By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)
Good Thursday morning. SNEAK PEEK: Mitt Romney speaks on “the state of the 2016 presidential race,” at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, 11:30 a.m. ET.
From the Gov’s prepared remarks: “Of the remaining candidates, the only serious policy proposals ... come from Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich. … Donald Trump says he admires Vladimir Putin, while has called George W Bush a liar. That is a twisted example of evil trumping good. ... Trump relishes any poll that reflects what he thinks of himself. But polls are also saying that he will lose to Hillary Clinton. …
“A person so untrustworthy and dishonest as Hillary Clinton must not become president. But a Trump nomination enables her victory. ... I understand the anger Americans feel today. In the past, our presidents have channeled that anger, and forged it into resolve ... Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the American public for suckers.”
--@realDonaldTrump: “Looks like two-time failed candidate Mitt Romney is going to be telling Republicans how to get elected. Not a good messenger!”
--KATIE COURIC hosts live coverage, with Matt Bai and Jon Ward. http://yhoo.it/1RpcBV9
FLASHBACK – On Feb. 2, 2012, Trump endorsed Mitt in Vegas, and Mitt returned the favor by praising him, even admitting he is “not quite as successful as this guy”: “Donald Trump has shown an extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works to create jobs for the American people. He’s done it here in Nevada, he’s done it across the country. ... He’s one of the few people who stood up and said, you know what, China’s been cheating. They’ve taken jobs from Americans. ... I spent my life in the private sector, not quite as successful as this guy but successful nonetheless. ... I want to say thank you to Donald Trump and look forward to seeing you out on the trail.” 1-min. video http://bit.ly/1oR0vNt
SCOOP – Daniel Lippman: New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, often mentioned as a promising GOP V.P. possibility, will endorse Rubio today as “a compelling leader who can unite the country around conservative principles that will improve the lives of all Americans.” Martinez will join Rubio on the trail in Kansas on Friday and at a rally in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday. Martinez, chair of the Republican Governors Association, wouldn’t commit this week to voting for Trump if he’s the GOP nominee.
TRUMP on TIME’s COVER, again: Cover shows five boxes with check marks (except the last one): “bully ... showman ... party crasher ... demagogue ... 45th President of the United States: On the plane with Donald Trump,” by David Von Drehle aboard Trump Force One: “Trumpism is rooted in anxiety over lost American greatness—which ... may not even be lost. It wallows in a sense that the country is adrift in seas plied by cunning foreign adversaries. It is a roll of the dice in a garish casino—exactly the kind of bet that has been very, very good to Trump in the past.” See the cover. http://bit.ly/1Y2BVFu
TRUMP tells TIME: “I am the most successful person ever to run for president. I built an incredible business. ... I go on one of these shows and the ratings double. They triple. And that gives you power. It’s not the polls. It’s the ratings. ... I have always been a winner. If we have the delegates at the convention, there is nothing they can do about it. ... I am the last person on Earth [Hillary] wants to run against.” Link goes live at 8 a.m. www.time.com/donaldtrump
FYI: @ChrisChristie hasn’t tweeted since Feb. 24 and hasn’t mentioned his Trump endorsement at all on social media https://twitter.com/ChrisChristie
TOP TWEETS: @realDonaldTrump: “Because of me, the Republican Party has taken in millions of new voters, a record. If they are not careful, they will all leave. Sad!” ... @GoogleTrends: “Searches for ‘Move to Canada’ are higher than at any time in Google history #SuperTuesday” http://bit.ly/1oQZhl9 ... @rupertmurdoch: “As predicted, Trump reaching out to make peace with Republican ‘establishment’. If he becomes inevitable party would be mad not to unify.” ... @newtgingrich: “Trump’s shift toward inclusiveness, team effort and unity was vitally important He has to build a Reagan like inclusiveness to win this fall.”
UNDERSTANDING TRUMP -- “5 myths about Trump supporters: What Trump’s critics have been getting wrong about his coalition,” by Scott Bland: “1. ‘They’re uneducated’ ... Blue-collar voters certainly make up the bulk of Trump’s large coalition, but he is also doing very well among Republicans with college degrees. ... 2. ‘They’re superconservative’ ... [H]is appeal spans ideologies in ways his rivals can’t match. ... 4. ‘It’s only men’ ... Trump has yet to fall below 24 percent support from women in a single state.” http://politi.co/219h9E5
DEBATE TONIGHT: 9 p.m. from Detroit on Fox News, moderated by Megyn Kelly, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace: “FOX News is the first network to assign photojournalists to cover a debate exclusively for Instagram, capturing the moments and videos the audience won’t see on TV. This exclusive debate content will be featured on Instagram’s Explore tab in a special photo and video collection along with other behind-the-scenes posts from candidates and attendees.”
CLIP ’n’ SAVE: GOP delegate tracker by Hamilton Place Strategies http://bit.ly/1QUULit
MEDIAWATCH -- L.A. Times A1, below fold, “[Davan] Maharaj named editor-publisher of the L.A. Times,” by Christopher Goffard: “Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times, has been named publisher as well, part of a sweeping reorganization by the newspaper’s parent company, Tribune Publishing Co. Editors at eight other Tribune papers will assume similar dual roles as editor-publishers, and many of the publishers to whom they once reported are leaving the company. ... Maharaj, 53, has been Times editor since December 2011.” http://lat.ms/1TSfsf4
– NYT Public Editor Margaret Sullivan @Sulliview tweets: “NYT sources, who asked to remain nameless to avoid career suicide, say a stricter policy on anonymous sources is imminent. @AnonyWatch”.
INSIDE THE CAMPAIGNS -- “How Clinton hit the reset button on 2016: A scare in Iowa and a crushing loss in New Hampshire drove her to shake up her strategy -- and trust her advisers,” by Glenn Thrush and Annie Karni: “As her staff digested the rotten news on [New Hampshire] primary day from their digs at the ratty Radisson in downtown Manchester, aides were told to cancel their commercial flights back to New York: Clinton had traded up her small corporate plane for a bigger regional jet, and she was offering 25 of them a ride home. ... When the staff trudged up the steps, ... they were surprised to find Bill and Hillary Clinton, tired but smiling, at the hatch to offer hugs, handshakes, solace and ... ‘I appreciate what you did’ ...
“Clinton finally learned the most important lessons of her loss in 2008: ... Don’t panic, trust your team – even when you think they screwed up – and stick with the plan. ... The first step was clearing the candidate’s head. Knowing their friend was feeling down, Clinton’s support network, 25 to 30 women who have known her for decades, sprang into action.
“The chipper email chain had begun in Iowa, but really kicked into gear when it became apparent Clinton would be humbled in New Hampshire. This was no formal effort to soothe the easily agitated frontrunner, but her friends talk among themselves, and they urged calm and reminded Clinton they had her back. Later, they even made trucker hats, akin to Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again,’ emblazoned with the slogan ‘H Team’ on them.” http://politi.co/1RJEc5T
DRIP, DRIP – WashPost A1, below fold, “Staffer who set up Clinton email server gets immunity,” by Adam Goldman: “A senior U.S. law enforcement official said the FBI had secured the cooperation of Bryan Pagliano who worked on Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign before setting up the server in her New York home in 2009.” http://wapo.st/1QNhOFu
--NYT A1, “Turnout Slips For Democrats In Early Votes,” by Nick Confessore: “[B]uried beneath Mrs. Clinton’s wide-ranging and commanding victories on Tuesday night were troubling signs of a party that has not yet rallied to her call. Democratic turnout has fallen drastically since 2008, the last time the party had a contested primary, with roughly three million fewer Democrats voting in the 15 states that held caucuses or primaries through Tuesday ... Some Democrats now worry that Mrs. Clinton will have difficulty matching the surge in new black, Hispanic, and young voters who came to the polls for Barack Obama.” http://nyti.ms/1L6jga5
SPOTTED: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell last night in the Acela Club lounge in NYC’s Penn Station with Mark Penn also seen nearby.
2016 PLAYERS – Profile of DNC CEO Amy Dacey by Business Insider’s Maxwell Tani: “Dacey manages the day-to-day operations ... while keeping in constant contact with state parties and often serving as a lead negotiator ... among ... high-profile campaigns and actors. She came to the DNC after serving as executive director at Emily’s List.” http://read.bi/24CXd13
FOR YOUR RADAR – N.Y. Times A15, “White House Is Said to Be Vetting Iowa Judge for Supreme Court Seat,” by Julie Hirschfeld Davis: “The White House is vetting Jane L. Kelly, a career public defender turned federal appellate judge, as a potential nominee for the Supreme Court ... The [FBI] has been conducting background interviews on Judge Kelly, 51 ... Judge Kelly won quick and unanimous confirmation by the Senate three years ago to her current post on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.” http://nyti.ms/1LAb6Xx
TAKING ON TRUMP – “Trump rivals limp into crucial debate: GOP establishment scramble to arrest front-runner’s ascent, but it could be too late,” by Alex Isenstadt: “The biggest focus is on Florida. Club for Growth ... has purchased $1.5 million in TV advertising in the state. ... American Future Fund ... has reserved $1.75 million of commercial time. A third anti-Trump group, Our Principles PAC, is considering advertising there.”
--“Wall Street readies big Trump assault: Anti-Trump super PAC source says billionaire Paul Singer will make sure it has all the money it needs,” by Morning Money’s Ben White: “The effort is centered on the recently formed Our Principles PAC, ... run by ... Katie Packer ... The group [was] initially funded by $3 million from Marlene Ricketts.” http://politi.co/1QtnHIJ
--“Trump speech roils CPAC: Marco Rubio’s supporters protest appearance by the GOP front-runner, who has donated more than $100,000 to the event’s host,” by Ken Vogel: “A top aide to Trump rival Marco Rubio [deputy campaign manager Rich Beeson] has accused CPAC organizers of being in the tank for Trump and clearing the way for his acceptance into mainstream conservatism, while an anti-Trump super PAC is pressuring organizers to rescind their invitation to the surging GOP frontrunner.” http://politi.co/1niOaAn
--“Neocons declare war on Trump: Prominent Republican hawks are debating whether to hold their noses and vote for Clinton instead,” by Michael Crowley: “‘Hillary is the lesser evil, by a large margin,’ said Eliot Cohen ... [who] helped to organize an open letter signed by several dozen GOP foreign policy insiders.” http://politi.co/1LWCWrL
--“Democrats to Clinton: Don’t laugh off Trump threat,” by Daniel Lippman: “For all the GOP front-runner’s flaws, many veteran Democrats [say] Trump is a canny operator who just might end up in the White House if they’re not careful. ... ‘It’s fair to say there’s been a graveyard already out there of people underestimating him,’ said Doug Sosnik, a former Bill Clinton White House adviser.” With cameos by Stan, Shrum, Tracy Sefl http://politi.co/1T85Exv
TICKET EFFECT – (Phoenix) Arizona Republic lead story, “Trump a possible McCain liability,” by Dan Nowicki (online: “Trump as GOP nominee could be a ‘yuge’ liability for John McCain”): “Although McCain ... last year engaged in a bruising public feud with Trump, ... he so far has refused to say he wouldn’t support Trump [as nominee]. McCain has been dogged by questions ... about Trump, and earlier this week Ann Kirkpatrick, the U.S. representative from Flagstaff who is running for his seat, released a biting online ad splicing McCain’s continued expressions of support with Trump's most controversial remarks.” http://bit.ly/1LWDs9d
GAIL COLLINS, “Call Me Mister Trump: The gold-plated candidate with no first name”: “Let’s consider the fact that in his introduction [at Tuesday night’s presser], Christie called the candidate ‘Mr. Trump.’ To which Trump responded, ‘Chris, thank you very much.’ Then he congratulated ‘Ted’ for winning Texas and looked forward to taking on ‘Hillary.’ ... [T]his goes way back — on his reality show, all the would-be apprentices, including the celebrity ones, called the host ‘Mr. Trump,’ even when he wasn’t in the room.” http://nyti.ms/1Qtxsqs
NICHOLAS KRISTOF, “Bracing For President Trump? He would be our least experienced leader ever”: “Trump has shrewdly manipulated the news media and has proved a much more accurate reader of the electorate than we pundits. Yet I’ve never met a national politician so ill informed, so evasive, so bombastic and, frankly, so puerile.” http://nyti.ms/219aDgH
TAKEAWAYS -- “There’s Still Time for a Primary Bombshell: Political gurus predict how the campaign could surprise us before the conventions,” by POLITICO Magazine – with hot takes from Bill Scher, Jacob Heilbrunn, Anita Dunn, Bob Shrum, Ron Bonjean, Doug Schoen, Brent Colburn, Matt Rhoades, Howard Dean http://politi.co/1niPAel
DATA DU JOUR -- Freedom Partners this morning is releasing its 2016 Obamacare Deductible Increase Tracker. Their “analysis shows deductibles increased in 41 states under Obamacare — in some states like Mississippi, by over $1,000.” http://bit.ly/1L6k92h
FIRST LOOK -- “Former Governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh to Join Huntsman and Lieberman as National No Labels Co-Chairs”: “On April 21, No Labels will release ‘The Policy Playbook for America’s Next President,’ a policy platform featuring over 50 ideas that appeal to a broad majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents ... Sen. Bayh was the 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. He served as the U.S. senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011.” http://politi.co/1UAEBKN
CLICKER – Luke Russert, Daniel Lippman, Shawna Thomas, and Rebecca Berg are all on the cover of Washington Life’s annual “Young and the Guest List: Rising Stars 40 & Under” issue that was just released. See the cover and the digital edition. http://bit.ly/24zaaci
SPOTTED on the magazine's list with pictures and short Q&As: Kim Kingsley, Reps. Eric Swalwell, Ruben Gallego, Carlos Curbelo and Will Hurd, Katie Walsh, AshLee Strong, Rob McDonnell, Liz Allen, Kori Schulman, Ned Price, Kate Bedingfield, Caroline Adler, Sam Stein, Amanda Terkel, Elahe Izadi, Devin Dwyer. Lots of other Playbookers are also on the list, which starts on page 28 of the digital edition.
TRANSITIONS -- “DKC Welcomes Mike Moschella as VP of Innovation”: “His new role will build the firm’s capabilities in data analytics, digital media and strategic campaigns. ... Moschella ... recently served as [VP] of Organizing at NationBuilder.” http://politi.co/1p0GMva
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): former Republican Leader Bob Michel turned 93 (h/t Ray LaHood, who was on time) ... Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) ... Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.) (h/t constituent Miles Halpine, president of College Democrats of Connecticut) ... Ernesto Vargas, deputy director of LCV’s Latino Outreach Program
BIRTHDAYS: GOP ad maker Dan Conston, an American Action Network alum, is 31 (hat tip: Jake Sherman) ... Rubio campaign’s Marc Short, former president of Freedom Partners (h/t Rebecca Coffman) ... George Little, former Pentagon and CIA spokesman (h/t Jon Karl) ... Ira Glass of “This American Life” is 57 ... Cameron French, HUD’s deputy assistant secretary for public affairs ... Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) ... Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) ... Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) ... National Review’s Elaina Plott ... API spokesman Carlton Carroll, a Bush 43 WH press alum… Adam Sachs, legislative aide for Rep Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) ... Jason Gerson, a Georgetown law student (h/t mom RoseAnn, who emailed to say she went to a HRC rally last Saturday and Hillary was “being quickly escorted out and I shouted “tell Chelsea happy birthday” (which I learned from that morning’s Playbook!) - she stopped and came over to me to say thank you and asked me “how did you know?” I told her Mike Allen; she smiled and said “Playbook is great!”) ...
... Patrick Gavin, Politico alum and “Nerd Prom” film director now on his “500 Days” daily video quest to get an interview with POTUS ... Michael Remez, editorial officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts ... Richard Lichtenstein, founder and president of Marathon Communication (h/ts Jon Haber) ... Hannah Blatt, LCV comms. coordinator ... Peter Mirijanian ... David Yassky, dean of Pace Law School and former chair of the NYC City Taxi and Limousine Commission ...
... Hillary for America staffer Alex Smith ... Roll Call senior writer Jason Dick … Lauren Shay Lavin (h/t Carl, Hillman) ... Aaron Robinson, OFA and Google alum now a grad student in consumer behavior marketing at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management … Fox News’ Tariq Khan ... Kristin Lawton, director of comms. for Corporation for Enterprise Development ... Kate Middleton (not the royal) … Charles Cote, VP of strategic comms. at PCMA (Pharmaceutical Care Management Association) … Tim Morrison of House Armed Services ... Jasen Castillo ... (the other) Matt Rhodes ...
... Geneva Overholser ... Edward Lewine ... Janeen Lawlor ... Scott Pollard, chief of staff to Jack Martin, global chairman and CEO at Hill+Knowlton Strategies ... Ben Goldstein ... David Pringle, AFLAC’s SVP for federal affairs ... now a partner in Brunswick Group’s D.C.-based global Corporate Data and Privacy Practice … Matt Wanning ... Andy Engel ... Carolyn Stanford Taylor (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Lee Radziwill is 83 ... movie producer-director George Miller is 71 ... actor Robert Gossett is 62 ... Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 54 ... former NFL player and College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker is 54 ... Tone Loc is 50 ... pop singer Camila Cabello (Fifth Harmony) is 19 (h/ts AP)