The Note: Trump and the NRA
— -- NOTABLES
HAPPENING TODAY -- AHEAD OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO THE NRA, READ HOW HIS VIEWS ON GUNS HAS SHIFTED OVER TIME: Donald Trump's stance on guns has been consistent during his presidential campaign, but it has shifted over the past two decades. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is expected to talk about his history with firearms and stance on gun control Friday when he addresses the National Rifle Association this afternoon. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY notes how his view shifted over time, based in part on two of his policy-oriented books. http://abcn.ws/1YI07gk
HOW DONALD TRUMP MAY BE IMPERILING GOP’S PLAN TO REACH MINORITY VOTERS: As Donald Trump glided down the gilded escalators in his eponymous Tower to announce his candidacy for president, he sought to make one thing clear; undocumented Mexican immigrants aren't like the rest of America. "When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you," he said. "They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists." Since then, Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, has boasted that he's won among women, among men, among poor and among the rich. But there is one crucial group he's not winning with -- minority voters. And as the standard-bearer of his party, ABC’s CANDACE SMITH writes, that means the Grand Old Party now appears to have its own grand ole problem; how to salvage the damage wrought by their new nominee. http://abcn.ws/1U3thFm
TOP DONALD TRUMP ALLY OFFERS GLOWING REVIEW OF LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES: Roger Stone is one of Donald Trump's most notorious and loyal allies, but the seasoned political operative now says the Libertarian ticket has him doing a double-take. In an interview with ABC's 'Powerhouse Politics' podcast, Stone told Chief White House Correspondent JONATHAN KARL and ABC Political Director RICK KLEIN he wouldn't rule out supporting former Republican Govs. Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, and said both should have a place on the presidential debate stages this election season. "I am a giant fan of both Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, they’re both personal friends, they’re both giants in my opinion," Stone said. Stone claims in the past he actually tried to convince Weld to run for president, and just four years ago tried to convince Johnson to recruit Weld as his Vice Presidential pick, ABC’s ALEXANDER MALLIN. "The entire ticket would benefit from the fact that both Trump and Hillary Clinton are exceedingly polarizing," Stone said. http://abcn.ws/1YI1FqT LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://apple.co/21V9721
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL
With ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ
HILLARY CLINTON SAYS ‘THERE’S NO WAY I WON’T BE’ DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. Hillary Clinton is showing her confidence. During an interview on CNN on Thursday, the Democratic presidential candidate essentially called the primary race over. "I will be the nominee for my party," she said, bluntly. "That's already done, in effect. There's no way I won't be." ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ reports, Clinton currently has 2,293 delegates, according to a delegate count by ABC News, putting her just 90 delegates shy of the number needed to clinch the nomination. http://abcn.ws/25cxvDn
TRUMP CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES EXPANDED ROLE FOR PAUL MANAFORT. Donald Trump will change the role for one of his campaign’s top advisors, ABC News has learned. ABC’s JOHN SANTUCCI reports, sources within the campaign said that Trump will name Paul Manafort to the new role of Campaign Chairman and Chief Strategist. Manafort, who was brought on board early last month as a convention manager, was originally tasked with trying to secure Trump the necessary delegates to avoid a fight at the Republican convention. With Trump now the likely presumptive nominee for the GOP, Manafort’s new role is a natural growth of the campaign as they begin to build a team ready for the general election, according to the sources. http://abcn.ws/25crNBo
HOW DONALD TRUMP IS MAKING MORE MONEY SINCE LAUNCHING PRESIDENTIAL BID. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s personal income has spiked since the launch of the businessman’s presidential bid nearly a year ago, according to an ABC News analysis of personal financial disclosure documents. The millions of new dollars flowing into Trump’s pockets come thanks to bigger paychecks from at least half of his companies. It’s all coming to light nearly a full year into his media-saturated presidential campaign during which he often boasts of his real estate empire and explicitly plugs his personal brands, ABC’s RYAN STRUYK notes.
DONALD TRUMP SAYS MISSING EGYPTAIR AIRCRAFT ‘BLOWN OUT OF THE SKY.’ EgyptAir flight 804 has yet to be found -- nor has a reason for its disappearance been released -- but Donald Trump is convinced he knows why the Cairo-bound aircraft went missing Thursday morning, according to ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN. "A plane got blown out of the sky," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said at a fundraiser in Lawrenceville, N.J., last night. "And if anything, if anybody thinks it wasn’t blown out of the sky, you are 100 percent wrong, folks. OK? You're 100 percent wrong." Trump made the unsubstantiated claim while slamming Hillary Clinton for her apparent reluctance to use the term "radical Islamic terrorism." "We had a terrible tragedy, and she said that Donald Trump talked about radical Islamic terrorism -- which she doesn't want to use," Trump said. "She used a different term, because she does not want to use that term. She refuses to use that term." Trump first attributed the EgyptAir flight's disappearance to terrorism several hours before the fundraiser. http://abcn.ws/1WFkQnZ
CLINTON CAMPAIGN SLAMS TRUMP’S RAPE CLAIM AGAINST BILL CLINTON. Hillary Clinton's press secretary said that Donald Trump's claim that former President Bill Clinton may have been accused of rape is just another example of the real estate mogul lashing out. "Trump is doing what he does best, attacking when he feels wounded and dragging the American people through the mud for his own gain. If that’s the kind of campaign he wants to run, that’s his choice," press secretary Nick Merrill said in a statement released shortly after Trump made the accusation during a Fox News interview. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY notes, the accusation came up during the presumptive Republican nominee's appearance on Sean Hannity's eponymous show. http://abcn.ws/1OBVsqG
MARYLAND TRUMP DELEGATE INDICTED FOR CHILD PORN, WEAPON POSSESSION. A Maryland man and delegate for Donald Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury late Wednesday for allegedly shipping explosives, illegal possession of a machine gun and child pornography offenses. Caleb Bailey was elected as a delegate for Trump from the state’s 5th Congressional District, the Maryland GOP confirms. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS reports, the Trump campaign condemned the allegations and said Bailey will be replaced. http://abcn.ws/1RbSEjK
LATE GOP SENATOR WANTED TO APOLOGIZE TO MUSLIMS FOR DONALD TRUMP, FAMILY SAYS. On his deathbed, Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, wanted to apologize to Muslims for Donald Trump, according to his son and wife. ABC’s BENJAMIN SIEGEL reports, Bennett, lying on his hospital bed in Washington, D.C., earlier this month after suffering a stroke, asked his son, Jim, and wife, Joyce, if there were any Muslims in the hospital. Jim said he thought so, and he remembers his father saying, "Well, I'd like to go up to every single one of them and apologize on behalf of the Republican Party for Donald Trump.” http://abcn.ws/1Vc68TL
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
#BERNIELOSTME HASHTAG TRENDS ON TWITTER FOLLOWING VIOLENCE IN NEVADA. Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is feeling the burn on social media after the hashtag #BernieLostMe started trending Wednesday in response to a group of his supporters who became violent at a Nevada political event this weekend. ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ has more. http://abcn.ws/20baTMG
WHO’S TWEETING
@colvinj: Trump has a new answer for those speculating about his VP shortlist. "Anybody that supports me is on the short list," he tells Fox & Friends.
@rickklein: ever wondered what LBJ would think of Trump? we got #BryanCranston in character to answer: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/powerhouse-politics/id1086758563?mt=2 … #powerhousepolitics
@mattkatz00: I heard a lot of Newtmentum among Trump fans last night. They said he could handle Congress for Trump.
@nytpolitics: If the election were held now, 47% of registered voters would back Clinton vs. 41% for Trump, Times/CBS poll finds
@bethreinhard: Trump v Clinton on guns - coming to a general election near you. http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-looks-to-nra-for-a-boost-1463701480 … via @WSJ