The Trail 2016: Biting the hand that feeds him

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

The symbiotic relationship between Donald Trump and the press took a turn Tuesday as the presumptive GOP nominee lashed out at the media’s coverage of him during a heated Tuesday press conference.

Trump has received nearly wall-to-wall media coverage since he announced his presidential bid last year, but that didn’t stop him from lashing out when hit with a handful of reporters’ questions about the delay in his donations to veterans. 

He defended himself after a series of reports detailing discrepancies in his pledged donations to veterans groups, claiming that he’s now donated almost $6 million. And he berated the press–going as far as calling one reporter a “sleaze.”

The clash came just hours before a federal court released 381 pages of documents in a lawsuit claiming Trump University fraudulently misled it’s students and gouged them of tens of thousands of dollars. Trump has repeatedly denied that characterizations, pointing to surveys from a slew of happy customers. 

Stick with The Hill tonight and tomorrow for more details on Trump’s media tensions and donations, as well as on the implications of California Gov. Jerry Brown’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton and on the primaries to watch in June as the Democrats battle to expand their House ranks.

 

RACE TO 1600 PENN 

CLINTON’S CORNER: The Hill’s Devin Henry reports: The NRDC Action Fund endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, the first time the environmental group has endorsed in a presidential election. Clinton also scored an endorsement from California Gov. Jerry Brown ahead of next week’s California primary, The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports.

HOO-RAH: The Hill’s Kristina Wong reports: Hillary Clinton released a new plan to help military families–it’s short on specifics but includes broad-based goals including easier child care, better family-leave policies and educational leave opportunities.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The Hill’s Kristina Wong reports: Donald Trump’s foundation notified a veterans group about a donation just last week, the organization said, as he faced criticism for delaying the donations since his January fundraiser. And The Washington Post reported that one of those groups has been panned by the Better Business Bureau for wasting its money and not spending much to benefit veterans.

FIRED UP, READY TO GO: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports:  Officials in Cleveland on Tuesday outlined security measures they are taking ahead of this summer’s Republican National Convention, emphasizing that the city is ready.

 

ODDS AND ENDS: 

VEEP POWER RANKINGS: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Speculation is raging in Washington about who might end up as Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick. Trump had said he’s considering a number of candidates, but has stressed that he wants an experienced politician to help him navigate Washington. 

PLEASURE READING: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: A conservative legal watchdog group released the transcript from a seven-hour deposition with Hillary Clinton’s former chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, as part of a lawsuit related to Clinton’s use of a private email server. 

NOTHING TO SEE HERE: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton campaign manager brushed aside the email controversy, arguing that California voters (in the state with the next big primary) aren’t concerned about it. Campaign chairman John Podesta sent out a memo to supporters, according to Buzzfeed, explaining the campaign’s views on the issue and calling it a “mistake.”   

SAME, BUT DIFFERENT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Donald Trump’s ascension to the GOP’s likely nominee will not fundamentally change the party. 

NO QUESTIONS PLEASE: The Hill’s Sarah Ferris reports: Bernie Sanders took no questions at a “healthcare press conference” where he instead spoke for just 8 minutes and relied on most of his standard talking points. 

I LOVE THE PRESS: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports:Hillary Clinton said she’s done almost 300 interviews in 2016, despite criticism that she hasn’t held a press conference in months.

 

POLL POSITION 

CLOSE RACE IN NJ: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 4 points in New Jersey, a state that hasn’t voted for a GOP presidential nominee since 1988. 

KEEP ON RUNNING: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Half of all likely voters say an indictment should not stop Hillary Clinton from running for president, according to a new poll. 

TRUMP CLOSING IN:The Hill’s Kyle Balluck reports: Donald Trump trails Hillary Clinton by 2 points in the latest NBC News/SurveyMonkey weekly tracking poll.

PRIMARY PROCESS: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Americans have little faith in the presidential nominating system and support major changes, according to a new poll. 

CLINTON’S CALIFORNIA: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton has a 13-point lead over Democratic rival Bernie Sanders in California, according to a new Hoover Institution Golden State poll.

 

THE DAILY TRUMP 

A TALL TASK: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: An online petition is pressuring Starbucks to end all of its leases at properties owned by Donald Trump. 

GONE BUT NOT BITTER: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Rick Wiley, Donald Trump’s ousted national political director, said he still sees the presumptive GOP nominee winning the election. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES MAJOR ENDORSEMENT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump wished basketball star LeBron James success during the upcoming NBA finals. Trump said that Cleveland hosting a portion of the NBA finals would bring extra attention to the city’s Republican National Convention in July. 

HE SAID, HE SAID: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol fired back at Donald Trump after he called the prominent conservative voice a “loser” and a “dummy.” “I’ve won some and I’ve lost some, but one thing I’ve always tried not to be is a roaring jackass,” Kristol said. 

REMEMBER THOSE TAX RETURNS?: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell directly called on Donald Trump to release his taxes despite the presumptive nominee’s unwillingness.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Of course I side with myself 100 percent of the time, but interestingly, of all the presidential candidates, I next side with Bernie Sanders at 73 percent.”

— Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson

 

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS 

UNDER PRESSURE: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is piling public pressure on Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to run again for his Senate seat. 

FIGHTING ADDICTION: The Hill’s Peter Sullivan reports: Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is pointing to his work fighting opioid addiction in new ads as he faces a tough reelection race this year. Portman is in a tight race against former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D). 

KEEP THE SEAT IN THE FAMILY: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) this weekend married a candidate who wants to replace him. Grayson, who is leaving the U.S. House to run for Senate, married Dena Minning, who is seeking to replace him in the race for Florida’s 9th Congressional District, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

 

MONEY WATCH 

PRO-TRUMP PAC: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Aides to GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson are discussing whether they can launch a super PAC supporting Donald Trump, according to a new report. Sheldon Adelson’s team is discussing the project with a small group of veteran Republican operatives, according to Politico. 

LAST MINUTE PITCH: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Bernie Sanders is making a last-ditch appeal for contributions to his campaign ahead of Tuesday’s fundraising deadline for primary donations.

 

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:  

(All times Eastern) 

Donald Trump will appear on Fox News’ “Hannity” at 10 p.m. on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he’ll host a rally in Sacramento, Calif. at 10 p.m. 

Bernie Sanders continues his California push with a fracking press conference in Spreckles at 1 p.m. He’ll then attend a community panel in Palo Alto with Asian-American and Pacific Islander leaders at 4 p.m., with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as a special guest. He’ll then hold two rallies — one in Palo Alto at 5:30 p.m. and another in Davis at 11 p.m. 

Hillary Clinton will attend a Tuesday fundraiser in East Brunswick, N.J., with Sen. Cory Booker at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, she will campaign in Newark, N.J., at 11:30 a.m. and then head north for a 5:30 fundraiser in Boston with musical guest Jon Bon Jovi.

Libertarian vice presidential nominee Bill Weld will be a guest on “MSNBC Live”on Wednesday, which airs from 10-11 a.m.

 

TWEET OF THE DAY

WHO⁉

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) May 31, 2016

–Trump social media director Dan Scavino, chiding conservative columnist Bill Kristol‘s secret pick for a presidential bid after news that it’s a conservative lawyer.

 

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: Jonathan Easley, Ben Kamisar, Jonathan Swan, Lisa Hagen. 

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