The Note: Trump, Clinton and the Battle of Gettysburg
-- NOTABLES
--WEEKEND IN REVIEW -- TRUMP VOWS TO SUE SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSERS AMID PLAN FOR FIRST 100 DAYS: Donald Trump kicked off a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania about his plan for his first 100 days as president by announcing that he will sue every woman who has accused him of sexual assault. "Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign. Total fabrication," the Republican presidential nominee said over the weekend. "The [alleged] events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over." Speaking near the historic Gettysburg Battlefield on a brisk day in the Keystone State, Trump also launched attacks on the "dishonest" media, the "rigged" political system and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Trump then laid out some plans for his first 100 days in office if elected, including pledging to deport millions of what he called "criminal illegal aliens," who are "drug dealers" and "killers," and vowing to cancel federal funding for all "sanctuary cities." ABC’s MORGAN WINSOR, KATHERINE FAULDERS and JOHN SANTUCCI have more. http://abcn.ws/2dwzPR4
--CLINTON FIRES BACK: "I saw where our opponent Donald Trump went to Gettysburg, one of the most extraordinary places in in American history, and basically said if he's president he will spend his time suing women who have made charges against him based on his behavior," Clinton said. More from ABC’s JESSICA HOPPER and JOSH HASKELL: http://abcn.ws/2evCcSL
--BY THE NUMBERS -- DIMINISHED ENTHUSIASM DOGS TRUMP: Diminished enthusiasm and a high level of negative support are undermining Donald Trump’s candidacy in the closing stretch of the 2016 campaign, the ABC News election tracking poll finds -- while Hillary Clinton has improved on both these measures, ABC’s GARY LANGER notes. Fifty-six percent of Clinton's backers in the national survey, a new high, say they're voting mainly to support her rather than to oppose Trump. By contrast, 54 percent of Trump voters are mainly motivated by opposition to Clinton, not support for him. Affirmative support can be a stronger motivator to vote, and Clinton's has gained 9 points from its low just before the party conventions in July. Trump's affirmative support, by contrast, has been essentially flat in the same period. http://abcn.ws/2eJw47g
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: You can’t force a mandate. But Hillary Clinton is now in the enviable position of having some control over what this election will say to both her supporters and opponents. Should she continue on her current trajectory, she’s in line for a major victory, bordering on a blowout by modern standards. ABC News’ new tracking poll has Clinton crushing Donald Trump by 20 points among women nationally, and even up slightly among men. A win that broad, perhaps with an Arizona and/or a Georgia tipping blue, would signal a message that carried beyond expected demographic and geographical boundaries. Fifty-six percent of Clinton supporters say they are mainly voting to support her rather than to oppose Trump; Trump’s similar number is only 41. If Clinton can convince the country that she is going to win by offering up herself – as opposed to being there solely as an alternative to Trump – it could have implications for governing in the not-so-distant future.
LAST WEEKEND ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
CLINTON PLEDGES UNITY IN PENNSYLVANIA, SAYING ‘ANGER IS NOT A PLAN.’ Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her running mate Sen. Tim Kaine campaigned together in the battleground state of Pennsylvania this weekend, boasting about their campaign's momentum and giving a glimpse of how the two, if elected, would approach uniting the country after an election year of divisive and heated rhetoric. "I know there are a lot of people right here in Pennsylvania who have a lot of questions. They want to know how do we move forward better?” Clinton said. "They are upset about what they see happening around them. I get that. But anger is not a plan.” ABC’s JOSH HASKELL and JESSICA HOPPER have more. http://abcn.ws/2eFgVnp
ERIC TRUMP: 'MY FATHER’S A FIGHTER.’ Eric Trump commented on his father's vow to sue every woman who has accused him of sexual misconduct, saying, "He's a fighter ... and he believes in calling out right and wrong." "My father's a guy who will fight. He'll fight for this country. And he's always fought for himself and, quite frankly, throughout this whole process he's needed to fight for himself," the son of the Republican presidential nominee said Sunday on “This Week,” according to ABC’s NICKI ROSSOLL. http://abcn.ws/2ecUWpt
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE EVAN MCMULLIN SAYS GOP LEADERS ARE ‘PUTTING PARTY OVER PRINCIPLE.’ Riding a surge of support in polls in Utah, independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin said he feels "very good" about his chances of winning the state, and accused the nation's Republican leaders of putting the interests of their party ahead of conservative principles and the good of the country. "The reality is that the vast majority of Republican leaders are putting party ahead of principle and putting power over the interests of their own country," McMullin said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." McMullin argued that the GOP is going in the wrong direction with Trump as the nominee. ABC’s NICKI ROSSOLL has more. http://abcn.ws/2ekRcpJ
CLINTON’S STRATEGIST REFUTES CLAIMS DEMOCRATS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLENCE AT TRUMP RALLIES. Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist and pollster refuted claims that Democrats are responsible for inciting violence at Donald Trump's campaign rallies, saying the blame lays squarely on the rhetoric of the GOP candidate. “Donald Trump, day after day, on the stump, was inciting people,” Joel Benenson said Sunday on “This Week.” Over the past week, Trump frequently referred to a secretly recorded video recently released by conservative activist James O'Keefe's Project Veritas Action. The highly edited video appears to show a Democratic operative bragging about deploying troublemakers at Trump rallies. Benenson confirmed that two Democratic operatives associated with the video have resigned, ABC’s MARGARET CHADBOURN reports. http://abcn.ws/2ed5nJW
ANOTHER WOMAN ACCUSES TRUMP OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. Attorney Gloria Allred called Donald Trump's vow to sue the women who have accused him of sexual assault after Election Day "bullying tactics," and brought forward yet another woman making allegations against the Republican presidential nominee, ABC’s DEAN SCHABNER reports. Speaking in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Trump opened a speech billed as a policy address that would outline his first 100 days should he be elected by saying that he would sue all the women who have made accusations against him. "If Mr. Trump thought that such bullying tactics would silence his accusers and prevent other women from coming forward, he will be sorely disappointed," Allred said. "Women will not be intimidated into silence by Donald Trump. http://abcn.ws/2evLGxq
EARLY VOTE OUTLOOK -- POSITIVE SIGNS FOR CLINTON IN FLORIDA, TRUMP IN MIDWEST. With little more than two weeks before Election Day, early-voting data shows some positive signs for Clinton in Florida and for Trump in parts of the Midwest, ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON writes. Approximately 4.9 million people have cast ballots under early voting that has begun in more than half the states, including major states such as Florida, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Colorado. The actual vote tallies won't be available till Election Day but some information is available on the party registration of those casting or requesting early or absentee ballots. Experts told ABC News that positive trends are starting to emerge for Clinton in Florida and for Trump in Ohio and Iowa. http://abcn.ws/2dJNX8g
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -- THE MOMENT CLINTON LEARNED THE CUBS ARE WORLD-SERIES BOUND. Nick Merrill snapped the photo Saturday night onboard the campaign plane, where Clinton -- who was raised in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge -- was handed a phone and watched highlights from the game. The game had just ended as Clinton was boarding a plane in Philadelphia, where she had a rally Saturday night, ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN notes. http://abcn.ws/2eiU9Ve