Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos… The RNC had to issue a denial after POLITICO reported that it had signed the band Journey to play at the Republican National Convention. Reached for comment, several conservative Journey fans said privately that they have not stopped believing.
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‘16 from 30,000:
From dying eagles to “Pocahontas” to more Vince Foster, Donald Trump covered a lot of ground in his press conference today. But one thing we think is worth highlighting is how he responded to President Obama’s charge overnight that foreign leaders are “rattled” by Trump’s rise. “That's good,” Trump responded today. “I love that word. He used a bad word cause he knows nothing about business. When you rattle someone that's good.”
There’s a lot going on here, but let’s look at some numbers. On the one hand, the electorate is being very clear that they’re interested in a change candidate, even if it means unpredictable results. In our latest NBC/WSJ poll, 53 percent said they wanted a president who “will bring major changes to the way government operates even if it is not possible to predict what the changes may be,” while 43 percent disagreed in favor of a “steady approach.” In that respect, Trump’s “rattling” is channeling the idea of change and decreased engagement with the world, which are pretty appealing to much of the electorate. (Trump leads Clinton, for example, on the question of which candidate would best at “standing up for America.”) On the other hand, though, foreign policy generally is already one of Trump’s biggest weaknesses. Asked which candidate would be better at handling foreign policy issues, Clinton got 56 percent compared to just 29 percent for Trump in the poll. It’s why Clinton is going out of her way to call Trump an “unqualified loose cannon” who’s an “urgent threat” to the safety of the country. And it’s an argument she hopes will resonate with voters who are more worried about unpredictability when it comes to national security.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to NBC Sports programming, "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd" will air at different times than its regularly scheduled times in many markets. Revised broadcast times for this coming Sunday can be found online here: http://nbcnews.to/1TZfNrM. The show may be pre-empted in some markets but will be available On Demand with video available online at MeetThePressNBC.com.
BONUS PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Lid will be taking a few days off for the holiday to spend some quality time with our crosstabs, er, families. See you Tuesday.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- Donald Trump clinched the GOP nomination on Thursday, and one of us explains what that means.
- In 2004, Trump called pregnancy “wonderful” for women but an “inconvenience” for employers, NBC’s Ali Vitali reports.
- Trump pledged to rip up the Paris climate agreement, MSNBC’s Benjy Sarlin reports.
- A recanvass of the Democratic primary in Kentucky asked for by the Sanders campaign confirmed Clinton won.
- Trump says he’ll debate Bernie Sanders for $10 million (for charity).
- The Charles and David Koch backed super PAC Freedom Partners Action Fund has purchased a $3 million advertising buy targeting the Pennsylvania Senate race, NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
- Obama said world leaders are on edge over Donald Trump.
- And from First Read: Whose skeletons are worse: Trump or Clinton?
FOR THE RECORD…
“During primaries people get grumpy with each other.”
President Obama responding to a question about the ongoing Democratic primary while visiting Japan.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders campaign in California.