Subject: First Draft on Politics: Rare Sit-Down Interview Gives Hillary Clinton a Point of Attack
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Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 07:28:47 -0400

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Friday, May 20, 2016

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Friday, May 20, 2016

A potentially undecided voter at an anti-Donald J. Trump rally in New York in March.

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Rare Sit-Down Interview Gives Hillary Clinton a Point of Attack

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Good Friday morning.

For the first time in weeks, the most significant news story dominating the cable networks on Thursday was unrelated to the presidential campaign: the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight 804.

But Hillary Clinton broke through the cable din for an interview on CNN, a day after Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, used the word “rape” to conjure old accusations made against her husband.

Mrs. Clinton made clear she was not going to join that battle. Instead, she said, voters want to know what the candidates will do for their futures, a bit of a riff on one of her husband’s lines from his 1992 presidential campaign, when his infidelities were raised, about his rivals wanting to focus on the past.

Mrs. Clinton also made her most vocal case against Mr. Trump, saying he is unqualified for the Oval Office, and declared her Democratic primary race against Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont all but settled.

The former secretary of state is not prone to the staccato-style series of phone and sit-down interviews that Mr. Trump favors, and she has a long way to go to frame a message against him between now and November. Whether the interview signals a new approach remains to be seen.

As for Mr. Trump, he stayed off the campaign trail on Thursday, although he promoted Paul J. Manafort to chief strategist, the highest position one can hold on a campaign. On Friday, Mr. Trump will be in Kentucky, appearing at a National Rifle Association conference.

What We’re Watching Today

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Mrs. Clinton will speak in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at an event for the Circle of Mothers, a support group founded by the mother of Trayvon Martin for parents of children killed in gun violence. Mrs. Clinton will also hold two fund-raising events in Texas. Mr. Sanders holds rallies in New Mexico and California.

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Damon Winter/The New York Times

Republicans Want Their Party to Unify Behind Donald Trump, Poll Shows

By JONATHAN MARTIN AND DALIA SUSSMAN

Even with the desire for solidarity, a New York Times/CBS News poll shows extraordinarily high levels of unpopularity for both Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Set for Clash on Gun Control

By TRIP GABRIEL

The two leading presidential candidates are heading for a showdown over their views on carrying concealed weapons, gun-free zones and Second Amendment rights.

Donald Trump Hosts Fund-Raiser to Help Chris Christie Pay Off Campaign Debt

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

The presumptive Republican nominee was on hand to entertain the crowd by putting down the Clinton family and denouncing existing trade policies.

G.O.P. Donors Shift Focus From Top of Ticket to Senate Races

By NICK CORASANITI AND ASHLEY PARKER

In what one “super PAC” official called an “insurance policy,” many who had been aiming money at the presidential race are investing it in congressional contests.

Montreal Played Role in Plan to Get Donald Trump’s Plane Flying Again

By JEREMY B. MERRILL

A quick trip to the city was a bureaucratic barrel roll, evading a monthlong wait for the Cessna Citation X to be allowed to take to the skies again.

Bill Weld, Running as a Libertarian, Likens Donald Trump’s Immigration Plan to Kristallnacht

By MAGGIE HABERMAN AND THOMAS KAPLAN

William F. Weld, the twice-elected former Republican governor of Massachusetts, has agreed to run for vice president with former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico.

A New York Times/CBS News Poll on Voters’ Opinions of the Presidential Candidates

Most Republican voters think party leaders should support Donald J. Trump, and most Democratic voters expect that Hillary Clinton will be their party’s nominee, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows.

Beyond Twitter, Donald Trump’s Views on Climate Change Are Unclear

By ERICA GOODE

Mr. Trump has mostly expressed his opinions on climate change and energy policy through Twitter messages. But more of his views are starting to emerge.

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

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Hillary Clinton Says Donald Trump Is Not Qualified to Be President

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Declaring herself the Democratic nominee, Mrs. Clinton said a number of her likely rival’s proposals prove how “unmoored” he is on foreign policy.

Trump Aide Paul Manafort Promoted to Campaign Chairman and Chief Strategist

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What We’re Reading Elsewhere

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The Los Angeles Times breaks down both the potential benefits and risks of Mrs. Clinton choosing Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as her running mate.

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The Atlantic asks if the Democrats’ strategy of trying to use Mr. Trump’s words against him has any chance of success.

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And The Washington Post looks at how the end of the 2008 Democratic primary compares with this one.

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