By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)
Good Sunday morning, and good luck to all the Cherry Blossom runners.
PAGING PRESIDENT TRUMP -- WashPost lead story (cols. 1-4), “The future according to Trump: ‘Massive recession’ -- Candidate paints himself as a ‘Lone Ranger’ in controversial stances on economy and party,” by Bob Woodward and Bob Costa: “In his first 100 days, Trump said, he would cut taxes, ‘renegotiate trade deals and renegotiate military deals,’ including altering the U.S. role in [NATO]. He insisted that he would be able to get rid of the nation’s more than $19 trillion national debt ‘over a period of eight years.’ Most economists would consider this impossible because it could require taking more than $2 trillion a year out of the annual $4 trillion budget to pay off holders of the debt. ...
“Trump said he would want high-level employees of the federal government to sign legally binding nondisclosure agreements so that staffers couldn’t write insider accounts of what it’s like inside a Trump White House.” http://wapo.st/238jKB2
TRUMP: “a very massive recession” – From the Post transcript: “I think we’re sitting on an economic bubble. A financial bubble. ... [W]e’re not at five percent unemployment. We’re at a number that’s probably into the twenties if you look at the real number. ... I wouldn’t be getting the kind of massive crowds that I’m getting if the number was a real number. People are extremely unhappy in this country. ... I’m talking about a bubble where you go into a very massive recession. Hopefully not worse than that, but a very massive recession.
“Look, we have money that’s so cheap right now. ... I don’t have to borrow. I don’t even call banks anymore. I use my own money to do things. ... If somebody is a great, wonderful person, going to employ lots of people, a really talented businessperson, wants to borrow money but they’re not rich? They have no chance.” Transcript http://wapo.st/1SvAAlX
WOODWARD and COSTA REBUT: “Trump’s assertion does not match data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its analysis of joblessness beyond the unemployed — such as ‘marginally attached’ workers and those who have dropped out of the labor force — was under 10 percent nationally last month. Trump’s view also runs counter to that of most economists, whose rough consensus is that the U.S. economy has about a 20 percent chance of slipping into recession this year largely because growth remains weak across the world, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of economists in March.”
SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK – “Trump abortion comments reverberate on social media,” by Hadas Gold: “Trump never mentioned abortion on social media this week. His most popular post on Twitter was about how he was ‘self funding’ his campaign. On Instagram and Facebook Trump’s most popular post by far was that of his daughter and new grandchild. ... Hillary Clinton’s most popular tweet ... was in response to Trump’s comments.” http://politi.co/1TsrYBi
MAP MAYHEM -- N.Y. Times 1-col. lead, “ELECTORAL MAPA REALITY CHECK TO A TRUMP BID: OUTLOOK FOR NOVEMBER -- If Businessman Becomes G.O.P. Nominee, He Faces Steep Odds,” by Jonathan Martin and Nate Cohn: “[T]he electoral map now coming into view is positively forbidding. In recent head-to-head polls with one Democrat whom Mr. Trump may face in the fall, Hillary Clinton, he trails in every key state, including Florida and Ohio ... In Democratic-leaning states across the Rust Belt, which Mr. Trump has vowed to return to the Republican column for the first time in nearly 30 years, his deficit is even worse: Mrs. Clinton leads him by double digits in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“Mr. Trump is so negatively viewed, polls suggest, that he could turn otherwise safe Republican states, usually political afterthoughts because of their strong conservative tilt, into tight contests. In Utah, his deep unpopularity with Mormon voters suggests that a state that has gone Republican every election for a half-century could wind up in play. Republicans there pointed to a much-discussed Deseret News poll last month, showing Mrs. Clinton with a narrow lead over Mr. Trump, to argue that the state would be difficult for him. ...
“[W]ithout an extraordinary reversal — or the total collapse of whoever becomes his general-election opponent — Mr. Trump could be hard-pressed to win more than 200 of the 270 electoral votes required to win. ... What could ensure a humiliating loss for Mr. Trump in November are his troubles with constituencies that have favored Republicans in recent elections ... independents ... white women ...
“Even among the working-class whites, who have been the foundation of his success in the Republican primaries, Mr. Trump would enter the general election with substantial difficulties. He is viewed unfavorably by a majority of whites without college degrees.” http://nyti.ms/1RWkW2w
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND – Maureen Dowd, “Trump Does It His Way”: “You could hear how hard it was for Donald Trump to say the words. ‘Yeah, it was a mistake,’ he said ... ‘If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have sent it.’ I was telling him he lost my sister’s vote when he retweeted a seriously unflattering photo of the pretty Heidi Cruz next to a glam shot of his wife, Melania. ...
“Given his draconian comment, sending women back to back alleys, I had to ask: When he was a swinging bachelor in Manhattan, was he ever involved with anyone who had an abortion? ‘Such an interesting question,’ he said. ‘So what’s your next question?’ ... I pressed, how he could possibly win with 73 percent of women in this country turned off by him? He chose another poll, murmuring, ‘It was 68 percent, actually.’ ... I mentioned that Megyn Kelly wants him on her show. ‘I think I’d probably do it,’ he allowed.” http://nyti.ms/1PPnzlh
PEGGY NOONAN column in Wall Street Journal, “Trump’s Mess Has Become His Message: His supporters are getting embarrassed by his sheer dumb grossness”: “It was always a mistake to think one explosive statement would blow his candidacy up. What could damage him, and is damaging him, is the aggregate—a growing pile of statements and attitudes that becomes a mood, a warning sign, a barrier. ... It’s been going on for four or five weeks, and you can take your pick as to the tipping point. ...
“It has all added up into a large blob of sheer dumb grossness. He is now seriously misjudging the room. The room is still America. I speak to Trump supporters a lot, and they are getting embarrassed. ... The sheer force of Donald Trump’s weird, outsized strangeness has made [Clinton] look normal. It’s made Ted Cruz look normal too, like a nice, sincere fella right in the middle of the political bell curve.” http://on.wsj.com/1M8AuE9
N.Y. POST COVER, “BEST EX I EVER HAD: Ivana reveals how she advises Donald.” See the cover. http://nyp.st/1SvCLGh
LIST DU JOUR – “The Next Donald Trumps: 7 celebrities who’ve got what it takes to follow in the brazen billionaire’s footsteps in 2020,” by Luke O’Neil on Politico: “Kanye West ... Tom Brady ... Martha Stewart ... Mark Cuban ... James Woods ... Jenny McCarthy ... Hulk Hogan.” http://politi.co/1ZUfnHQ
BARRON’S COVER, “KASICH: The Republicans’ Best Candidate ... The Best Pick for Markets and the Economy: Governor’s plans on taxes, spending, trade, and other issues are far more sensible than Trump’s or Cruz’s,” by John Kimelman: “It’s time for Republicans to take a closer look at John Kasich. ... Kasich’s policy prescriptions, experience, and temperament make him the GOP’s best bet to reassure a nervous marketplace. ... Kasich (rhymes with basic) outshines” both Trump and Clinton.” http://bit.ly/1TsskYM
MOOD MUSIC – “American Anger: It’s Not the Economy. It’s the Other Party,” by UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck in The Upshot: “[H]istorical measures indicate people are about as happy and satisfied with the economy and with their lives as they were in 1983 when Ronald Reagan told us it was ‘morning again in America.’ If that’s the case, why does it feel more like a 1 a.m. bar brawl? The answer may have more to do with political parties than economics, or at least with the interaction of the two. Today’s voters have sorted themselves and polarized into partisan groups ... Americans aren’t annoyed only by the economy; they’re also annoyed with each other.” http://nyti.ms/1POicCM
TOP TWEETS -- @AdamParkhomenko, Hilary’s director of grassroots engagement: “Seems dishonest for Sanders camp to reject all three debate dates offered by Clinton, then complain no debate?” ... Jennifer Epstein @jeneps: “Is the Wisconsin Democratic race closer than it seems? Clinton campaign announces new Bill Clinton visit to Milwaukee on Monday”.
“COVERING CLINTON, Then and Now”: “In this excerpt from her newly updated and republished book, ‘The Girls in the Van,’ about Hillary Clinton’s U.S. Senate run in 2000, Associated Press Writer Beth Harpaz describes a day on the trail and the challenges of writing about Clinton’s daughter Chelsea and on the candidate’s favorite color: “One of her staff got the list completed and my story was done. Her favorite snack foods were chocolate and fruit, and her favorite color, she said, was yellow.” http://bit.ly/1RWeIQa
HUMA ABEDIN PODCAST INTERVIEW – On the “Call Your Girlfriend” podcast, hosts Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow “talk with Huma Abedin ... about having her emails and private life made public, Hillary’s record on abortion rights, and what Bill might do as First Dude. A lightning round on her besties and what her podcast with Hillary would be about.”
About her emails going public: “It’s something I can’t really think about, but I can’t even imagine what’s in those emails. But I’m sure I would probably be mortified. I have no idea. I haven’t read any of them.” http://bit.ly/1N3LhdO
SPOTTED: Abbe Lowell in seat 1F of JetBlue flight 1580 from Fort Lauderdale to DCA yesterday afternoon. Our tipster: He was “very busy writing with a blue pen like crazy on his legal pad as throngs of screaming children and parents walked by.”
SEND YOUR SPOTTINGS to dlippman@politico.com
HOT VIDEO – “This Panda Cub And Its Keeper Are The Cutest BFFs” – HuffPost: “He fosters a cub that loves kisses, hugs and posing for BFF selfies.” 2-min. video http://huff.to/1SvqWzN
PIC DU JOUR -- @billclarkphotos: “Police not letting the big joint onto Penn Ave at the White House” http://bit.ly/1X73tsx
LATE NIGHT BEST – “SNL Torches Pro-Trump Woman CNN Guest in Cold Open”: CNN’s “Kate Bolduan” interviews Trump supporter “Scottie Nell Hughes” – “Bolduan”: “As a woman, how can you keep defending Mr. Trump? He retweeted a sexist, unflattering photo of Ted Cruz’s wife.” ... “Hughes”: Okay, so no, so actually, so that was an accident ‘cause Donald’s hands are so big that he can’t see every little tweet his fingers retweet. His hands are this big, flaccid.” 5-min. video http://bit.ly/221rh25
CHRIS CHRISTIE on JIMMY FALLON – “Christie Defends His M&M’s Eating Style”: Jimmy: “I want to ask you about the big scandal going on[:] ... the M&M scandal. ... You were just pouring M&Ms into your existing box of M&Ms.” Christie: “No, no. That’s not what I was doing. For anyone who’s gone to an arena, you know what was going on here. You buy the box of M&Ms. You bring it back to your seat. You open the box of M&Ms and there’s a bag of M&Ms inside the box of M&Ms. It’s an empty box with a bag of M&Ms in it. So then you’ve got a big choice to make. You either eat them out of the bag or you pour them into the box. ...
Christie: “I’m an enthusiastic fan.” ... Jimmy: “Of M&Ms?” Christie: “No! Of the game I’m watching. ... The bag could spill all over the place ... and I don’t want to lose an M&M. Not one. Not one.” 2-min. video, including a demonstration from Christie of how to put M&Ms from the bag into the box http://bit.ly/1RSghSm
-- “Christie Explains His Awkward Super Tuesday Face Behind Donald Trump”: Jimmy: “You looked like you were having a blast. ... You were having such a good time. Were you being held hostage?” Christie: “This is what you would look like if you were standing behind Jay Leno when he was doing his monologue [audience boos] ... If you’re used to talking, it’s awkward not to talk.” 3-min. video http://bit.ly/1REUNGe
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman
--“Is drone racing the sport of the future?” by Stephen Witt in the FT: “Witt goes behind the scenes of a high-tech, high-speed new drone league.” http://on.ft.com/1UyGdpq
--“The Secret Money Behind ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’” by WSJ’s Bradley Hope, John R. Emshwiller and Ben Fritz: “Investigators believe much of the cash used to make the Leonardo DiCaprio film about a stock swindler originated with embattled Malaysian state development fund 1MDB.” http://on.wsj.com/1Y6ToMt
--“Jesus of Nazareth, Whose Messianic Message Captivated Thousands, Dies at About 33,” by Sam Roberts in Vanity Fair (sorry for the errant link yesterday): “Roberts, an obituary writer for The New York Times, imagines how, given the facts available then, his predecessors might have reported the aftermath of an execution in the Middle East one Friday two millennia ago.” Correct link http://bit.ly/1or8Rur
--“The quiet alarm,” by Andreas Elpidorou in Aeon Magazine: “Just like pain, boredom is an aversive and unpleasant experience that we need to have in order to truly live well.” http://bit.ly/1qo3Ep3
--“Insider Baseball,” by Joan Didion in the Oct. 1988 N.Y. Review of Books: “American reporters ‘like’ covering a presidential campaign (it gets them out on the road, it has balloons, it has music, it is viewed as a big story, one that leads to the respect of one’s peers, to the Sunday shows, to lecture fees and often to Washington), which is one reason why there has developed among those who do it so arresting an enthusiasm for overlooking the contradictions inherent in reporting that which occurs only in order to be reported.” http://bit.ly/21ZShz4 (h/t Longform.org)
--“Is ‘Friends’ Still the Most Popular Show on TV?” by Adam Sternbergh in New York Magazine: “Why so many 20-somethings want to stream a 20-year-old sitcom about a bunch of 20-somethings sitting around in a coffee shop.” http://bit.ly/1PLjezu (h/t Longreads.com)
--“How rich was Shakespeare?” by Robert Bearman in Prospect Magazine: “The playwright had a good business mind and was a canny investor.” http://bit.ly/1pS0U2D
--“To Stay Relevant, Newsrooms Rethink Campaign Coverage,” by Juliet Eilperin in Neiman Reports: “Public disaffection and candidates’ social media strategies force journalists to innovate beyond the horse race”. http://bit.ly/1qmTll3
--“Lines of luxury,” by Sam Leith in The Times Literary Supplement: “Getting and spending, acquiring and consuming has always – sometimes covertly; more often expressly – been a moralized area of human behaviour. It is hedged about with ideas of entitlement (in both its positive and negative senses), competition (both senses), waste and excess.” http://bit.ly/1RRJAnR (h/t ALDaily.com)
--“Drugs You Don’t Need for Disorders You Don’t Have,” by Jonathan Cohn in a HuffPost Highline feature: “Inside the pharmaceutical industry’s campaign to put us all to sleep.” http://huff.to/1TpwRey
--“Clippy’s Back: The Future of Microsoft Is Chatbots,” by Dina Bass on Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover: “CEO Satya Nadella bets big on artificial intelligence that will be fast, smart, friendly, helpful, and (fingers crossed) not at all racist.” http://bloom.bg/1SsVan5 ... The cover. http://bit.ly/1UZy51j
--“Everything Al Sharpton Has Lived for Is at Stake This November,” by Suzanna Andrews in April’s Vanity Fair: “Sharpton has been many things to many people: a firebrand, an opportunist, an inspiration, a joke ... [and] arguably the country’s most influential civil-rights leader. As Sharpton reflects on his five-decade battle, the presidential election, his role as a political power broker, and the controversies he can’t shake, Suzanna Andrews learns about the anger that created and nearly consumed him.” http://bit.ly/1Y4J5IC
--“Mezcal Sunrise,” by The New Yorker’s Dana Goodyear: “Searching for the ultimate artisanal distillate.” http://bit.ly/1SqpmBz
--“The End of Ice,” by The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins: “Exploring a Himalayan glacier.” http://bit.ly/22TFEba
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION – “This model of wealthy suburban living is starting to fray,” by WashPost’s Antonio Olivo: “For decades, Fairfax County has been a national model for suburban living ... But Virginia’s largest municipality is fraying around the edges. A population that is growing older, poorer and more diverse is sharpening the need for basic services in what is still the nation’s second-wealthiest county, even as a sluggish local economy maintains a chokehold on the revenue stream. Since the 2008 recession, local officials have whittled away at programs to the tune of $300 million. They now say that there is no fat left to trim. Instead, they are searching for ways to raise taxes, draw new businesses and revitalize worn neighborhoods.” http://wapo.st/1VmjAn2
MEDIAWATCH -- @APStylebook: “We will lowercase internet effective June 1, when the 2016 Stylebook launches. #ACES2016”.
– NYT Sunday Styles section-front, “High Times Wants to Be the Playboy of Pot,” by Alex Williams: “High Times [is] the scruffy monthly magazine that, for 42 years, has served as the barely legal bible of dorm room stoners and closet cannabis growers. ... [A] new management team at High Times is looking to pare back its outlaw image to become a lifestyle brand. Its big plans to capitalize on the era of legalized marijuana include a revamped website, apparel, furniture, nightclubs and eventually ganja-themed cruises, hotels and casinos.” http://nyti.ms/237We7i
HAPPENING TOMORROW – “With President Obama joining Chancellor Merkel later this month to open the Hannover Messe industrial fair, the German Embassy in Washington and Siemens [on Monday] are hosting ‘On the Road to Hannover Messe,’ a discussion about ‘Industry 4.0’ and the factory of the future. Led by the Commerce Department, the United States is the partner country for Hannover Messe (April 25 – 29), the world’s most important trade fair for industrial technology.” OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED: Ellie Schafer, director of the White House Visitors Office and wife Heather Rothenberg celebrating with friends yesterday at Urban Butcher following the last Obama-hosted Easter Egg Roll. “Under Schafer’s direction, the White House hosted 300,000 folks over the 8 years. By instituting a lottery to create more access for more families, Schafer also added timed slots so families could plan for their visit to the People’s House. This year Schafer - one of the longest-serving Obama staffers - topped off the final Roll with the First Lady running in a first-ever fun run and POTUS playing basketball with kids and Shaquille O’Neal. Schafer even managed to pull off Beyoncé and Jay Z’s surprise visit. Next up? Spring Garden Tours.”WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Dave Jacobson, a California-based Democratic campaign consultant at Shallman Communications, and wife Dr. Dana Jacobson, a school psychologist consultant at the LA County Dept. of Education, yesterday welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Maya Jacobson at 6 pounds 11 ounces in LA. Pic http://bit.ly/1SvztTb
FINAL FOUR LOOKAHEAD – “North Carolina looks for 6th NCAA title against Villanova,” by AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston: “North Carolina will look for its sixth NCAA championship when the Tar Heels meet the Villanova Wildcats, trying for their second, on Monday night. The Tar Heels (33-6) last won it all in 2009 and Villanova's only title came in 1985. Both teams advanced to the championship game with lopsided wins, but Villanova’s was far more of a blowout than North Carolina’s.” http://apne.ws/1RWdJPZ
BIRTHDAYS: Barbara Powers Allen, mother of Mike, Scott, Bonnie and Cathie (grandkid tips: Evan, Morgan, Abbie, Shashu, Ben, Grace, Biz, Nati, Anders, Tate, Gus) ... NYT’s Alex Burns, the pride of the Bronx and a Politico alum, is 3-0, celebrating by going to St. Lucia with wife MJ Lee for a week starting today ... NYT’s Jonathan “JMart” Martin, the pride of Arlington, a Politico alum, and a 1999 graduate of Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville, Va. – read a June 2012 alumni profile http://bit.ly/1RUPu4F, is 39 (h/ts Mom, Dad, Betsy, Ella, Jeremy, Josie) ... Jim Walsh, co-founder/CEO at DSPolitical and founding partner at Rising Tide Interactive ... NBC News’ political booker Greg Martin (h/t Maggie Steenland)
... Susannah Wellford, president and founder of Running Start, a nonpartisan organization that trains young women to run for political office (h/t Kelley McCormick) ... Chanse Jones, Sen. Deb Fischer’s deputy press secretary, is 24 (h/t Brianna Puccini) ... Tegan Carr ... Gina Glantz (h/ts Jon Haber, filing from Michigan where it was snowing yesterday) ... Politico’s Katherine Landergan (h/t colleague and Massachusetts Playbook author Lauren Dezenski) ... Mario Ruiz, newly named SVP for comms. at Business Insider and a HuffPost alum ... Ed Morrissey, senior editor of HotAir, author of the upcoming book, “Going Red,” a Townhall alum, and “Undisputed Grand Master of the Sistine Selfie,” per his Twitter -- pic http://bit.ly/25DjfRG ... Alejandro Rodriguez, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews and a Kennedy and DNCC alum (h/t wife Emma Rodriguez) ... WashTimes alum Melissa Hopkins … Charlotte Baker, executive comms. advisor at ExxonMobil and a House Energy and Commerce alum … Troy McCurry of the FEC and an RNC alum …
... Travis Lowe of Three Point Media and a DCCC IE alum ... Patrick Muncie of Tusk Strategies and former spokesman for Manhattan district attorney … Greg Jenkins, director of comms., strategy and planning at Alibaba … Bush 43 HHS alum Eric Cole ... Darcy Luoma ... Larry Mark ... Michael Pitts ... Jeff Forbes ... Debbie O’Leary ... Gina Glantz ... Mona Pasquil (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Taylor Woodhouse … Keith Norman … Dave Wedd … Dan Coleman ... Eric Yaverbaum ... Jean Hudson Card ... Colin James Nagy is 35 ... Kristin “Papik” Syde ... Brian Zuzenak, political director for Gov. Terry McAuliffe and a DCCC alum ... actress-singer Doris Day is 93 ... former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is 86 ... conservationist Dame Jane Goodall is 82 ... Wayne Newton is 74 ... Tony Orlando is 72 ... Alec Baldwin is 58 ... Eddie Murphy is 55 ... Olympic gold medal ski racer Picabo Street is 45 ... actress-comedian Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) is 29 ... Hayley Kiyoko (“CSI: Cyber”) is 25 (h/ts AP)
DESSERT – “New Parenting Trend Is To Name Your Baby After ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Characters,” by BuzzFeed’s Mike Spohr: “Babycenter is known for keeping tabs on baby name trends ... Among boy’s names ‘Han’ has seen a modest boost, up from being ranked #4,452 in 2015 to #3,392 this year. ... ‘Leia’ has long been a fairly popular girl’s name, but in the early going of 2016 it zipped all the way up to #212 from #361 in 2015....