Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - August 29, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Monday's Leading Stories
- Donald Trump spoke at Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” event in Iowa, where he addressed a range of issues including agricultural and immigration policy as well as race, crime, and poverty. (Fox News, Politico)
- Agriculture: “Family farms are the backbone of this country. We are going to end the EPA intrusion into your family homes and your family farms. We are going to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard, eliminate job-killing regulations like the Waters of the U.S. rule, and provide desperately-needed tax relief. … We are going to end this war on the American farmer. That includes our plan to lower the tax rate on family farms down to 15 percent, and to stop the double-taxation of family farms at death – helping to ensure that the family farm tradition in Iowa continues to thrive and flourish.”
- Immigration: “In recent days, the media – as it usually does – has missed the whole point on immigration. All the media wants to talk about is the 11 million or more people here illegally. … I am going to build a great border wall, institute nationwide e-verify, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements, and develop an exit-entry tracking system to ensure those who overstay their visas are quickly removed. If we don’t enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border – it’s as simple as that. I am also going to cancel all unconstitutional executive orders and empower rank-and-file ICE officers and Border Patrol officers to finally do the jobs they were hired for.”
- Race, crime, and poverty: “I’ve spoken a lot in recent days about the deplorable conditions in many of our inner cities. As a father, as a builder, as an American, it offends my sense of right and wrong to see anyone living in such conditions. Almost 40 percent of African-American children are living in poverty – including 45 percent of children under the age of six. … Failed Democratic policies – the policies of Hillary Clinton – have created this high crime and crushing poverty. … I am running to offer a better future – to the citizens of Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, and all across this great land.”
Polls
- Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 42 to 38 percent in a Rasmussen Reports poll. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein registered at 9 and 2 percent, respectively. (Rasmussen Reports)
- Clinton holds a 43 to 40 lead over Trump in a head-to-head match up in a Morning Consult poll. With Johnson and Stein included, she leads 39 to 37 percent. 5 percent of African-American respondents said they planned to vote for Trump, while 79 percent back Clinton. (Morning Consult)
- A Breitbart/Gravis poll found Clinton leading Trump 42 to 41 percent, with Johnson taking 4 percent and Stein taking 1 percent. (Breitbart)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- According to newly released emails from the State Department, Doug Band, an official with the Clinton Foundation, sent a request to Huma Abedin, a senior aide to Hillary Clinton, for invitations and special seating to a 2010 State Department lunch for three executives of organizations that donated to the Clinton Foundation. The emails were released in a public records lawsuit brought by Citizens United, which cited the emails as “new evidence Foundation allies received special treatment” during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. “Hillary Clinton's senior staff at the State Department routinely worked with the Clinton Foundation to reward big donors with special access and favors for four years,” said David Bossie, president of Citizens United. A spokesperson for the Clinton campaign responded by saying, “Citizens United is a right-wing group that's been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s and, once again, is trying to make something out of nothing.” (ABC News)
- Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense under George W. Bush, said that he might vote for Clinton in an interview with Der Spiegel. “I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for. I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her,” said Wolfowitz. He also criticized Donald Trump’s views on foreign policy, saying, “The only way you can be comfortable about Trump's foreign policy, is to think he doesn't really mean anything he says. That's a pretty uncomfortable place to be in. Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Trump mainly shows contempt for them. And he seems to be unconcerned about the Russian aggression in Ukraine. By doing this he tells them that they can go ahead and do what they are doing. That is dangerous.” (Der Spiegel)
- The Clinton campaign released a new TV ad, charging Trump with outsourcing jobs and saying that many of his products have been made overseas. Referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats, the ad’s narrator states, “Don’t believe the hat. You can't make America great again if you don't make things in America.” (Washington Examiner)
Republicans
- Free the Delegates, a conservative group opposed to Donald Trump’s candidacy for president, released a TV ad that will be aired in Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Michigan. The ad, titled “Keep Your Word,” focuses on comments made by Trump throughout the primaries in which he suggested that he would leave the race if he was losing in the polls. The ad concludes with the statement, “Resign the nomination. Let the RNC replace you so we can beat Hillary.” (Politico)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump’s campaign hired Bill Stepien as its national field director. Stepien previously worked as a top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie but was fired amid the Bridgegate scandal in January 2014. (CNN)
- Trump’s White House transition team—which is chaired by Chris Christie—includes members of Mitt Romney’s 2012 transition team and the administrations of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush. William Hagerty, who was an economic adviser to George H.W. Bush, and Jamie Burke, who worked in the George W. Bush administration, are both on the team. Both also served on Romney’s transition team. (Politico)
- Following the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, a cousin of professional basketball player Dwyane Wade, in Chicago, Trump tweeted, “Dwayne [sic] Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!” Later in the day, Trump tweeted out condolences to the family and spoke about the shooting at a campaign event in Iowa, saying, “This shouldn’t happen in our country.” (CNN)
Third Party Candidates
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Jill Stein released a statement on Sunday commemorating the three-month anniversary of the death of Harambe, a gorilla that was shot and killed at a Cincinnati zoo in May after a three-year-old child fell into his enclosure. “The killing of Harambe at the Cincinnati Zoo highlights the need to adopt stronger legal protections for the rights of animals. … Non-human primates should have the legal right to live freely or, when necessary, in sanctuaries only for medical rehabilitation or ecological assistance for endangered species,” said Stein. (The Hill)
- Stein expressed her opposition to fossil fuels in an interview on Fox Business. She said, “What the science actually says and the studies and the experts say that if we have the political will, we can convert. And it’s not just a matter of shutting down fossil fuel—it’s a matter of creating the good jobs for the economy of the future that’s healthy for us as people and healthy for the planet. … Fortunately, we save so much money by the health improvements from phasing out fossil fuels—it’s actually enough to pay for those jobs to ensure the green energy transition.” (Fox Business)
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- Gary Johnson expressed opposition to a carbon tax at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “Look, I haven't raised a penny of taxes in my political career and neither has Bill [Weld]. We were looking at—I was looking at—what I heard was a carbon fee which from a free-market standpoint would actually address the issue and cost less. I have determined that, you know what, it's a great theory but I don't think it can work, and I've worked my way through that.” (Reason)
- In a statement to Reason.com, Johnson sought to clarify his stance on mandatory vaccinations. He said, “Today, there are no federal laws mandating vaccinations, and that is as it should be. No adult should be required by the government to inject anything into his or her body. … Government has a responsibility to help keep our children and our communities safe. At the same time, government has a responsibility to preserve individual freedom. Vaccination policies must respect both of those responsibilities. I personally believe in vaccinations, and my children were vaccinated. But it is not for me to impose that belief on others.” (Reason)
See also
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Important dates in the 2016 presidential race
- Polls and Straw polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
