Subject: First Draft on Politics: Donald Trump Faces Crucial Test in Trip to Washington
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Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 07:22:30 -0400

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Thursday, May 12, 2016

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Thursday, May 12, 2016

From left, the House majority leader, Representative Kevin McCarthy; the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan; and the House majority whip, Representative Steve Scalise, at a House Republican conference on Capitol Hill, on Wednesday.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Donald Trump Faces Crucial Test in Trip to Washington

By ALEXANDER BURNS AND ASHLEY PARKER

Good Thursday morning.

Donald J. Trump faces a wary reception in Washington on Thursday as he seeks to break down resistance to his candidacy among the Republican Party’s most powerful elected leaders in a series of private meetings on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Trump and party officials have eyed each other across a vast political and ideological gulf, confronting differences on everything from Medicare and trade policy to the mechanics of presidential campaign fund-raising. Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, the speaker of the House, said last week that he was not ready to support Mr. Trump, despite his status as the party’s presumptive nominee.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Ryan will meet first thing on Thursday, along with Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Trump will also meet with Mr. Ryan and a larger group of House leaders, as well as with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and his leadership team — a meeting the Trump team requested.

Mr. Trump’s pilgrimage to Washington is a critical test for his candidacy at the onset of the general election campaign. His ability to compete against his likely Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, depends in no small measure on his success in raising money from mainstream donors and proving to middle-of-the-road voters that he is more than a flame-throwing populist. Without a reassuring performance on Thursday, he could find himself largely abandoned to his own devices in the fall, as Republicans seek to save their House and Senate majorities without help from a nominee they do not trust.

Intense distrust plagues the relationship, rooted in a fundamental divergence of worldview and exacerbated by petty slights during the 2016 primary race. Yet, despite their considerable differences, for both Mr. Trump and the congressional leaders, the political incentives are all heavily in favor of conciliation — or at least, the appearance of good will.

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What We’re Watching Today

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Mr. Sanders will meet with members of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, which votes on June 7. He will also holds two rallies in the state.

•

Mrs. Clinton will meet with HIV/AIDS health advocates in New York to discuss the epidemic in the United States and globally.

David Ryder for The New York Times

Donald Trump, Bucking Calls to Unite, Claims ‘Mandate’ to Be Provocative

By PATRICK HEALY AND MAGGIE HABERMAN

Mr. Trump said his supporters wanted him to run as a fiery outsider rather than embrace the mellower approach Republican leaders want.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trump’s Trips to Capitol Hill Years Ago Foretold Themes of Campaign

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER AND STEVE EDER

As Mr. Trump prepares for a circuit of meetings with top lawmakers, a review of his past visits to Washington resemble much of his current political strategy.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Email Inquiry Won’t Be Rushed, F.B.I. Chief Says

By ERIC LICHTBLAU AND MATT FLEGENHEIMER

James Comey would not say if the investigation would be wrapped up by November. “I don’t tether to any particular external deadline,” he said.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Paul Ryan Caught Between Desire for G.O.P. Unity and Future Agenda

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER AND JONATHAN MARTIN

Mr. Ryan may be forced to acquiesce to Donald Trump in the name of Republican unity or establish himself as the party’s leading opposition voice.

Hillary Clinton Mocks Donald Trump Over Not Releasing Tax Returns

By PATRICK HEALY AND ALAN RAPPEPORT

Mrs. Clinton derided Mr. Trump as evasive and secretive after he said he would not release his tax returns before the November election.

Where Trump Breaks With the Republican Party

By ALAN RAPPEPORT AND ALICIA PARLAPIANO

Donald J. Trump is set to be the Republican standard-bearer, but when it comes to some of his policies, he is out of sync with many Republican leaders in Congress.

Romney Fund-Raiser Says He Had Met With Donald Trump

By MAGGIE HABERMAN

Spencer Zwick, who is deeply close to the former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and who raises money for the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, has periodically met with Mr. Trump, including around the time he began his winning streak of nominating contests in February.

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

Washington

Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

Spanish Radio Ads in Arizona Use Donald Trump to Criticize John McCain

By CARL HULSE

In a new Spanish-language ad to begin airing on Thursday, a liberal advocacy group invokes Mr. Trump’s negative comments about Hispanics to criticize Mr. McCain, who is facing re-election to the Senate, for refusing to act on President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court.

Zach Gibson/The New York Times

Senate Is Set to Pass a $37.5 Billion Energy Appropriations Bill

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

The Senate is expected to pass its first appropriations bill for 2017, a roughly $37.5 billion measure for energy and water programs, that had been delayed over a proposed amendment related to the Iranian nuclear bill.

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What We’re Reading Elsewhere

•

MSNBC profiles a woman who hopes to persuade Muslims to vote for Mr. Trump.

•

The Washington Post writes that Mr. Trump’s candidacy has prompted an increase in immigration and voter registration.

•

President Obama, CNN reports, is showing signs of being ready to back a candidate in the Democratic nomination.

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