Welcome to The Lid, your afternoon dose of the 2016 ethos…Donald Trump boasted Tuesday that his personal financial disclosure is 104 pages, the “largest in the history of the FEC.” Because nothing says “prestige” like “lengthy bureaucratic filings to a federal agency.”
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‘16 from 30,000
Tonight’s Democratic primary contests are a good reminder that, as we wrote yesterday, Hillary Clinton is still wedged between a not-entirely-resolved primary contest and the general election. And the role of Bernie Sanders feels a lot more intense today after he defiantly responded to party condemnation of his supporters’ behavior on Saturday at Nevada Democratic convention. Sanders said he condemns “any and all forms of violence” but faulted party officials for the chaotic confrontations, saying ‘“It is imperative that the Democratic leadership, both nationally and in the states, understand that the political world is changing and that millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics and establishment economics.”
That certainly doesn’t feel like a big step towards unity. And here’s why unity matters for the Democratic Party. Our newest NBC News |SurveyMonkey poll, which showed a tightening general election matchup between Clinton and Trump. The good news for Clinton is that she could benefit from a boost after clinching the nomination. Consider this: At the end of April 2008, when Clinton was still in the Democratic race and racking up wins despite trailing Obama’s delegate count , Barack Obama only led John McCain in a hypothetical matchup 46 percent to 43 percent. By July, when Obama had secured the nod, he led McCain 47 percent to 41 percent.
But in 2008, Clinton, despite a rancorous and angry primary season, called for unity behind Barack Obama and said in her concession speech “the Democratic Party is a family.” In the absence of language like that from Sanders, it’s harder for Clinton to count on the polling bounce she helped give Obama eight years ago.
POPPING ON NBC POLITICS
- Bernie Sanders walked away from NBC’s Danny Freeman when he tried to ask him about chaos at the Nevada Democratic convention.
- Clinton outspent Sanders in Kentucky, according to ad-spending data from our partners at SMG Delta.
- NBC’s Perry Bacon has a preview of what to watch in Oregon and Kentucky tonight.
- Hillary Clinton’s national lead over Trump has narrowed, according to our NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll.
- How bad is Donald Trump’s problem with women? Dante Chinni has your answer here.
- Hillary Clinton is going small, NBC’s Monica Alba reports.
- And from First Read: Hillary Clinton’s message problem vs. Trump’s demographic problem.
FOR THE RECORD…
"We know the truth. He's not Hitler.”
Melania Trump talking about her husband in an interview with DuJour magazine.
TOMORROW’S SKED
Bernie Sanders campaigns in California.
