The Note: More Troubles for Trump
— -- NOTABLES
--PRIEBUS -- TRUMP HAS ‘REWRITTEN THE PLAYBOOK’: While presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump faced more scrutiny this week for not releasing his tax returns, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Trump has “rewritten the playbook” on what will matter in the general election, ABC’s MOLLY NAGLE notes. “Donald Trump represents such a massive change to how things are done in Washington that people don’t look at Donald Trump as to whether or not he releases his taxes,” Priebus told ABC’s JONATHAN KARL Sunday on “This Week.” “Here’s a guy that’s never run for office,” Priebus added. “I don’t think the traditional playbook applies, Jon. We’ve been down this road for a year. And it doesn’t apply. He’s rewritten the playbook.” http://abcn.ws/1R2IFNJ
--MEGYN KELLY SAYS TRUMP NEEDS TO DO BETTER WITH WOMEN: Republican women have “warmed a little” to Donald Trump, but he will need to do better with them in the general election than Mitt Romney did four years ago, journalist Megyn Kelly said today on "Good Morning America." Although the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is doing well with white men, he still has work to do with GOP women, the Fox News anchor told ABC’s GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS. “I think that Republican women have warmed a little to Trump,” Kelly said, noting that Romney lost the female vote to President Obama by 11 points in 2012. “The Republican candidate is going to need to do better than Mitt Romney did.” http://abcn.ws/1TRU5Wc
--TUESDAY PREVIEW: A one-on-one interview with Kelly and Trump is set to air Tuesday night on Fox, ABC’s LISSETTE RODRIGUEZ notes. “I think you will see him as you haven’t seen him before,” Kelly said. “I would say overall the tone was cordial, but there will be some moments where people will be feeling a little uncomfortable.” http://abcn.ws/1TRU5Wc
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: The embers of #NeverTrump are in need of some stoking, it would seem. State conventions that were expecting to witness raucous scenes – and, even now, provide reinforcements to the Ted Cruz army that’s headed to Cleveland – are largely falling into line for Donald Trump, as Politico reports. In Nebraska, the most prominent GOP proponent of a third-party candidate to take on Trump and Hillary Clinton was rebuked in his backyard. Sen. Ben. Sasse, R-Neb., saw his home-state Republicans pass a resolution rejecting his proposal for a conservative third-party challenger. Delegates then rejected a resolution – clearly aimed at Trump - that would have condemned “degrading” comments aimed at women and minorities, according to the Omaha World-Herald. A good number of elected Republican officials remain dissatisfied with the concept of Trump being their only option. But if grassroots activists don’t reinforce those concerns, it’s hard to see those concerns even getting to Cleveland, much less beyond the convention to the fall. With the realistic third-party window closing, the pressure is on to produce a real option – or anti-Trump forces will have a lonely six months.
LAST WEEKEND ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
BILL CLINTON WOULD BE ‘IN CHARGE OF REVITALIZING THE ECONOMY,’ HILLARY CLINTON SAYS. Hillary Clinton has always made known that she wants Bill Clinton to have some kind of role in the White House should she become president, but over the past few weeks she's begun to reveal more about what exactly that would be. During a campaign event in Fort Mitchell Sunday, the Democratic presidential candidate was more blunt than ever about what her husband's role could be in a future Clinton administration — saying she plans to to put the former president "in charge of economic revitalization," ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ reports. http://abcn.ws/1TE3uB3
TRUMP IS ‘LEADING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,’ SESSION SAYS. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) says the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is now the party’s leader. “He is leading the Republican Party, which is the Republican voter,” Sessions said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “And the Republican voter is adopting his views and not the views that too often we've seen out of Washington, Democrat and Republican.” But with Trump’s new status comes intensified scrutiny – and Sessions agrees there are things in the billionaire businessman’s past he should have to answer for, including questions on his treatment of women. ABC’s ADRIENNE SALAZAR has more. http://abcn.ws/1R2LxKo
REPORTER FROM 1991 AUDIO RECORDING SAYS TRUMP’S DENIAL RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT CHARACTER. The former People Magazine reporter who interviewed Donald Trump's alleged spokesman "John Miller" in 1991 -- and immediately felt it was actually Trump himself -- says his denials that he masqueraded as his own spokesman raise questions about his character, ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON reports. "It shows he's a liar right now. And that distresses me as the candidate running for the Republican party," Sue Carswell said in an interview with ABC’s MARY BRUCE. "If this is the kind of character that -- of a man that you're going to be voting for come November, I would be suspicious if he tells lies. In 1991, Carswell spoke with a Trump spokesman named "John Miller" while reporting on Trump's divorce from Ivana Trump and his relationship with Marla Maples,. She says she knew immediately that Miller was actually Trump, and reached out to three people, including Maples, to confirm her suspicions. Trump ultimately apologized to her, she said. http://abcn.ws/1NuqBRO
CRUZ TO TEXAS GOP: ‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE WILL HOLD.’ The Texas GOP Convention was supposed to be a way for Ted Cruz's campaign to build momentum and shore up delegates should the race to the Republican presidential nomination end in a contested convention. Instead, ABC’s JESSICA HOPPER writes, Cruz's appearance at the Dallas gathering served as way for the one-time presidential candidate Cruz to thank some of his most loyal supporters. Cruz gave no hint that he might throw his support behind Donald Trump, never mentioning the Republican frontrunner by name and telling his supporters who felt discouraged to never give up hope. Cruz suspended his presidential bid May 3. http://abcn.ws/1ZRRHmU
SANDERS GREETS STUDENTS HEADED TO PROM. While walking into a campaign meeting Saturday afternoon, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was surrounded by a group of students dressed up and headed to prom. The young couples from John Hardin High School gleefully took photos with the presidential candidate and thanked the senator for adding a special touch to their big day, according to ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS. Sanders said he "poorly" remembered his own prom. "Bad memories," he added with a laugh. http://abcn.ws/1XtbeLJ
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
WOMAN’S OBITUARY: IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DO NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP. The family of Katherine Michelle Hinds, who died recently at the age of 34, has asked in her obituary that instead of giving flowers, her mourners not vote for Donald Trump. "In lieu of flowers, do not vote for Donald Trump," Hinds' obituary in the Opelika-Auburn News says. ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON has more. http://abcn.ws/1XrjL1N
WHO’S TWEETING?
@JFriedman44: Today, @POTUS will honor 13 law enforcement officers for "exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety..."
@ConsultReid: Oregon voter turnout is gonna be VERY high tomorrow. Younger voter registration up 21% just since September -
@PhilipRucker: Sen. Ben Sasse takes heat back home for pushing a third party challenge to Trump
@politico: Castro moves to stop VP fire from the left http://politi.co/22duVYD
@mckaycoppins: “I was the Tea Party before there *was* a Tea Party. Now I’m just part of the establishment"—Paul Ryan