Review: Latest Reports from The Washington Posts ‘Post Politics’

Experienced Libertarian ticket becomes a tough sell in Orlando

ORLANDO — Upstairs, Bill Weld was the presumptive vice presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party, powering through interview after interview. Downstairs, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts found himself arguing about whether Mexico was a threat to the economic life of the United States. “We can’t allow Mexico to continue to be dysfunctional and pass […]

For Sanders supporters still packing rallies, it’s about the experience, not the math

SANTA BARBARA — Raymok Ketema is pretty sure Bernie Sanders won’t win the Democratic presidential nomination. She knows Hillary Clinton’s delegate lead is virtually insurmountable and that even a Sanders victory in the California primary on June 7 probably won’t be enough to propel him to the top of the party’s ticket. Yet the 22-year old […]

Bernie Sanders and Bill Maher agree: ‘Tough guy’ Donald Trump ‘chickened out’ of debate
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump used late-night TV appearances this week to hype a potential debate between them, so with the event now dead it was only fitting that Sanders would return to late night on Friday to knock Trump for backing out. Groaning and shaking his fists in frustration, the senator from Vermont told […]

In San Diego, Trump shames local ‘Mexican’ judge as protesters storm streets

SAN DIEGO – As hundreds of protesters outside his rally here Friday afternoon chanted obscenities, waved Mexican flags and clashed with police, Donald Trump reveled on stage in the drama his candidacy has created. The Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee gave a fiery speech in San Diego and sought to leverage the power of his […]

Sarah Palin assails Obama for Hiroshima visit

SAN DIEGO – Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, savaged President Obama here Friday for what she termed his “apology lap” in Hiroshima, a Japanese city destroyed by a U.S. atomic bomb during World War II. Addressing a large Donald Trump campaign rally in downtown San Diego, Palin accused Obama of “dissing our vets” […]

‘The world was forever changed here’: Obama’s words at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan
President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima Friday. Nearly 71 years after the U.S. deployed an atomic bomb on the Japanese city, Obama called for an end to nuclear weapons and offered respects to the victims. A complete transcript of his remarks, and those of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is […]

Citizenship applications soar in Trump’s wake

Applications for U.S. citizenship soared in the first three months of the year compared with 2015, appearing to confirm the predictions of several Democratic-leaning groups that the numbers would climb in response to the presidential campaign of Republican Donald Trump. If the trends continue, activists now expect nearly 1 million new applications this year — roughly […]

Trump says he’s no longer open to debating Bernie Sanders

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday backed away from suggesting he is open to debating Sen. Bernie Sanders before the conclusion of primary season. In a statement, Trump took digs at Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. He said he will wait until the nomination process is concluded and expects to eventually debate Clinton. “Based […]

Libertarian Party convention kicks off in Orlando

ORLANDO — As far as much of the media is concerned, the Libertarian Party’s nomination — which will be decided at this weekend’s convention — is Gary Johnson’s for the taking. The former governor of New Mexico and 2012 nominee has done a battery of media interviews, and his selection of former Massachusetts governor Bill […]

In general election, Donald Trump plans to focus on 15 states

BILLINGS, Mont. — Here’s a key part of Donald Trump general-election strategy: He plans to focus on about 15 states, including some where Republican nominees don’t often campaign. “We have to win, and I want my energy to be put into the states where it could go either way,” Trump said at a rally here on […]

Marco Rubio wants to be ‘helpful’ to Trump, plans to attend GOP convention

Reversing months of comments to the contrary, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) now says he plans to attend the Republican National Convention and will release his delegates to vote for the presumed party nominee, Donald Trump. Rubio once warned that nominating Trump would “fracture the Republican Party” and faulted the business magnate for stoking violence at […]

Donald Trump gets called out for calling Elizabeth Warren ‘Pocahontas’

Trump has repeatedly called the Massachusetts senator by the nickname, referencing the controversy over her claiming that she is of Native American descent.

Hillary Clinton says she’s confident voters will look past concerns over an email system she calls ‘a mistake’

Voters may have concerns about her use of a private email system as secretary of state but will consider “the full picture of what I have to offer” as she runs for president, Hillary Clinton said Thursday. The Democratic presidential front-runner spoke one day after a State Department report concluded that she had gone around department […]

Clinton questions whether Trump is as wealthy as he claims

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Hillary Clinton upped the pressure on Donald Trump to release his tax returns on Thursday, suggesting that he is trying to hide unflattering revelations about his finances. “Either he’s paying no taxes or he’s paying very little,” Clinton said. “The only way to find out which it is is for him […]

Sanders campaign: Democratic unity ‘much easier’ if DNC chair is replaced

Could the job of Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz be sacrificed in coming weeks in the name of party unity? Supporters of Bernie Sanders are increasingly saying that they view the Florida congresswoman as an impediment to rallying around Hillary Clinton if she becomes the Democratic nominee, and Wasserman Schultz has received some […]

Clinton praises Sanders, calls for party unity in Nevada

LAS VEGAS — Hillary Clinton campaigned in Nevada — a general election battleground state — on Thursday and called for unity in the Democratic Party. Speaking at the United Food and Commercial Workers conference in Las Vegas, Clinton noted that the Democratic primary against Sen. Bernie Sanders was coming to “the end.” And warned that Democrats must […]

Trump says Vince Foster should not be mentioned on campaign trail unless new info surfaces

BISMARCK, N.D. — Donald Trump said Thursday that unless any new information surfaces, the 1993 death of then-White House deputy counsel Vincent W. Foster Jr. should not be discussed on the presidential campaign trail. Foster was a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton and several investigations at the time of his death concluded that […]

Trump plans to appear at Rolling Thunder rally

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump plans to appear in the District on Sunday to show support for the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle ride, a campaign adviser confirmed Thursday. Rolling Thunder seeks to raise awareness for veterans issues and to remember prisoners of war and those missing from combat situations. Bloomberg Politics first reported that […]

Donald Trump sets a price range for debating Bernie Sanders

BISMARCK, N.D. — Donald Trump says that he would “love” to debate Bernie Sanders ahead of the June 7 California primary, as long as millions of dollars are donated to charity. Trump threw out this possible price range during a news conference  Thursday afternoon: $10 million to $15 million. He suggested that the donations could […]

Kentucky finishes recanvass of Democratic primary, finding no change to Clinton victory

A new count of Kentucky’s ballots from the May 17 Democratic primary found no discrepancies, confirming former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s narrow victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders. It was Sanders who asked for the canvass just two days ago, after a week of uncertainty over whether he would let the primary results stand. Just 1,924 votes […]

Obama: World leaders are ‘rattled’ by Trump’s ignorance, love of tweets

ISE CITY, Japan — President Obama said Thursday that world leaders have been surprised by Donald Trump’s emergence as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and remain uncertain “how seriously to take some of his pronouncements.” After a day of meetings at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Obama said his counterparts are “rattled by […]

On late night TV, Sanders and Trump agree to a debate — maybe

LOS ANGELES — Thirteen minutes into his interview with Donald Trump, ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel said he had a question from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The Democratic primary underdog, who has camped out in California all week, was set to appear on Thursday night’s episode. “Here’s the question from Bernie,” said Kimmel. “Hillary Clinton […]

As Democratic race tightens in California, ads hit airwaves from Clinton, Sanders

As the Democratic race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in California grows tighter and the competition more fierce, both campaigns are now devoting additional money to television advertising. A day after Sanders announced a new ad buy of less than $2 million in the state, Clinton announced her own television campaign. Ads featuring actor […]

Trump parts ways with political director Rick Wiley

Donald Trump has parted ways with political director and veteran GOP operative Rick Wiley, the Trump campaign abruptly announced Wednesday night. Trump’s campaign issued a brief statement announcing Wiley’s departure with few details about the move. The change is the latest in a string of significant personnel decisions inside the Trump campaign. Paul Manafort was recently […]

Donald Trump is waiting for phone calls from Romney, Bush and others

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As a number of prominent Republicans continue to refrain from endorsing or publicly supporting their party’s likely nominee, Donald Trump is pressuring them to get on board — or get run over. Trump has made clear that he is likely to be the sort of nominee who is not afraid to slam members of his own party, […]

Recipient of Trump’s $1 million donation: ‘It’s arrived, and it’s in the bank’

Donald Trump has fully made good on a promise to donate $1 million of his personal fortune to a veterans’ charity, that charity’s chairman said Wednesday. “We got the check yesterday,” said James Kallstrom of the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation. “It’s arrived, and it’s in the bank.” The presumptive Republican presidential nominee made his donation Monday […]

Paul Ryan renews push for top donors — with perks like VIP convention package, holiday party

Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), who is already raising record sums to preserve the GOP’s House majority in the fall elections, is making a renewed push for large donations from wealthy benefactors and offering bonuses like special access to the Republican National Convention and face time with party leaders. In a fundraising appeal circulated to […]

Clinton to make new pledge to push infrastructure bill in first 100 days

LOS ANGELES — Hillary Clinton will make a new pledge to act on infrastructure in her first 100 days in office, according to a campaign aide. Clinton had previously said that she would propose a $275 billion infrastructure plan, which includes both direct investment and investment through a national infrastructure bank. With this new pledge, […]

For Japanese ambassador to Washington, a historic homecoming in Hiroshima

When Kenichiro Sasae returns to Hiroshima this week for President Obama’s historic visit, it will be a homecoming of sorts for Japan’s ambassador to the United States. Sasae, who has served at the embassy in Washington since 2012, spent three years in Hiroshima during high school in the late 1960s. During his last year, he […]

Trump accuses New Mexico’s Republican governor of not doing her job

ALBUQUERQUE — Despite his promise to unite the Republican Party, Donald Trump attacked New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez — the chairwoman of the Republican Governor’s Association — on Tuesday night and accused her of “not doing the job.” Martinez has been critical of Trump and did not attend his Tuesday night rally at a convention […]

Vietnamese woman raps for President Obama at town hall meeting. And he did beat box.
Longer video of woman rapping in Vietnamese with short beat box from @POTUS pic.twitter.com/4SOQinQT1e — David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) May 25, 2016 HO CHI MINH CITY — People want to know what President Obama will do after his presidency. Perhaps host of Rap City? The president was answering questions at a townhall-style meeting here Wednesday when a […]

Clinton fires back at Trump for making money ‘off of people’s misery’

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump’s response to her criticism of his past comments about the housing crisis an attempt to “double down” on the remarks. Clinton and her allies launched a new, coordinated attack against Trump on Tuesday focused on his comments suggesting that he sought to profit from the housing crash. […]

In Disneyland’s shadow, Bernie Sanders criticizes Disney’s business practices

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Outside this city’s downtown convention center, the usual crop of vacationing families were boarding theme park shuttles, sporting Mickey Mouse ears or Star Wars backpacks. Inside, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) was denouncing the Walt Disney Co. as an example of the economic greed and media control that had exploded America’s wealth gap. “Everybody […]

Four months later, Donald Trump says he gave $1 million to veterans group

Almost four months after saying he would give $1 million of his own money to veterans’ causes, Republican candidate Donald Trump moved to fulfill that pledge on Monday evening — promising the entire sum to a single charity. Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he pledged the $1 million to the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation. […]

What we know — and what we don’t — about the money Donald Trump raised for veterans

Since late Monday, Donald Trump has been using social media to denounce reporting about a fundraiser he held in Iowa on Jan. 28, to benefit veterans’ groups. “Bad publicity from the dishonest and disgusting media,” Trump said on Twitter last night. “Absolutely disgraceful” Trump said in a video posted on Instagram today. Some of that reporting has been […]

Kasich instructs his delegates to remain bound to him through GOP convention

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this month, is instructing the 161 delegates he won to remain bound to him through the party’s June nomination convention. Kasich sent personal letters Monday to Republican officials in the 16 states and the District of Columbia where he won delegates, requesting that they stay bound to […]

Bernie Sanders asks for recanvass of Kentucky primary vote

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) has requested a state-run recanvass of last week’s Kentucky Democratic primary, hoping to earn at least one more delegate out of one of the year’s closest races. The decision, first reported by the Associated Press, came just hours before the deadline to request a new look at the […]

Top GOP financiers coalescing around Trump-RNC fundraising effort

The team include figures who served as major financial backers of Trump’s rivals, such as New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and former ambassador Mel Sembler, who were top fundraisers for former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s campaign and super PAC.

Obama nudges Vietnam on human rights, while pressing reconciliation agenda

HANOI — President Obama urged Vietnam on human rights matters Tuesday while hailing its warming relations with the United States, calling the evolution from bitter wartime foes to growing partners a lesson for a world besieged by modern global conflicts. “At a time when many conflicts seem intractable — never seem to end — it shows how hearts can […]

Clinton campaign plans battleground-state media blitz hitting Trump on housing crisis

An army of Hillary Clinton’s surrogates in battleground states will blast Donald Trump on Tuesday over his past statements about the housing market and his business record, according to a campaign aide. The coordinated push is the first of their efforts to frame the likely Republican nominee in the minds of swing voters even while […]

Trump set to headline first campaign fundraiser in Albuquerque Tuesday

The event, which requires a $10,000 donation, is being hosted by Kevin R. Daniels, the owner of a funeral services company and prominent GOP donor.

Sanders barnstorms California with little to say about Clinton

LOS ANGELES — Thirty-two minutes into his speech to a large and slightly sunburned crowd, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finally did it. He mentioned that he was running against someone. “We don’t hang out in fancy mansions raising millions of dollars,” Sanders said. “One of the differences between Secretary Clinton and our campaign is that […]

Hillary Clinton declines invitation to debate Bernie Sanders in California

Hillary Clinton’s campaign said on Monday that she will not participate in a California debate against Bernie Sanders before the state’s primary on June 7. The two campaigns had agreed to additional debates beyond the slate of events that had been scheduled by the Democratic National Committee. The Sanders campaign had hoped to schedule a […]

Anthony Bourdain and President Obama had dinner in Vietnam. It cost $6.

HANOI — What’s a trip abroad without some good local cuisine? President Obama didn’t want to miss out Monday night here in Hanoi, so he hit the town with renowned chef-turned-television host Anthony Bourdain. The pair dined together at Huong Lien, a bún chả restaurant that serves the grilled pork and noodle dish thought to […]

Donald Trump, escalating attacks on Bill Clinton, revives sexual assault allegations in new video

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump revived decades-old sexual assault accusations against Bill Clinton in an online video released Monday, escalating his attempts to characterizing the former president and Hillary Clinton as cruel and hostile to women. Trump has regularly made references Bill Clinton’s infidelities on the campaign trail, accusing the Clintons of hypocrisy on women’s […]

John Kerry fought the North Vietnamese decades ago. Now, he’s getting a warm welcome in the streets of Hanoi.

HANOI — He helped the United States fight a war in this country more than four decades ago. But Secretary of State John F. Kerry got a warm welcome Monday from Vietnamese residents during an unannounced public appearance in downtown Hanoi. Kerry’s motorcade zoomed up to the curb at Hoan Kiem Lake, near the Ngoc Son […]

In historic move, U.S. lifts arms sales embargo to Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam — The Obama administration announced Monday that the United States would fully lift a longstanding U.S. embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam, a decision that reflects growing concerns about China’s military clout and illustrates the warming bilateral ties between the former enemy nations. President Obama unveiled the new arrangement at a news […]

Sanders says he’s going all the way to the Democratic convention

Sen. Bernie Sanders shocked no one Sunday morning when he told viewers of CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he plans to remain in the presidential race until at least the Democratic convention. Sanders (Vt.) is certain that he can become the Democratic nominee. But regardless of the outcome, he said he plans to go to the convention […]

Libertarian candidates draw attention, as #NeverTrump campaigners look elsewhere
Bill Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts who now seeks the Libertarian Party’s nomination for vice president, has already received the sort of attention third-party candidates dream of. In an interview with the New York Times, Weld said he could “hear the glass crunching on Kristallnacht” when he contemplated Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. In […]

Donald Trump’s stance on guns in classrooms — yes, no and probably

Donald Trump may be the candidate that the National Rifle Association (NRA) supports in the presidential race, but on Sunday it was not at all clear whether he backs the organization’s official position on guns in American schools. During a call-in interview with “Fox & Friends,” Trump gave a rather ambiguous response to a question about […]

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger may be in trouble

Wait times at major airports that exceed 90 minutes. Independent tests showing Transportation Security Administration screeners failed to detect fake weapons and bombs planted by auditors 95 percent of the time. The constant threat of a terrorist attack. That’s the stuff on TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger’s daily must-address list. A new addition to that list: a […]

Mark Cuban: Trump has been good for American politics

Basketball-team owner, entrepreneur, author and reality-TV-show star Mark Cuban thinks that Donald Trump’s run for the White House has been good for American politics, in the long term. That’s what Cuban told viewers in a pre-taped appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that was aired Sunday morning. Cuban told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd that […]

What Hillary Clinton thinks about Mark Cuban’s interest in talking about the vice presidency

Hillary Clinton says she welcomes businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s interest in potentially becoming her vice presidential running mate. In an interview that aired on Sunday, Clinton opened the door wide open to Cuban and other businesspeople, who could serve to counter the likely Republican nominee, business mogul Donald Trump “I think we […]

Clinton accuses Trump of pandering to the NRA

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Hillary Clinton promised Saturday never to “pander to the gun lobby” as she assailed Republican Donald Trump as dangerous and hopelessly out of step with American public opinion about gun control. “Enough is enough,” Clinton said, one day after the de facto Republican presidential nominee accused her of seeking to abolish […]