Subject: First Draft on Politics: Donald Trump Finds That Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity
From: NYTimes.com <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 16 May 2016 07:15:34 -0400

View in Browser |
Add [email-masked] to your address book.

Monday, May 16, 2016

NYTimes.com/FirstDraft »

Monday, May 16, 2016

A crowd waiting last month to see Donald J. Trump speak at a rally in Harrisburg, Pa.

Damon Winter/The New York Times

Donald Trump Finds That Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Good Monday morning.

For months, Donald J. Trump’s supporters have praised his instant command of the news media microphone. His ability to garner so-called free media is unrivaled.

But as last week demonstrated, not all of it is positive.

As it turns out, the highlight of Mr. Trump’s week were his meetings on Thursday with the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The next day, Mr. Trump was engulfed in stories about a recording of a man who identified himself to a magazine reporter in the early 1990s as “John Miller,” a spokesman for Mr. Trump. But “John Miller” sounded very similar to Mr. Trump, and he acknowledged years ago that he would sometimes employ other names while pretending to be his spokesman.

Mr. Trump forcefully denied that the recording was of him. But news outlets secured audio experts who argued otherwise, and the story dominated the headlines on Friday — alongside questions about Mr. Trump’s statement that he did not believe the public had a right to see his tax returns.

Democrats were slow to seize on the tax returns as an issue, but Hillary Clinton’s advisers say they will seek to highlight the issue.

Mr. Trump still has no communications director, no announced pollster and no clear message that he is driving. He has gotten some help from the continuing Democratic fight — Mrs. Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont have another primary on Tuesday, in Kentucky — and from the apparent indecision in the Clinton campaign as to how to attack him.

But Mr. Trump remains deeply reactive, chasing one perceived slight after another, real or imagined, across Twitter as critics get under his skin. Relying on another candidate’s misfortunes is not an effective campaign strategy, and Mr. Trump is burning the days he has to sell his case to a broader audience.

ADVERTISEMENT

What We’re Watching Today

•

Mrs. Clinton will hold three get-out-the-vote events in Kentucky, a day before the state’s Democratic primary on Tuesday.

•

Mr. Sanders will be in Puerto Rico for a town-hall-style meeting, a “community conversation” and a rally.

•

Mr. Trump has no public events on his schedule.

Ty Wright for The New York Times

Social Conservatives, However Reluctant, Are Warming to the Idea of Donald Trump

By JEREMY W. PETERS

While Mr. Trump may not have been their top choice, the adherents of socially conservative ideologies believe the alternative — Hillary Clinton — would be far worse.

Zach Gibson/The New York Times

Obama Swipes at Trump, but Doesn’t Name Him, in Speech at Rutgers

By GARDINER HARRIS

President Obama condemned many of Donald J. Trump’s ideas and urged the use of logic in politics in a commencement address on Sunday.

David Ryder for The New York Times

Little Is Off Limits as Donald Trump Plans Attacks on Hillary Clinton

By PATRICK HEALY

Drawing on tactics from the primaries, Mr. Trump plans to bring up Bill Clinton’s infidelities, the Benghazi attacks and more in an effort to paint Mrs. Clinton as corrupt.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Inside Donald Trump’s Plans to Attack the Clintons

By ALAN RAPPEPORT AND PATRICK HEALY

Mr. Trump described in a recent interview some of the ways he would go after the Clintons. We look at the reasoning and potential pitfalls of those strategies.

Reince Priebus Urges G.O.P. Unity Behind Donald Trump

By ASHLEY PARKER

In a series of interviews on Sunday television shows, the chairman of the Republican National Committee also said that “people just don’t care” about recent negative reports about Mr. Trump’s tax returns and his treatment of women.

Hillary Clinton Outlines Economic Plans, Which Include Her Husband

By THOMAS KAPLAN

While campaigning in Kentucky on Sunday, Mrs. Clinton pledged her support for coal miners, and said Bill Clinton’s chief role would be “revitalizing the economy.”

Some Congressional Republicans See Re-election Path in Opioid Bills

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

The House and Senate are expected to begin work to reconcile a batch of bills passed in both chambers aimed at helping people addicted to heroin and opioids.

Stay tuned throughout the day: Follow us on Twitter @NYTPolitics and on Facebook for First Draft updates.

In Case You Missed It

Darren Decker/Miss Universe Organization, via Agence France-Presse

Crossing the Line: How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private

By MICHAEL BARBARO AND MEGAN TWOHEY

Interviews reveal unwelcome advances, a shrewd reliance on ambition, and unsettling workplace conduct over decades.

Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Sheldon Adelson Is Poised to Give Donald Trump a Donation Boost

By JONATHAN MARTIN

The Las Vegas billionaire has also reportedly decided to scale back other Republican giving as he directs support to the presumptive party presidential nominee.

Our Other Favorites From The Times

White House Letter

Obama in Vietnam Will Focus on Future, Rather Than the Past

By GARDINER HARRIS

Only the third presidential visit since the Vietnam War ended, the trip offers an opportunity to help solidify Mr. Obama’s promised focus on Asia.

A Republican Congresswoman Has Personal Stake in Transgender Debate

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, whose son is transgender, said her party was “lagging behind” on the issue.

Letter from Washington

Republican Split Is Deeper Than Ideology

By ALBERT R. HUNT | BLOOMBERG VIEW

Donald J. Trump and Speaker Paul D. Ryan have profoundly different approaches to politics.

ADVERTISEMENT

What We’re Reading Elsewhere

•

USA Today takes a look at the calculus of Mrs. Clinton’s potential running mates and her campaign’s desire to appeal to supporters of Mr. Sanders.

•

A Wall Street Journal analysis finds that “As Trump moves to raise big sums, an estimate of his 2016 income shows it short of the big money needed for general election run.”

•

The Washington Post writes about “Saturday’s raucous state Democratic convention in Nevada” that “encapsulated a lot of the themes of the party’s 2016 election in a relatively short period: complex delegate math, inscrutable processes, allegations of deceit, fury — and a result that doesn’t do much of anything to shift the race’s eventual outcome.”

Note to Readers

As we continue to increase our campaign coverage leading up to the 2016 elections, we are integrating the First Draft blog into our broader political coverage to ensure you are able to easily navigate between shorter pieces and other offerings from The New York Times, such as long-form investigative journalism, video and interactive graphics.

Our First Draft daily email will continue to bring you a look ahead to the day’s political events and expected stories, and you can stay tuned throughout the day at nytimes.com/politics, on Twitter @nytpolitics and on Facebook. As always, your feedback is most welcome; send us your thoughts at [email-masked].

FOLLOW NYTimes

FACEBOOK

@NYTPolitics

Get more NYTimes.com newsletters »

|

Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. Subscribe »

ABOUT THIS EMAIL

You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's First Draft newsletter.

Unsubscribe
|

Manage Subscriptions
|

Change Your Email
|

Privacy Policy
|

Contact
|

Advertise

Copyright 2016
The New York Times Company
|
620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018