Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he hasn’t ruled out a future run for president. It is fitting that a former professional wrestler whose finishing move was known as “The People’s Elbow” would explore a career in public service.
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‘16 from 30,000
It’s no wonder Hillary Clinton chose to make foreign policy and national security the focus of her first major policy address since Donald Trump clinched the GOP nomination. Just look at these numbers:A whopping 64 percent of voters ranked Trump “poor” or “very poor” when it comes to handling an international crisis in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in April. And in an NBC poll in May, 56 percent chose Clinton when asked which of the two candidates would be better handling foreign policy. Just 29 percent chose Trump.
But the speech went deeper than just foreign affairs. She said Trump has a “very thin skin,” “dangerously incoherent” ideas and called his potential election a “historic mistake.” Those attacks point to another potential pitfall for Trump we saw on display this week when we lashed out at the media -- his temperament. We made the point that only 12 percent of registered voters gave him high scores for having “the right temperament” to be president. Trump leads Clinton in dealing with the economy, protecting U.S. interest in trade issues, and dealing with Wall Street -- but this week we haven’t heard much other than controversies surrounding donation to veterans and Trump University. Clinton’s aim here is quite clear: Provoking Trump into a counterattack that’s so dramatic that even swing voters who don’t love her think he’s gone too far.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- Hillary Clinton on Thursday delivered the sharpest attack yet against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling him "temperamentally unfit" to be commander-in-chief and arguing his election would be a "historic mistake."
- Paul Ryan said he’ll vote for Trump.
- NBC News’ Leigh Ann Caldwell reports that there is more bad news for Bill Kristol’s alternative to Donald Trump.
- Polling shows Clinton with a strong lead over Trump when it comes to international affairs, one of us writes.
- The PGA Tour is moving a tournament from Trump’s Doral course in Miami to Mexico.
- Trump went off on Clinton Wednesday night, saying she has “no natural talent,” NBC’s Ali Vitali reports.
- And from First Read: Whose poll numbers are worse right now -- Clinton's or Trump's?
FOR THE RECORD…
“C'mon Donald... you complaining about Hillary's temperament is like me complaining about the quality of television!”
Jerry Springer tweet in response to Donald Trump dinging Hillary Clinton’s temperament.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton all campaign in California.
