Election briefs: Trump says Christie, Carson could be on VP panel
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump says he’s setting up a vice presidential vetting committee “very soon” that could include some of his former running mates.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Wednesday, Trump said that he has yet to begin to seriously consider his potential running mates.
He says he may put Ben Carson and Chris Christie on the committee.
Trump hints at Cabinet picks
Donald Trump is revealing some possible Cabinet picks if he’s elected president.
In an interview with Fox News’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” the presumptive GOP nominee says he’d consider naming former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani secretary of homeland security, Gov. Chris Christie attorney general and Dr. Ben Carson secretary of health and human services.
He says he has not made final decisions, “but certainly they would three very wise choices.”
Trump also said Carson is not interested in being his running mate.
Clinton courts Asian-Americans
Hillary Clinton is wooing Asian-Americans voters, saying she looks forward to the fast-growing voting block be part of her administration.
The Democratic front-runner says there is “a place for” the community in her campaign. “I want you to be part of not only winning a campaign but more importantly really governing our country,” she says in Washington on Wednesday.
Clinton spoke at a conference hosted by an advocacy organization representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.
W. staying out of presidential fray
A spokesman for George W. Bush says the former president does “not plan to participate in or comment on” the 2016 presidential race.
The spokesman, Freddy Ford, was responding to an inquiry from The Associated Press about whether Bush planned to support Donald Trump now that the businessman is the presumptive Republican nominee.
While Bush has largely stayed out of politics since leaving the White House, his refusal to publicly support his party’s nominee is remarkable. It underscores the deep frustration within some corners of the GOP over Trump’s candidacy.
The former president helped raise money for his brother Jeb Bush’s failed primary campaign. He also headlined a rally for his brother in South Carolina where he implicitly criticized Trump for inflaming Americans’ anger and frustration.
Nikki Haley not interested in being Trump’s VP
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says she’s “flattered” but “not interested” in being vice president.
But Haley, who had endorsed former presidential candidate Marco Rubio, said she will “support the Republican nominee for president” out of her “great respect for the will of the people.”
She did not mention presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s name in a short statement.
Haley has frequently been mentioned as an appealing candidate for the GOP nominee. But she’s crossed swords with Trump – who won the South Carolina primary – over immigration and other issues.
Kasich drops out
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is acknowledging that his message “wasn’t a great sound byte” and he is suspending his campaign for president.
The two-year Ohio governor and former congressman was visibly emotional Wednesday as he thanked his family, campaign staff and supporters without ever saying directly what would happen to his campaign.
Kasich had perpetually trailed even as the crowded GOP field narrowed. But Kasich was insisting – even as recently as after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’ departure from the race Tuesday night – that he would remain in the race until New York billionaire Donald Trump definitely secured the 1,237 delegates necessary to clinch the GOP nomination.
He thanked his wife, twin daughters, campaign staff and armies of volunteers.
Kasich said of his staff, “Nobody has ever done more with less in the history of politics.
Clinton focuses on policy, not Trump ‘bullying’
With Donald Trump seizing the GOP mantle, Hillary Clinton says she’s running on her plans for the country’s future – not simply to stop the billionaire New Yorker.
She also says she’s not worried about fending off the kind of deeply personal attacks that took out Trump’s GOP rivals.
“This, to me, is a classic case of a blustering, bullying guy,” she tells CNN in an interview.
Clinton says Trump has yet to detail his policies and has divided the country with a campaign that is “insulting people.”
“He has played all sides of the political area. That’s his choice and he can explain it. I’ve been very specific,” she says.
Clinton also is urging Republicans and independents to join her “on the American team,” against Trump.
Trump says he would consider Kasich as possible VP
Donald Trump says he’s willing to consider Ohio Gov. John Kasich as a running mate.
He tells CNN that he would “be interested in vetting John,” but adds that even as governor, Kasich would be “helpful” with swinging Ohio into Trump’s column on Election Day.
Trump says he has a good relationship with Kasich, the billionaire’s last remaining Republican rival for the GOP presidential nomination.
Kasich is expected to quit the race later Wednesday, according to three campaign officials who spoke to The Associated Press anonymously because they’re not authorized to discuss the matter.
Clinton has 93 percent of delegates needed for nomination
Hillary Clinton is now 93 percent of the way to clinching the Democratic nomination.
She lost Indiana on Tuesday, but split enough of the delegates with Bernie Sanders to move closer to the 2,383 delegates needed to win.
For the night, Sanders picked up 44 delegates while Clinton gained 38. One Indiana delegate remains to be allocated, pending final vote tallies.
That means in primaries and caucuses to date, Clinton has 1,683 to Sanders’ 1,362.
When including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton’s lead is much bigger.
She now has a total of 2,205 delegates, or 93 percent of the number needed to win, according to the AP count. Sanders has 1,401.
Just 178 delegates short, Clinton remains on track to clinch the nomination by early June.
Trump Super PAC hires Reagan campaign manager
Seasoned Republican operative Ed Rollins is making his debut in Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
Rollins, who was Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign manager, spoke on a conference call Wednesday with supporters of Great America, a super PAC that backs Trump. Rollins has signed on as a strategist for the group.
Rollins says the super PAC aims to help offset what he sees as a huge financial advantage for likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “They’re licking their chops,” Rollins says of Clinton’s team. “They think they’re going to win this thing.”
Great America will likely conduct polls, collect opposition research and run television ads in the lead-up to Election Day, Rollins says. First, though, the group must raise money: As of the end of March, it was almost $700,000 in debt, fundraising documents show.
Ben Carson, a prominent Trump ally, also spoke on the call – a signal that the billionaire businessman is more accepting of outside help from groups that during the primary contest he had called “corrupt.”
Trump self-funding pledge starts to fade
Donald Trump says he’s planning to accept more political contributions now that he’s the Republican Party’s likely presidential nominee.
The billionaire businessman previewed his path forward Wednesday morning, a day after his chief rival, Ted Cruz, suspended his campaign.
Trump tells ABC’s “Good Morning America,” that he “probably will take small donations,” up to the legal contribution limits but will still contribute to his own campaign. He adds that he doesn’t “want anyone to have big influence over me.”
Trump often tells supporters that he’s funding his campaign largely from his own pockets, although he’s been accepting smaller donations for several months. He says he’s spent about $44 million so far of his own money. He needs much more, however, going forward. The price tag for a general election is likely around $1 billion.
Trump also says he’s confident he “can unite much of” the Republican Party even though he doesn’t want the support of some Republican critics.
Sen. Warren on Trump: ‘hatred and insecurity’
Senator Elizabeth Warren has taken to Twitter to attack what she calls presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “toxic stew of hatred & insecurity.”
The Massachusetts Democrat issued a series of tweets Tuesday night as results from the Indiana GOP primary forced Texas Senator Ted Cruz from the race and left Trump as the overwhelming favorite for the nomination.
Warren tweets that Trump has built his campaign on “racism, sexism and xenophobia” and that there’s more enthusiasm for him “among the leaders of the KKK than leaders of the political party he now controls.”
Warren says what happens next is “a character test for all of us — Republican, Democrat, and Independent.”
Warren has been mentioned by party insiders as a potential running mate for likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.