republican presidential nominee bragged about sexually assaulting women, has announced that he will vote for Trump anyway:
I will not defend or endorse @realDonaldTrump, but I am voting for him. HRC is that bad. HRC is bad for the USA.
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) October 27, 2016
At the time, Chaffetz cited his 15-year-old daughter when he pulled his support.
“Do you think I can look her in the eye and tell her that I endorsed Donald Trump?” Chaffetz asked.
Updated
A pair of fundraisers for the Clinton Foundation attempted to steer business opportunities toward former president Bill Clinton, according to hacked emails obtained by activist group Wikileaks:
In the memo, Mr. Band explained how he helped the foundation and former president, and found donors among his own firm’s clients. Mr. Band responded to the review by writing: “We appreciate the unorthodox nature of our roles, and the goal of seeking ways to ensure we are implementing best practices to protect the 501(c)3 status of the Foundation”...
In 2009, according to the memo, Declan Kelly, an Irish-American businessman and ally of the Clintons, introduced a senior UBS Group AG executive, Bob McCann, to Mr. Clinton at a charitable event. “Mr. Kelly subsequently asked Mr. Mccann to support the foundation … [and] also encouraged Mr. Mccann to invite President Clinton to give several paid speeches, which he has done,” according to the 12-page memo. Mr. Clinton earned $1.5 million from those speeches.
The Clinton campaign has refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of this or any hacked emails obtained by Wikileaks.
Donald Trump: 'Had I been president, Captain Khan would be alive today'
Speaking with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declared that if he had been president in place of either George W. Bush or Barack Obama, Captain Humayun Khan would be alive.
“I have great respect for the Khan family, I have great respect for - I mean, the son is a great hero,” Trump said, when asked if he should apologize to the Khan family for insinuating that their grief was choreographed by the Clinton campaign. “But if I were president at that time, Captain Khan would be alive today, George, because I wouldn’t have been in Iraq.”
Stephanopoulos, an assiduous fact-checker, countered that Trump did, in fact, support the war in Iraq before it began.
“I never supp- look, look, let’s get it straight: I was opposed to the war in Iraq,” Trump said, falsely. “Right from the beginning - that was way before the war started, and that was the first time I was ever even asked about Iraq, and I gave a very, like, ‘I don’t know, who knows.’ That was way before. If you look at just before the war started, I said, ‘don’t do it, it’s a mistake, you’re gonna destabilize the Middle East.’ From the beginning, I was opposed to the war in Iraq.”
Trump’s record on the matter has been exhaustively fact-checked. In an interview in 2002, before the invasion of Iraq, radio host Howard Stern asked Trump: “Are you for invading Iraq?”
Trump answered, “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Had I been president, Captain Khan would be alive today,” Trump continued. “We wouldn’t have been in this horrible, horrible mistake, the war in Iraq.”
Khizr Khan, who is currently touring Virginia on Hillary Clinton’s behalf, called Trump’s comments “the most cruel thing you can say.”
“There’s no sincerity in those remarks,” Khan continued. “He utters these words totally oblivious to the understanding of where we are, where we stand, what our values are, and how to be empathetic. There is one character that a leader must have to be the leader of a great country, to be the leader of the armed forces of the United States: empathy.”
“And he totally lacks that.”
Donald Trump, about getting in a fistfight with Joe Biden:
I dream about that kinda stuff. Mister Tough Guy. I would dream about that.
Speaking in Kinston, North Carolina, Donald Trump was swiftly interrupted by a protestor, who he accused of being a Clinton campaign plant.
“Were you paid $1,500 to be a thug?” Trump said. “Was he paid? Get him out - get him out. Out!”
Trump then marched around the platform while the protestor was escorted out.
“Folks, did you see where, through Wikileaks, we found out that Clinton was paying people $1,500 plus an iPhone to go out and be violent at our rallies?” Trump said, referring to a discredited conspiracy theory espoused by James O’Keefe, of Project Veritas.” Okay? It’s a disgrace - it’s a disgrace.”
“They found our people were very tough - they found that out.”
Donald Trump in 2013: I have 'sex' in common with Ivanka
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has a long history of making suggestive - some might say “super creepy and gross” - comments about his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump. But a newly unearthed interview from 2013 shows the tycoon making the connection much more explicit.
In the February 2013 interview on the Wendy Williams Show, obtained by Us Weekly, Williams asked Ivanka Trump, then 31, her favorite thing that she had in common with her father.
“Either real estate or golf,” Ivanka replied.
Williams then asked the elder Trump, then 67, the same question.
“Well, I was going to say sex, but I can’t relate that to her,” Trump said, pointing to Ivanka, who appeared embarrassed by the comment.
Nearly half an hour after he was scheduled to appear, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has emerged from his private jet in Kinston, North Carolina, to speak to a smallish rally of supporters at an airfield.
“We are going to win North Carolina, and we are going to win back the White House - believe me!”
Donald Trump lends name to new hotel so near – and so far from – White House
It was once a brand synonymous with gold and marble; a sign of guaranteed opulence if not necessarily good taste. Instead, the taint of sexual assault claims and alleged racism hung over the formal opening of the latest building to bear the Trump name: the Republican presidential candidate’s newest hotel in Washington DC.
Just 723 short steps along Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, this may be the closest Donald Trump comes to the heart of political power this year, but the glitzy launch was meant to be the highlight of his business calendar.
Rooms during inauguration week in January were marketed at up to $500,000 each. During a soft launch in September, Trump ensured wall-to-wall media coverage by using the occasion to finally admit he had been wrong to doubt Barack Obama’s right to American citizenship.
But weeks of political scandal appear to have taken their toll on the brand. During the recent IMF meetings in Washington, usually the busiest week of the year for luxury hotels in the city, rooms could be found online at a significant discount compared to its sold-out rivals.
While Trump was boasting of the building’s 5ft-thick walls during Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, the sound of political protest out on the street could be heard from inside the lobby. Overnight, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed by a vandal with a sledgehammer and pickaxe.
The candidate sounded wistful and unusually subdued as he took a break from the campaign trail to attend the launch. “With the notable exception of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this is the most coveted location in DC. The best location,” said Trump.
Even the struggling campaign’s slogan, “Make America great again”, was watered down, perhaps succumbing to criticism that it implies the country is no longer at its best. ‘The United States is great. Its people are great,” said Trump, during brief political remarks that followed the launch.
Donald Trump campaigns in Kinston, North Carolina
Watch it live here:
For those outside of the United States - we’re so, so sorry.
Daylight Saving Time switches on November 6. That's right, this presidential campaign is an hour longer than you thought.
— Tucker Doherty (@tucker_doherty) October 26, 2016
Donald Trump, on love:
Last night was something, wasn’t it? You know, they kept 15,000 outside. They actually did this - they said we couldn’t allowed, they allowed 15,000 in. They said, ‘We’re afraid of a stampede.’ Can you imagine? Because there were so many people, if there were a stampede we’d be in trouble. Even out of love! Love can kill too.
Trump on military experts: 'I'll teach him a couple of things'
Donald Trump dismissed the expertise of former Army War College dean Jeff McCausland, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that “You can tell your military expert that I’ll sit down and I’ll teach him a couple of things.”
McCausland had said that Trump’s recent comments declaring that the current battle for control of Mosul is a “total disaster” betrays a lack of knowledge on military strategy.
The attack on Mosul is turning out to be a total disaster. We gave them months of notice. U.S. is looking so dumb. VOTE TRUMP and WIN AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2016
“I’ve been hearing about Mosul now for three months,” Trump said, reiterating his longstanding point that the essence of military strategy is surprise. “‘We’re going to attack. We’re going to attack.’ Meaning Iraq’s going to attack but with us. Okay? We’re going to attack. Why do they have to talk about it?”
“Element of surprise,” Trump said. “One of the reasons they wanted Mosul, they wanted to get Isis leaders who they thought were, you know, in Mosul. Those people have all left. As soon as they heard they’re gonna be attacked, they left. The resistance is much greater now because they knew about the attack. Why can’t they win first and talk later?”
Throughout her presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton has said that she supports the second amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.
But many gun rights advocates say they fear she will reopen the door for cities and states to ban private ownership of handguns, pointing to her repeated comments questioning a key US supreme court decision on gun ownership. Even liberal second amendment experts have called some of Clinton’s explanations of her position “odd”.
As one law professor who supports gun rights put it, Clinton on guns is like a Republican politician who claims she supports abortion rights, even as she opposes Roe v Wade.
At the final presidential debate last week, Clinton reiterated her position that the supreme court was wrong in its 2008 decision in District of Columbia v Heller, which overturned Washington DC’s ban on handgun ownership, as well as a law that required other guns in homes to be “kept nonfunctional”.
In a controversial 5-4 decision, the court ruled that Americans have a constitutional right to have and use firearms in their homes for self-defense.
Clinton had dodged giving a clear answer about her opinion of the ongoing case during a presidential primary debate in early 2008, though she suggested that the supreme court would probably find a full ban on handguns unconstitutional. But in 2015, the Washington Free Beacon reported, Clinton told an audience at a private event that “the supreme court is wrong on the second amendment. And I am going to make that case every chance I get.”
That’s an opinion that is shared by many people – including some of the liberal justices on the supreme court, who argued in their dissent that the second amendment was intended to protect the right of people in each state to form militias, not to limit lawmakers’ ability to regulate civilian gun ownership.
But that particular view is not one that is popular with the general public. A Gallup poll from 2008 found that 73% of Americans believed the second amendment “guarantees the rights of Americans to own guns”.
With less than two weeks before the general election, Hillary Clinton’s campaign deployed one of its most potent weapons in the fight against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump: Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim war hero killed in the line of duty.
Khan, a Gold Star father whose impassioned speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention helped knock Trump down to his current position in the presidential race, spoke on Clinton’s behalf to congregants and guests of a mosque in Norfolk, Virginia, home to the world’s largest naval base and more than 60,000 active duty military personnel.
“The courage [to speak against Trump] wasn’t ours,” Khan said at Masjid William Salaam, the first of three stops in Norfolk Khan made on Wednesday. “The courage was given to us.”
“People ask would I do it again,” Khan continued. “A million times - again and again and again - up until hatred and political bigotry is wiped out of this United States, we will continue to speak.”
Khan’s son, Marine captain Humayun Khan, was killed in 2004 by a car bomb after instructing the soldiers under his command to fall back from the vehicle. Khan was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, and is buried in nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
With his wife, Ghazala Khan, standing beside him, Khan excoriated Trump in a self-written speech at the DNC in June, describing his family as “patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to our country” whose son would never have been able to serve his country had Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States been in place.
“If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America,” Khan said at the time. “Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country.”
Poll: Clinton holds 9-point lead in New Hampshire, tied in Nevada
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 9 points in battleground New Hampshire - but is dead-even with him in Nevada, according to two new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls out this afternoon.
In the Granite State, which gave Trump his first victory in the Republican primaries, Clinton leads with the support of 45% of likely voters, trailed by Trump with a mere 36%. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson holds the support of 10% of likely voters, and Jill Stein of the Green Party has 4% support.
Clinton is up seven points from the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of New Hampshire, which showed her lead at a mere two points.
Down-ballot, the race is much tighter: Incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte leads the race for reelection to the US Senate with the support of 48% of likely voters, with Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan at 47%.
In battleground Nevada, Clinton and Trump are tied with 43% support from likely voters each. Johnson holds 10% support, and Stein is not on the ballot.
Donald Trump has 'no doubts' about winning the White House
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump dismissed polls showing Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on the verge of an electoral landslide in the upcoming presidential election.
“We are gonna win,” Trump said. “I think we’re going to do fantastically in Pennsylvania... I think we’re winning North Carolina,” Trump continued, naming two states where he has led in a single poll stretching back months.
The proof, Trump said, is in the popularity of his campaign rallies.
“You know the reason why they couldn’t get in?” Trump said, of the lines outside his most recent rallies. “Stampede.”
Former congressman and professional troll Joe Walsh seems keen on armed rebellion if Donald Trump loses on November 8:
On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016
On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket.
You in?
Lennie and Pearl, a lesbian couple who have been together for five decades and helped fight for the right to same-sex marriage, have filmed a get-out-the-vote short for Hillary Clinton:
Sad news on the campaign trail: Maverick, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s beagle, has died.
Heavy hearts today. Our beagle of 13 years passed away quietly last night. Rest In Peace, Maverick. We will miss you. pic.twitter.com/JPnFvsHB3Y
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 26, 2016
More video of the anonymous man who destroyed Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:
Earlier we reported that an unknown man dressed up as a construction worker vandalized #DonaldTrump 's Hollywood Walk of Fame star this am pic.twitter.com/x00aBlpLOZ
— Tha Celebritea News (@thacelebritea) October 26, 2016
Opinion: A short US election cycle sounds great, but it wouldn't be good for democracy
I get it. Sheryl Crow’s call to shorten our presidential cycle will resonate with just about everyone this year. Who isn’t counting down the days until this is over? Even Hillary Clinton has been winding the months in balls.
As Crow points out in a petition on Change.org, which, as of Wednesday, had more than 40,000 signatures, this extended political circus is a singularly American phenomenon. “The 2016 election will have lasted nearly 600 days by the time polls close on Nov. 8. By comparison, Canada had its longest campaign season in recent history last year, and it lasted just 11 weeks,” she writes. “Countries across the globe have limited campaign seasons to as short as 6 weeks. With an organized system, a successful, informative, professional campaign could be run.”
The sentiment is relatable but perhaps the problem is less the length of the cycle than the fact our Republican nominee for president actively brags about “grabbing” women by the “pussy”; a fact which, it’s worth noting, didn’t come out until more than 500 days into the cycle.
What Crow deems the “start” of the election – Ted Cruz choosing to announce the beginning of his campaign – is not something the DNC or RNC can actually control. Nor is the fact that campaign reporters often start sourcing up to cover the next campaign the moment the current one ends. Party committees do set the timetable for primaries, but even there they are in a constant tug-of-war with state governments, which battle to move up in the primary calendar so their voters get more attention.
Hillary Clinton announces Election Night party location
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has announced the location of her Election Night party - and it comes with a literal glass ceiling.
Clinton will deliver remarks to supporters and volunteers at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan on November 8, according to a release from her campaign. (You can RSVP here.) The Javitz Center is a massive convention center on the west side of Manhattan - and, has been noted, is made entirely of glass:
Reminder: The Javits Center, where Hillary Clinton is holding her election night party, has a literal glass ceiling pic.twitter.com/RvGLDx9cAc
— Elliot Smilowitz (@SmiloTweets) October 26, 2016
Win or lose, works either way...
Reminder: The Javits Center, where Hillary Clinton is holding her election night party, has a literal glass ceiling pic.twitter.com/RvGLDx9cAc
— Elliot Smilowitz (@SmiloTweets) October 26, 2016
Trump exaggerates personal spending on campaign
Donald Trump is insisting that he will spend $100 million or more of his own money on his presidential bid. Campaign finance documents show he’s not even close, the AP reports:
The Republican nominee said in a CNN interview Wednesday that his personal investment in his campaign will top $100 million. He said he’s “prepared to go much higher than that.”
Yet finance reports current through Sept. 30 show Trump, a billionaire New York businessman, has put about $56 million into his own campaign.
To hit $100 million, he would have to put another $44 million into his race - far more than he’s ever contributed in a single month.
When pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash, Trump declined to give specific plans about when he might be contributing additional money. The election is Nov. 8.
Separately, Trump told ABC News that he would put “a lot” of money into the campaign in the next 13 days.
“I’m going to be over $100m and it could be much more than that,” he said.
Donald Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he's willing to pour millions more into his campaign before Election Day. https://t.co/3Yq8tGl7Bt pic.twitter.com/NpCjbawaPt
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 26, 2016
Updated
Clinton to hold election-night party in Manhattan - report
Her campaign headquarters is in Brooklyn, but for her election night party, Hillary Clinton and friends will occupy the cavernous Jacob K Javits center on Manhattan’s west side, Politico reports:
.@HillaryClinton to spend election night at Javits Center in Manhattan https://t.co/PWWL66Dqzg | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/flf6uJQKGW
— POLITICO (@politico) October 26, 2016
I get it. Sheryl Crow’s call to shorten our presidential cycle will resonate with just about everyone this year. Who isn’t counting down the days until this is over? Even Hillary Clinton has been winding the months in balls.
As Crow points out in a petition on Change.org, which, as of Wednesday, had more than 40,000 signatures, this extended political circus is a singularly American phenomenon. “The 2016 election will have lasted nearly 600 days by the time polls close on Nov. 8. By comparison, Canada had its longest campaign season in recent history last year, and it lasted just 11 weeks,” she writes. “Countries across the globe have limited campaign seasons to as short as 6 weeks. With an organized system, a successful, informative, professional campaign could be run.”
Her suggestion for how we reform our electoral process – that we ask the DNC and RNC to reform the process – is less compelling. In a segment on Morning Joe on Wednesday, she threw out 5 days as the optimal amount of time (was she joking?). And she’s previously floated the notion that all 50 states and the District of Columbia should hold their primaries on the same day, a move that would prove hugely advantageous to the richest candidates by short-circuiting grassroots campaigns. [...]
Again the sentiment is relatable but perhaps the problem is less the length of the cycle than the fact our Republican nominee for president actively brags about “grabbing” women by the “pussy”; a fact which, it’s worth noting, didn’t come out until more than 500 days into the cycle.
Read further:
Isn’t it kind of cold in Wisconsin right now to be running around at night in your undies?
This is in Platteville, a southwestern university town in Grant county, which Barack Obama won by 14 points in 2012.
Man wearing only his underwear takes blowtorch to his neighbors' Trump sign — and they caught it all on camera https://t.co/XxdHdjAveM pic.twitter.com/mwWFZAwlBI
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 26, 2016
Updated
Does anyone have any appetite for individual national polls anymore?
new USA Today/Suffolk national poll: Clinton 47%, Trump 38%, Johnson 4%, Stein 2%
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 26, 2016
The new Suffolk poll happens to mirror be 50% again as large as the margin in HuffPost Pollster’s average [sorry, misread the #s at first]:
Updated
In which conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan praises a get-out-the-vote video targeting Hispanic voters, paid for by an outside group, that ends with a dicey election result and a young girl asking her papí, “can we stay?”
Put your stands, your decision, aside for a moment. A brilliant spot -filmic, beautiful, moving. Verdict https://t.co/CMtDGNG61s via YouTube
— Peggy Noonan (@Peggynoonannyc) October 26, 2016
Hillary Clinton kicked off her birthday celebrations with a rally in Lake Worth, Florida, on Wednesday as Donald Trump christened his new Washington DC hotel.
The crowd gathered at Palm Beach State college for the midday rally broke into a round of “Happy Birthday” as Clinton took the stage. She is 69 years old.
Clinton hit many of her usual themes, but tested a new impression of Trump following her onstage during the second presidential debate. Hunching her shoulders she shuffled away from the podium, miming the way she said Trump “stalked me and lurked over me”.
She later criticized Trump for his business practices, and drew ‘boos’ from the crowd when she mentioned his event in Washington.
“Today he’s in Washington DC to open a new luxury hotel, and while the hotel may be new, it’s the same old story,” she said.
She asked the crowd to inform their Trump supporting friends that Trump “relied on undocumented workers to make his project cheaper” despite his campaign promise close the border and deport immigrants living in the US illegal. She also said that the hotel is furnished with products made overseas, despite his promise to return jobs to American. And she said he sued to reduced the taxes on the luxury hotel.
“You can talk a good game, but lets look at the facts and the facts show he has stiffed American workers – he has stiffed American businesses,” Clinton said to cheers.
On Wednesday afternoon, Clinton will campaign in Tampa with celebrity chef José Andrés, who once had plans to open a restaurant inside Trump’s hotel.
You know it is going to be an amazing day when you are boarding a plane to #Tampa to join @HillaryClinton early voting rally!! #ImWithHer
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) October 26, 2016
Andrés, a naturalized US citizen originally from Spain, fell out with Trump over his vocal denunciation of immigrants and pulled out of the project. The businessman sued and the Spanish chef has launched a countersuit, in a legal battle that has yet to be resolved.
Here’s Tim Kaine chatting about criminal justice reform, systemic racism, voting rights, early childhood education and more with Pusha T, the recording artist, who is helping the Clinton campaign get out the vote:
(h/t @fahima_haque)
Last month, Clinton was ahead by nine points in this Monmouth poll of New Hampshire voters, so while her margin still looks healthy, the trend doesn’t, particularly:
BREAKING: New Hampshire
— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) October 26, 2016
HRC 46
DJT 42
GJ 7#NHSen
Ayotte 46
Hassan 46#NHGov
Van Ostern 48
Sununu 43https://t.co/s16ZHICp8h
Huffpost Pollster has Clinton up by six on average in the Granite state, which is a must-win for Trump in scenarios within reason.
Note how close the run for the senate is – all tied up at 46-46, in this poll. The Democrat leads in the gubernatorial race.
Another day, another brilliant picture by Doug Mills of the New York Times. That baby is intrigued – but not committal:
.@HillaryClinton holds a baby during a campaign rally at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth, Fl. pic.twitter.com/G4d1mnM37y
— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) October 26, 2016
If she’s elected president, Hillary Clinton will be spending most of her time testifying before the House oversight committee, to hear chairman Jason Chaffetz tell it to Dave Weigel at the Washington Post:
“It’s a target-rich environment,” said Chaffetz in a interview in Salt Lake City’s suburbs. “Even before we get to Day One, we’ve got two years worth of material already lined up. She has four years of history at the State Department, and it ain’t good.”
If Republicans retain control of the House, something that GOP-friendly maps make possible even in the event of a Trump loss, Clinton will become the first president since George H.W. Bush to immediately face a House Oversight Committee controlled by the opposition party. (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama lost Congress later in their presidencies.)
Is this one of those states that matters? Trump’s headed there now, after his ribbon-cutting.
Clinton leads 59-36 in the North Carolina early vote with more than 800k votes cast. We'll be tracking it daily https://t.co/YKXDPri6oq
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) October 26, 2016
Some fascinating detail if you click through:
Already, about 812,000 people have voted in North Carolina, out of about 4,425,000 we think will eventually vote. Based on the voting history and demographic characteristics of those people, we think Hillary Clinton leads in North Carolina by about 6 percentage points. We think she has an even larger lead – 22 percentage points – among people who have already voted.
Updated
There are less than two weeks to go before the election, and Hillary Clinton is doubling down in Florida with Latino voters.
On Tuesday, the Democratic presidential candidate paid a visit to El Gordo y La Flaca, the popular variety chat show on Spanish-language channel Univisión – and it was one of the most unrestrained appearances of her campaign. Clinton was personable, relaxed and, thanks to the nature of the show, fully committed to having some fun. During the show, Clinton danced to Marc Anthony, practiced her Spanish and was even serenaded by Bronx-born singer Prince Royce and a Mariachi band for her 69th birthday, on Wednesday.
Y así bailó @hillaryclinton con @rauldemolina #VivirMiVida del flaco @marcanthony 💃#LoMaximo #HillaryEnGyF para el mundo 🌍 pic.twitter.com/aY7zH3VvqQ
— El Gordo y La Flaca (@ElGordoyLaFlaca) October 25, 2016
“What gets better than this? I get Prince Royce to give me a hug, I get a mariachi band to play for me and I get to be here with you guys. It doesn’t get any better than this,” said the Democratic nominee.
Read further:
🎂
Happy Birthday Hillary! 🎂 In awe of you today and every day.
— Bill Clinton (@billclinton) October 26, 2016
Clinton gets the James Franco nod: “After she opens a can of whoop ass, she always recycles the can.”
Where did he get that toaster?
Clinton notes Trump hotel full of foreign goods
Clinton swipes at Trump for the hotel opening:
Today he’s in Washington DC to open a new luxury hotel. While the hotel may be new, it’s the same old story... He relied on undocumented workers to make his project cheaper. And most of the products in the rooms were made overseas. And he even sued to get his taxes lowered.
We know he used undocumented workers... he’s made his products in foreign countries. He’s used Chinese steel instead of American steel. You can talk a good game, but let’s look at the facts.
Clinton notes that she will appear in Tampa later today with celebrity chef José Andrés, who “had the courage to stand up to Trump about his divisive anti-immigrant views by refusing to put his restaurant in this hotel.”
The Democratic congressional campaign committee jumps on Ivanka Trump’s expression of gratitude at the hotel opening for the help of John Mica, the 12-term Republican congressman in a tough reelection fight in Florida:
“As Ivanka Trump highlighted today, John Mica pulled out all the stops to help Donald Trump with his luxury DC hotel project,” a DCCC statement reads:
Mica has not only helped Trump line his own pockets, he’s stood by Trump every step of the way, even after he was caught bragging about sexual assault.
When Donald Trump’s toxic candidacy brings down John Mica’s campaign, I’m glad that Mica will have a place to stay in DC, where he has spent the last three decades. Hopefully he gets the Trump family discount he clearly deserves.”
(h/t @bencjacobs)
A star dedicated to Donald Trump on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame has been badly vandalised after it was reportedly attacked with a sledgehammer, according to a Press Association report:
According to Deadline, a man dressed as a city construction worker and wielding a sledgehammer and pick-axe targeted the star on Wednesday morning.
The man told the Hollywood trade magazine he originally intended to remove Trump’s star to auction it off to raise funds for women who have accused the Republican candidate of sexually assaulting them.
Trump has vehemently denied the allegations.
The billionaire tycoon received the 2,327th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2007 for his work on the American version of The Apprentice.
Here’s Hillary Clinton speaking in Lake Worth, Florida – that’s Palm Beach county, north of Miami.
The crowd sings happy birthday to @HillaryClinton as she takes the stage at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth, Florida
— Lauren Gambino (@LGamGam) October 26, 2016
Updated
Most humiliating? More than just tweeting to their faces that they’re bought-and-sold losers who are going to lose? More than refusing to endorse Paul Ryan after calling the House speaker to heel? More than Scotland-Mexico-the convention-the debates-no ground game-no campaign –– well it’s a competitive prize:
This is probably the most humiliating thing the Trumps have done to the Republican Party. Down eight points and they do a hotel infomercial.
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) October 26, 2016
Trump says “make America great again” and steps away. There’s applause.
Trump: “Today is a metaphor for what we can accomplish for this country.”
Either that or it’s an opportunistic play by Trump to enrich himself personally. Which may be... a metaphor for what he hopes to accomplish for this country.
Trump stops speech to praise Gingrich for fight with Kelly
Trump was talking about crumbling infrastructure. “Right, Newt?” he says. Then:
By the way, congratulations Newt on last night. That was an amazing interview. We don’t play games, right? We don’t play games.
This is the interview in which Newt Gingrich told Megyn Kelly she is "fascinated with sex." https://t.co/KNyCeEFuGo
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) October 26, 2016
Trump is happy Newt was rude to a female journalist who wanted to talk about Trump’s alleged sexual assaults. https://t.co/MssubNMYx1
— Philip Bump (@pbump) October 26, 2016
Updated
Trump is riffing on “bad results” in the educational system, crumbling infrastructure and Obamacare “in freefall”. “The American people know what this election is about and they see it every time they get their health care bills... or arrive in an airport.”
Trump opening new hotel: “Our military is so depleted”
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) October 26, 2016
Updated
Trump says – generously, is it supposed to be? – that the hotel project is insignificant compared to the year’s other project:
“As soon as we’re finished cutting the ribbon, I’m off to North Carolina and Florida, where I hear we’re doing very well.”
“My theme today is five words: under budget and ahead of schedule.”
That’s six words, everybody surely is now pointing out.
Ivanka’s done. Trump to speak.
As he trucks the media along to another corporate event for his campaign— Trump has held 32 events @ his properties over campaign: pic.twitter.com/L44isDp5U8
— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) October 26, 2016
At Trump hotel, Ivanka Trump shouts out Florida Rep. John Mica. Yesterday in Mica's Florida district, Donald Trump didn't mention Mica.
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) October 26, 2016
Nothing reportable out of the Trump event so far, except to say it’s a purely commercial event. Here’s that live stream if you like. Ivanka Trump about to talk:
The Trump family has joined the event. They were applauded. The head of the Trump hotel group is now talking. He says the company mantra is “never, ever settle.”
“If you allow me a moment of commercial, I hope you will experience our other hotels as well.”
just looked and you can get a room at Trump International tonight for $404. lots of availability.
— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) October 26, 2016
We’ve got to stop using Trip Advisor. They’re only giving us $429!
The Trump pool report advises that in addition to the Gingriches, senator Jeff Sessions and former Apprentice contestant Omarosa are in attendance.
Empty seats in the front next to the Gingriches are reserved for Trump family members. Campaign staff tell your pooler that Melania, Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka will all be here.
No fun waiting for Trump to pop up to brag about his Washington DC hotel. Let’s tune into Bill Clinton speaking now in Wilmington, North Carolina:
Hmmm... trying to think of a race Mitt Romney left off of this get-out-the-vote tweet...
Be sure to head to the polls for GOP Senate, House and statehouses; they are essential to defend and advance constitutional conservatism.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 26, 2016
Celebrity chef who pulled out of Trump hotel to campaign today for Clinton
After Trump launched his presidential candidacy on a platform of Mexicans-are-rapists, two restaurateurs pulled out of contracts to establish restaurants in the very hotel Trump is about to open.
Lawsuits in both directions ensued. One of the chefs involved was celebrity chef José Andrés – who this morning announced he is hopping a plane today to campaign with Clinton in Florida:
You know it is going to be an amazing day when you are boarding a plane to #Tampa to join @HillaryClinton early voting rally!! #ImWithHer
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) October 26, 2016
The only part of Trump’s hotel that’s solidly occupied:
Trump aides says this event at Old Post Office hotel not a campaign event, not a press conference; it's just a hotel ribbon cutting. pic.twitter.com/7DRxGHxeVs
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 26, 2016
More Gingrich on himself:
Here's what Newt told reporters about that Megyn Kelly intv in a gaggle just before going into the event ballroom here: pic.twitter.com/Rrii5N6kfp
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) October 26, 2016
Yesterday Clinton told a Florida crowd not to get complacent and to ignore the polls showing her far ahead – people still have to get out and vote.
Cher amplifies that message in Cherspeak:
DONT POP🍾CORKS,BECAUSE UR SURE HILLARY WILL WIN IN A LANDSLIDE‼️DONT TAKE HER WIN 4GRANTED‼️DEAD🦂'S KILL,&🚽IS A WOUNDED🦂,HE CAN STILL KILL‼️
— Cher (@cher) October 26, 2016
(ty @ambiej)
Gingrich says Trump hotel event is on-message
Daily Mail politics editor David Martosko, who has Trump pool duty today, has cornered Newt Gingrich at Trump’s hotel to ask him about his tangle on TV last night with Megyn Kelly.
Martosko is a partisan of all caps which we’re letting stand for effect.
Gingrich explains Trump’s appearance at his hotel like this: “Right now he’s got to make the case that he brings things in under budget and ahead of schedule. And a Trump government would be under budget and ahead of schedule.”
Here’s Martosko’s report:
ASKED IF HIS INTERVIEW WITH MEGYN KELLY GOT “A LITTLE ROUGH” LAST NIGHT:
“That’s just the business.”
ASKED IF TRUMP CAN “TURN IT AROUND” BY NOV. 8:
“I think Trump will win. I don’t think he has to turn it around. I think he’ll win.”
ASKED WHAT TRUMP SHOULD BE DOING FOR THE NEXT 13 DAYS:
“What he’s doing. Right now he’s got to make the case that he brings thing in under budget and ahead of schedule. And a Trump government would be under budget and ahead of schedule.”
TOLD THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE THIS HOTEL EVENT AS “A DISTRACTION FROM THE CAMPAIGN”:
“That’s because they don’t understand the message: It’s under budget and ahead of schedule. That’s a very important message because it means nothing in the current bureaucratic government tells you what a Trump administration would be like.”
ASKED IF TRUMP IS “WORRIED ABOUT UTAH” AND THE “THIRD-PARTY” THREAT:
“I’m sure he is.”
“REALLY?”
“Sure, he is! He should worry about all 50 states.”
Updated
Longtime Republican strategist and communications hand Matt Mackowiak, who it should be noted doesn’t like Trump, questions what in Hades Trump is doing in DC today:
1. Here's my electoral map as of today:
— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) October 26, 2016
HC 324 (FL, PA, NC, NV, NH)
DT 207 (OH, IA, GA, AZ)https://t.co/kOnGkmeJQi
2. Today, with 13 days left, here’s what the GOP nominee’s campaign is doing:
> Trump is opening a hotel in DC (3 EVs)
> Pence is in Utah
3. Trump has only 1 path to 270. Hold Romney states (incl GA, AZ, NC) & pick up FL, OH, IA & NV. But that’s only 265. He needs NH(4) & ME(1)
4. Any campaigning or resource deployment anywhere outside FL, OH, NC, NV, IA and NH is deliberately wasteful at this point. Time and money.
5. The single most valuable commodity in any campaign is the candidate’s time, because it is a constantly diminishing resource.
6. Trump in DC today, instead of NH (which he must have) or the 5 battleground states he needs is ridiculous. @KellyannePolls knows this.
7. As @stuartpstevens says, “Trump isn’t running a campaign, it’s a concert tour.” All he cares about is earned media and his brand.
8. There are no more big moments left in the campaign. Debates are past. Early voting is going on everywhere. Clinton is banking votes.
9. I’ll admit this is a volatile election and Trump’s base is more enthusiastic, but as of today I see no way for Trump to win. None.
10. Set the polls/punditry aside. Hillary is -700 to win. That means you’d have to bet $700 on Hillary to win $100. She’s a 7-1 favorite.
12. At this point I expect Hillary to win more than 320 EVs w/ a national win of 5-7%. In that range, the GOP has a chance to hold Senate.
— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) October 26, 2016
Hillary Clinton turns 69 years old today.
Surprise! Happy Birthday HRC!! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/U2H7XUUltc
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) October 26, 2016
This looks more like an anniversary photo?
Happy birthday, Hillary. I hope this year is one for the history books. pic.twitter.com/UndDdFb1xh
— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) October 26, 2016
Updated
Khizr Khan to campaign against Trump in Virginia
Democrats take their fight to the heart of the US military establishment on Wednesday by deploying the father of a Muslim war hero to campaign againstDonald Trump.
Khizr Khan, whose speech at the party’s convention in June came at the high-water mark in Trump’s poll ratings, will speak to veterans in Norfolk, Virginia, home of the world’s largest naval base and some 150,000 military workers.
Trump shocked many Republicans earlier this year by initially attacking the sincerity of the parents of army captain Humayun Khan, who died saving his unit from an Iraqi suicide bomb, after they criticised his proposed ban on Muslims entering the US.
But Captain Khan’s father is returning to haunt the campaign, and launching anew television advert, in which he again challenges the celebrity property developer: “Would my son have a place in your America?” It could further drive a wedge into remaining Republican support among military families after a disastrous few weeks that has seen the party’s presidential campaign pull out of states like Virginia.
Guardian Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts catches a protest outside the hotel:
Donald Trump is expected to appear any moment at the grand opening of his empty hotel in Washington, DC. Here’s a live video stream:
Updated
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. The Clinton campaign has the candidate and surrogates arrayed across Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Ohio today while the Trump campaign is in ... Washington DC and Utah?
Donald Trump is attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at his eerily empty new hotel in the nation’s capital. He has two later events in North Carolina.
DC does have three electoral votes https://t.co/3DRKa6yJYM
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) October 24, 2016
Trump running mate Mike Pence, meanwhile, will be covering serious ground, with events in three western states: Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Pence’s stop in Utah is sure to have people talking, as the state usually is at the top of the rankings of states voting Republican. Mormon aversion to Trump and the independent candidacy of Evan McMullin have changed the calculus this time around.
Hillary Clinton has two rallies in Florida today, one in Palm Beach County in the south-east and one in Hillsborough County on the Gulf coast. Tim Kaine has two events in Pennsylvania, while Bill Clinton is diligently trying to put his wife over the top in North Carolina, with three stops there today after three stops there yesterday. Chelsea Clinton has three stops in Ohio, while senator Elizabeth Warren has an event in Pittsburgh.
Trump with narrow Florida edge – Selzer poll
A poll of likely voters in Florida by gold-star pollster J Ann Selzer for Bloomberg politics has Trump slightly ahead of Clinton in the state, 45-43, when third-party candidates are included. That’s within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Trump had 46% to Clinton’s 45% in a head-to-head matchup. Clinton has a three-point lead in polling averages of the state.
Trump wants Biden behind barn
The campaign action overnight was typically nasty and nausea-inducing, with Trump saying that yes, he would like to go in back of the barn with Biden (Biden had said gym), and campaign surrogate Newt Gingrich accusing Fox News host Megyn Kelly of having a “fascination with sex” because she takes the women who say Donald Trump violated them seriously.
The row on Tuesday night between Kelly and one of Trump’s most stalwart supporters began when the host brought up the multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations against the candidate.
During the ensuing debate, which bordered on personal attack, Gingrich said the host was “fascinated with sex” and Kelly urged him to “take your anger issues and spend some time working on them”.
Dan Scavino, Trump’s director of social media, later responded on Twitter, saying Kelly had “made a total fool out of herself” and warning: “Watch what happens to her after this election is over.”
.@MegynKelly made a total fool out of herself tonight- attacking @realDonaldTrump. Watch what happens to her after this election is over.
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) October 26, 2016
Revealed: Trump’s ties with pipeline company
Donald Trump’s close financial ties to Energy Transfer Partners, operators of the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline, have been laid bare, with the presidential candidate invested in the company and receiving more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from its chief executive.
Trump’s financial disclosure forms show the Republican nominee has between $500,000 and $1m invested in Energy Transfer Partners, with a further $500,000 to $1m holding in Phillips 66, which will have a 25% stake in the Dakota Access project once completed.
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