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Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's response to Orlando – live
Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's response to Orlando – live
(35 minutes later)
6.14pm BST
18:14
Trump: if clubgoers 'had guns strapped', Orlando attack would have been less 'horrible'
If some of those great people that were in that club that night, had guns strapped to their waist or strapped to their ankle... you would have had a situation folks that would have been always horrible, but nothing like the carnage that we witnessed this weekend....
It’s going to continue to get worse until they respect us, folks.
6.12pm BST
18:12
Trump proposes that the US establish safe zones “over there” – Syria, it seems – and “get the Gulf states to pay for it”. After Mexico pays for a border wall, perhaps. Zing.
Then he skips to refugees in the United States. “Whether they assimilate or not,” you make the judgment, “but assimilation has not been a positive factor”.
Trump says the LGBT community “is so much in favor of what I’ve been saying”. He recalls a phone call from a friend who praised Trump for opening a club in Florida that admitted anybody, and a gay patron wrote a praiseful letter.
“Over the past three days, people are realizing what’s going on”, Trump says.
Then Trump makes a pitch for inclusiveness, which succumbs immediately to a call for a ban on Muslim immigrants:
When I say make America great again, we have to say for everybody. We have to say for everybody. We have to.
Make America great again. Make America safe again. And have it include everybody. And we have to stop people from pouring into our country. We have to stop it. Until we find out what the hell is going on.
6.04pm BST
18:04
Trump dismisses latest polls as 'phony'
Trump says he will talk about wages and the economy but first he will talk about the Orlando attack. He’s faulted Muslims as a group for failing to report potential domestic attacks, and he takes up a version of that criticism here:
We had an event, a horrible horrible event, this weekend in Orlando. ... Unthinkable... and when you listen to the stories of what took place... you say to yourself, how could this possibly be happening in the United States of AMerica?...
We have to have people report other people when they see things happening. And they’re not doing that.
A protester interrupts and the crowd chants “Trump Trump Trump”.
When Trump returns, there’s no more talk of Orlando – he’s talking about how he won the Republican primary race with a smaller staff and budget than Clinton. He fondly recalls winning Georgia in a landslide. Then he tells the story again of his victory in the New Hampshire primary.
Trump gave a similar speech last night in North Carolina. He enjoys talking about his primary victories.
Trump calls the most recent polling, which is extremely bad for him, “phony”:
“We’re doing very well. Watch what the end result is. And when you look at the phony poll numbers that I’m seeing – take a look at the poll numbers... I tell you, people are tired, they have to have strength. They have to have intelligence.”
5.58pm BST
17:58
Trump has begun to speak in Atlanta. Here’s that live video stream again:
5.57pm BST
17:57
With a poll indicating that a majority of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump’s response to the Orlando attack, the Hillary Clinton camp has produced a video seeking to capitalize on the favorability gap. The video highlights Trump’s response and related proposals for a ban on Muslim immigrants.
“What Donald Trump is saying is shameful,” the video begins:
Your @GOP presidential nominee responding to a terrorist attack with lies and conspiracy theories.https://t.co/TZJmXefmx4
5.51pm BST
17:51
Majority of poll respondents consider Orlando attack both act of terrorism and hate crime
Mona Chalabi
The poll released this morning from CBS news is the first survey to shed light on whether Americans feel that presidential candidates have responded to the the mass shooting in Orlando appropriately, writes Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi:
Trump fares far worse than Clinton on this measure - 51% of those surveyed disapproved of his response compared to 34% who disapproved of Clinton’s response. President Obama delivered an impassioned speech on Tuesday about the shooting which appeared to be well received - 44% said they approved of it, the highest net approval of any of the names put to respondents.
There were other interesting findings from this survey of 1,001 US adults which was conducted on June 13 and 14. But in what follows, keep in mind this was not a survey of registered or even likely voters and so this is not necessarily an indication of candidates’ approval ratings ahead of November’s election.
5.47pm BST
17:47
It appears the Democratic filibuster for gun safety may last awhile:
Senate Dems are lining up for a late night on floor. Some senators are signing up for slots as late as 10:30 p.m. and beyond
5.42pm BST
17:42
Democrats mount filibuster for gun safety
Democrats in the Senate have mounted an effort to hold the floor to “honor the victims of the Orlando attack & demand the Senate address gun violence,” in the words of Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who launched the filibuster.
I'm speaking on the Senate floor to honor the victims of the Orlando attack & demand the Senate address gun violence. #Enough
I am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can. I've had #Enough
Murphy already has been joined by multiple colleagues in support of the effort, which rates, in the arcane rules that govern the Senate, as a true-blue, honest-to-goodness, bona fide, genuine filibuster, meaning that Senate business is on hold for as long as they can keep it up.
There is a small niche subculture of people who live to live-tweet a true filibuster. This is our time to shine.
Wait, is this actually a true filibuster? I haven't been able to tell yet https://t.co/lqJtd0Vmw8
Yes. Post-motion to proceed, on the bill and no time agreement. https://t.co/w11Da4pBnL
Filibuster pedants, here's the deal: Senate is on CJS approps bill. There is no cloture clock running. Murphy can speak indefinitely.
Updated
at 5.44pm BST
5.28pm BST
5.28pm BST
17:28
17:28
Inside the Trump event, supporters are listening to the Rolling Stones. Outside, protesters are growing in number:
Inside the Trump event, supporters are listening to the Rolling Stones. Outside, protesters are growing in number:
The crowd of anti-Trump protesters growing larger by the minute, across from Trump Rally, inside the FOX. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/VrY34P66Eu
The crowd of anti-Trump protesters growing larger by the minute, across from Trump Rally, inside the FOX. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/VrY34P66Eu
5.22pm BST
5.22pm BST
17:22
17:22
Donald Trump appears to be having a chilling effect on enthusiasm for the Republican party, according to Democratic pollster Geoff Garin...
Donald Trump appears to be having a chilling effect on enthusiasm for the Republican party, according to Democratic pollster Geoff Garin...
The @realDonaldTrump effect: at 30 points net negative, the ratings for the GOP haven't been this bad since Feb 2014 pic.twitter.com/KzEGPe6gp5
The @realDonaldTrump effect: at 30 points net negative, the ratings for the GOP haven't been this bad since Feb 2014 pic.twitter.com/KzEGPe6gp5
...while favorable opinion of the Democratic party is on the rise (though still underwater, as it has been since early 2013):
...while favorable opinion of the Democratic party is on the rise (though still underwater, as it has been since early 2013):
While @realDonaldTrump is driving up the GOP's negatives, feelings toward the Democratic Party are improving. pic.twitter.com/957T6fDP2X
While @realDonaldTrump is driving up the GOP's negatives, feelings toward the Democratic Party are improving. pic.twitter.com/957T6fDP2X
Updated
Updated
at 5.23pm BST
at 5.23pm BST
5.11pm BST
17:11
NRA responds to Trump: 'happy to meet'
The National Rifle Association endorsed Trump in May. “We have to unite, and we have to unite right now,” NRA executive director Chris Cox said at the time. “So on behalf of the thousands of patriots in this room and the 5 million NRA members across this country and the tens of millions who support us, I’m officially announcing the NRA’s endorsement of Donald Trump for president.”
That was before Trump indicated, this morning, that he may not agree with NRA opposition to a an on gun purchases for people on terror watch lists and no-fly lists.
Happy to meet @realdonaldtrump. Our position is no guns for terrorists—period. Due process & right to self-defense for law-abiding Americans
Representative Justin Amash of Michigan has been an early and sustained critic of Trump, and he finds a new point of apparent disagreement with the presumptive Republican nominee here:
Denying rights on the basis of secret lists, without due process, is unconstitutional. https://t.co/Ifxzlxl47o
Updated
at 5.16pm BST
5.07pm BST
17:07
Trump to be deposed in restaurant lawsuit
Speaking of restaurants, Donald Trump will be deposed tomorrow at a law office in Washington, DC, in connection with a lawsuit brought by Trump against chef Geoffrey Zakarian after Zakarian last fall backed out of a plan to open a restaurant in a Trump hotel owing to his objections to Trump’s campaign-trail comments about immigrants.
Trump is being deposed tomorrow in Washington in a restaurant lawsuit:https://t.co/6rBf3KH1zo pic.twitter.com/ryKJfJHLBn
4.59pm BST
16:59
Donald Trump is being introduced by Herman Cain, the restaurant entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate, at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cain says Trump is not a racist.
Herman Cain: "I know what a racist looks like when I see one. And Donald Trump is not a racist."
Here’s a live video stream:
Updated
at 5.01pm BST
4.57pm BST
16:57
Here’s a powerful response by an Iraq war veteran to Donald Trump’s repeated suggestion, made most recently last night, that US soldiers stole money meant for Iraqi reconstruction and reparations payments:
I rarely discuss politics on this platform, but yesterday, the Republican nominee for President said something that compels me to speak out.
When I deployed to Iraq in 2009 I was made Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of Foreign Claims for the entirety of Western Baghdad.
My job for a whole year was to assess damage to Iraqi citizen’s property, and person and compensate them monetarily.
Or we killed someone in the line of fire, it was my job to make it right.
The job was tough, almost impossible, but it was the just thing to do and helped build a bridge of trust between us and the citizenry.
There was always more to do, and the stack of files and faces never dwindled. I got half a day off every two weeks.
Every mission out into the city carried with it tremendous risk, but we had a job to do, and forcibly put that out of our minds.
As a result, we instantly became a high value target for insurgents who wanted to relieve us of said cash at one of our weekly gatherings.
“How about bringing baskets of money — millions and millions of dollars — and handing it out?”
I am living well right now - some student loan debt aside - but not because I pocketed the hard-earned taxpayer money that I was entrusted.
The idea that Trump would call out the integrity of those who answered the call of service and deployed to a war zone is repellant.
Don’t believe him when he says he’s for Veterans. It's lip service entirely.
4.38pm BST
16:38
Republican lawmakers duck questions about Trump
Ben Jacobs
As Donald Trump persisted with his controversial and offensive comments on Tuesday, Republican elected officials on Capitol Hill continued to distance themselves from their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, writes Guardian politics reporter Ben Jacobs:
One day after Trump made national headlines in a speech in which he reiterated his call for a Muslim ban, implied Muslim Americans knew in advance about terrorist attacks, and called on Barack Obama to resign in the wake of the attack on an Orlando LGBT nightclub, Republicans had one consistent reaction. As Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told reporters: “I am not going to comment on the presidential candidate today.”
Republican senators on Capitol Hill set a new record for “being late to meetings” or urgently holding their cellphones to their ears in order to avoid questions about Trump.
Some of them even played coy. Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who faces re-election this year, insisted that he hadn’t heard Trump’s speech on Monday. As Isakson told the Guardian: “I hate to comment on something I didn’t hear.” But the Republican did make clear his opposition to Trump’s Muslim ban, saying: “Banning immigrants coming into the country isn’t going to solve terrorism; banning guns is not going stop murder.”
Others, however, were more willing to face the music. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who is also facing re-election this year, first required reporters to be more specific about which controversial Trump comment they were asking about. When the Muslim ban was specified, Portman insisted: “I don’t support a Muslim ban; it’s not practical and not consistent with the American standard of not having a religious test.”
Read the full piece here:
Related: GOP lawmakers keep their distance from Trump after Orlando shooting
4.33pm BST
16:33
Trump disapproval among Hispanics nears 90%
Here’s a result from this morning’s Washington Post / ABC News poll that could spell trouble for Donald Trump’s electoral prospects in Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Texas and elsewhere.
In response to the question, “Overall, do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Donald Trump?” 89% of Hispanic respondents said they had an unfavorable impression – and 76% said “strongly unfavorable”.
But Hispanic and Latino voters do not appear to uniquely dislike Trump among non-white voters. 88% of non-white voters overall told the survey they had an unfavorable view of the presumptive Republican nominee.
Updated
at 4.34pm BST
4.08pm BST
16:08
Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump response to Orlando attack – poll
More than half of Americans (51%) disapprove of Donald Trump’s response to the 12 June attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, while giving Barack Obama net positive ratings for his response and splitting on Hillary Clinton’s response, according to a CBS News poll published Wednesday morning:
NEW CBS Poll: Approve/Disapprove of Orlando response —Obama: 44/34 (+10)Clinton: 36/34 (+2)Trump: 25/51 (-26)https://t.co/KoMR68IhN6
If the CBS poll is indicative of the national mood, the trend would contradict a correlation Trump has drawn between tragedy and his poll numbers.
“Whenever there’s a tragedy, everything goes up, my numbers go way up because we have no strength in this country, we have weak, sad politicians,” he told CNN in December, a few weeks after coordinated terror attacks in Paris that killed 130.
One lawmaker calls Trump Orlando response "tacky." Another says it's "unamerican." And these are Republicans. https://t.co/dJ7RmbN5kr
Updated
at 4.21pm BST
3.48pm BST
15:48
Trump recapitulates claim of Obama-terrorist ties
Donald Trump has tweeted a link to a report by the anti-Obama media outfit Breitbart, claiming – insofar as Trump’s Twitter represents his thinking (we’re seeking comment from the Trump campaign) – that the report is evidence that Trump was “right” when he suggested that Barack Obama harbors some nefarious secret agenda when it comes to attacks such as Sunday’s attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
For background on what Trump suggested, read our coverage.
Here’s Trump’s new tweet:
An: Media fell all over themselves criticizing what DonaldTrump "may have insinuated about @POTUS." But he's right: https://t.co/bIIdYtvZYw
The tweet is confounding on multiple levels. First, Trump had indignantly claimed that he had not made a sinister suggestion about the president and the Orlando shooting, to the extent that Trump attacked the Washington Post and revoked the paper’s media credentials for reporting that he had suggested that, which he now tweets he was right for saying.
The Trump camp on Monday night said that “I was referring to the fact that at times President Obama seems more in support of Muslims than Israel”.
Second, the Breitbart report does not support the claim that Trump earlier said he didn’t make but now appears to have taken ownership of. The Breitbart report is a faulty reading of an internal intelligence document from 2012 about the security situation in Syria. The document notes that “the West” is supporting the Syrian opposition. It also notes that al-Qaeda is part of the insurgency. Incorrectly conflating the opposition and the insurgency, the Breitbart report concludes that the Obama administration supports al-Qaeda in Syria.
Insofar as that may have been true or remain true, given the shifting lines of allegiance and fighter identities in the Syrian conflict and the fluctuation of the US role, the intellectual trail Trump followed from the faulty reading of the 2012 intelligence report on Syria to a conclusion about Obama and the Orlando massacre is obscure.
*Trump suggests Obama played role in Orlando**WaPo writes it up**Trump revokes WaPo credentials**tweets this* https://t.co/wrNCETD0DH
Updated
at 3.56pm BST
3.16pm BST
15:16
Trump claims he will take on NRA over access to guns for people on watchlists
Donald Trump has tweeted that he will meet with the National Rifle Association about a practice the gun lobby has strongly opposed: banning people on terrorism watchlists or no-fly lists from buying guns. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton supports such a ban. “If you’re too dangerous to get on a plane, you’re too dangerous to buy a gun in America,” she said Monday.
The NRA opposes such a ban, however, arguing that owing to the faultiness of the lists, a ban could deprive innocent Americans who end up on a list incorrectly of what the group describes as a constitutional right to freely purchase guns. The NRA opposed a senate initiative in the wake of the 13 November 2015 Paris terror attacks that would have tied terror watch lists and no-fly lists to gun purchases.
Is a Trump-NRA clash brewing?
I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.
“According to a March analysis by the Government Accountability Office, people on the FBI’s consolidated Terrorist Watchlist successfully passed the background check required to purchase firearms more than 90 percent of the time, with more than 2,043 approvals between 2004 and 2014,” the AP reported. “The office is an investigative branch of Congress.”
Jennifer Baker, director of public affairs for the group, said in November: “The NRA does not want terrorists or dangerous people to have firearms, any suggestion otherwise is offensive and wrong,”
Updated
at 3.47pm BST
1.54pm BST
13:54
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. “Negative views of Donald Trump have surged to their highest level of the 2016 campaign,” according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poll, for which “large majorities of the interviews” were conducted before the Orlando mass shooting, found that 70% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Trump.
The latest survey was released a day after a Bloomberg poll found Trump trailing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton 37-49. The new poll, significantly, found that Trump had lost support among his supposed base voters – white voters without a college degree. Trump’s approval with that set “flipped from a plus-14 in May to slightly negative minus-7 in the latest survey”. He performed poorly with independents, too:
Among independents, Trump’s net rating has shifted from from -19 last month to -38 in the latest survey, returning him to roughly the same standing as in April (-37).
Trump found some controversy Tuesday night when he suggested, at a rally in North Carolina, that US soldiers had stolen money meant for the reconstruction of Iraq. He has suggested the same previously, but late on Tuesday, Trump’s campaign tried to walk back his comments, saying the candidate was talking about Iraqi soldiers, which seems false.
Donald Trump, as depicted in today’s polls. pic.twitter.com/IVTYIDGKUk
Bernie Sanders met for more than an hour with Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night after the Washington DC primary, which Clinton won 79-21. The two camps issued nearly identical statements after the meeting, saying they “had a positive discussion about how best to bring more people into the political process and about the dangerous threat that Donald Trump poses to our nation”.
Sanders’ statement continued:
The two discussed a variety of issues where they are seeking common ground: substantially raising the minimum wage; real campaign finance reform; making healthcare universal and accessible; making college affordable and reducing student debt.
Sanders and Clinton agreed to continue working to develop a progressive agenda that addresses the needs of working families and the middle class and adopting a progressive platform for the Democratic National Convention.
Sanders plans to address supporters in a live video broadcast on Thursday night in which he has said he will address the future of his campaign.
