Trump under pressure to release taxes, and Hillary ahead in the polls
Need to catch up on the latest US election news? The Globalo Weekly Election Highlights is for you!
Monday, August 15, 2016
Secret ledgers which detailed transactions supposedly used to influence election officials in Ukraine show $12.7 million in cash payments to Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort, from his client former President of Ukraine Viktor F. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party.
Trump consistently warns that the election will be rigged to favor Hillary Clinton, so he’s seeking volunteers to be “election observers” to show up at polling sites on election day. Voter fraud in the US is rare, and rigging would be difficult given the thousands of jurisdictions involved. The volunteers are meant to only observe, but there is concern they could be intimidating to some voters.
Trump blames the media for slump in poll numbers.
If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly and didn’t put false meaning into the words I say, I would be beating Hillary by 20%
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Trump is already under pressure to release his taxes since Hillary just released hers (showing she’s in the top 0.1% of US households), but now there’s more pressure from an unexpected source: his running mate, Mike Pence. Pence hinted he may release his own tax returns prior to election day, which will make Trump’s hidden tax records seem even more suspicious.
The New York Times published a front page piece about issues inside the Trump campaign, including the firing of his campaign manager, which relied heavily on anonymous sources. Trump shot back calling the Times a failing publication and a “newspaper of fiction.” He has also threatened to revoke their press credentials, which would make them yet another publication on his campaign’s media “blacklist.”
The Obama administration is considering publishing Hillary Clinton’s FBI interrogation regarding the email affair. This could be damaging to her campaign if they record show a gap between what she says to the public and what she says in private to the investigators.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Trump isn’t the only one with press issues. Clinton, who has been criticised for rarely giving press conferences, has now hired her own moderator to interview her on a campaign podcast called With Her.
A NBC and WSJ poll shows Clinton leading in battleground states: Colorado, Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina.
Trump claims that his comments on Obama and Clinton being the founder and MVP of ISIS were a joke.
Ratings challenged @CNN reports so seriously that I call President Obama (and Clinton) “the founder” of ISIS, & MVP. THEY DON’T GET SARCASM?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
Clinton distances herself from Obama by coming out against the TTP trade deal, saying, “I have been trying to learn as much as I can about the agreement. But I’m worried. I’m worried about currency manipulation not being part of the agreement. We’ve lost American jobs to the manipulations that countries, particularly in Asia, have engaged in. I’m worried the pharmaceutical companies may have gotten more benefits — and patients and consumers fewer. I think there are still a lot of unanswered questions.”
Trump sticks by his accusation that Obama literally founded ISIS to a conservative radio host, Hugh Hewitt.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
“Together for America” is launched as a vehicle to recruit Republicans and Independents to endorse Clinton’s campaign. Disappointed Republicans also formed their own group “Republicans4Clinton.”
Data Scientist David Robinson says he used statistics to figure out which Tweets are written by Trump, and which tweets are written by his campaign. It appears that Trump posts his angry tweets mostly in early morning and night, while his friendlier staff writes mostly during standard working hours.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Trump may have suggested shooting Clinton, and the Secret Service is now involved. To prevent Clinton appointing liberal judges, Trump called on Second Amendment supporters. The meaning of his statements is unclear.
44 emails from her private server surfaced showing that Clinton may have done work to support or get donations for the Clinton Foundation while Secretary of State, which calls her professional ethics into question.
Tuesday, August 09, 2016
Trump revealed his economic plan in a speech, and not much new information was given. He criticized globalization, proposed new tax brackets, and said child care could become a tax write-off. He said he’d create jobs, but no details on how.
50 top Republicans have come out against Trump. Signatories include a former director of the NSA and CIA General Michael Hayden, ex-Homeland Security secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, and top advisors to the White House, State, and Justice Departments.
A poll by Monmouth University shows Clinton ahead by 13 points.