Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… Prince wrote a seductive tune in 1990 named for Donald Trump, which equates the now GOP frontrunner to “A man that fulfills your every wish, your every dream.” Those timeless lyrics still hold true today if you’re a Republican whose top issue is immigration and you’re deeply dissatisfied with Washington.
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‘16 from 30,000
South of the campaign trail, under the bright Florida sun, the Trump campaign scored a few of the type of behind-the-scenes victories that have largely alluded his run thus far. No, he didn’t pick up any more delegates. But developments at the Republican National Committee’s meeting in Hollywood, Fla. bode well for the GOP frontrunner and the experienced operatives he has recently brought on to navigate the delegate process. The rules committee voted not to change the guidelines on how the party selects its nominee, which was perceived as an effort to avoid the perception they were changing the rules to make it more difficult for Trump. And most notably, RNC Chair Reince Priebus on Friday called on the party to unify behind the eventual nominee. The comments were largely viewed as a shot at the #NeverTrump movement, which responded by saying, “The best way for the Republican Party to unite, win and to grow is to reject Donald Trump.”
But in those same remarks, Priebus also said the nominee must gain a majority 1,237 delegates. That contradicts Trump’s assertion that he should become the nominee if he wins a plurality of delegates. (A focus group of Pennsylvania moms one of us(!) observed this week revealed even non-Trump GOP voters could feel cheated if the candidate with most delegates doesn’t become nominee.) So this week’s RNC spring meeting showcased how the party is currently straddling the line between the Trump and NeverTrump factions. And the party continues to seem equally afraid of both sides.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports the delegate candidates who could decide the GOP nominee.
- Hillary Clinton warned a Trump nomination could turn the campaign into an insult war, NBC’s Monica Alba reports.
- MSNBC’s Jane Timm details Donald Trump’s latest flip flop.
- Bernie Sanders showed signs of easing off Hillary Clinton on Thursday...until he hit the gas, Alex Seitz-Wald and Shaq Brewster report.
- On this Earth Day, here’s a look at where the candidates stand on climate change.
- And from First Read: Four reasons why the stop Trump movement is struggling.
FOR THE RECORD…
“This morning we played 'Purple Rain' and 'Delirious' just to get warmed up before we left the house for important bilateral meetings like this."
President Obama in London on Friday
WEEKEND SKED
On Saturday: Donald Trump campaigns in Connecticut; Bernie Sanders is in Delaware and Maryland; and John Kasich and Hillary Clinton are both in Rhode Island.
On Sunday: Trump visits Maryland.
