| | | | 57% think Donald Trump is a racist. So... | | The poll number smacks you right in the face: 57% of Americans believe President Donald Trump is a racist, according to new data from a national AP-NORC poll.
57%!!!!
That number comes in the wake of a year in which Trump tried to blame both sides for the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, waged an extensive effort to call into question the patriotism of the (largely black) NFL players who refused to stand for the National Anthem and asked why the United States was taking in immigrants from "shithole" countries in Africa.
And it comes in spite of Trump's oft-repeated assertion that he is the "least racist person" in the country and possibly in the world.
It's a striking finding. Six in 10 people believe that the President of the United States harbors racist views.
It's 2018! I mean, wow. Right?
Not so fast, according to CNN polling boss Jenn Agiesta who made this great point -- ahem -- to me earlier today: It's possible that almost 6 in 10 people believe Trump is truly a racist but it's also possible that those people just don't like Trump at all and are willing to agree to any and every very negative thing a pollster asks about him.
As Jenn rightly pointed out, the number of people who say Trump is a racist is broadly consistent with the number of people who disapprove of Trump's performance in office, who say he's interfered with the Russia investigation and who believe the women alleging Trump sexually harassed them.
That doesn't mean that a big chunk of the public -- particularly African-Americans and Hispanics -- don't truly believe Trump holds racist views. They do; 8 in 10 blacks and three-quarters of Latinos in the AP-NORC poll said they thought Trump was racist.
What it might mean, however, is that almost any question about Trump now -- his handling of policies, his racial views, his reaction to the Russian investigation -- boils down to the same gut reaction: Do you like or not like Trump?
The Point: Our politics have been getting more and more polarized for decades now. In Trump, our polarization has reached maximum capacity. How you feel about virtually anything depends entirely on how you feel about the President of the United States.
-- Chris | | "The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me I guess."
-White House chief of staff John Kelly, speaking today at an event marking DHS's 15th anniversary | | | MCCONNELL: NO GUN DEBATE NEXT WEEK, BANK ON IT | | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the chamber will not debate gun legislation next week, but turn its attention to a measure from Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo that would loosen Dodd-Frank restrictions enacted in 2010 as a response to the 2008 financial crisis.
In the meantime, talks on gun legislation continue.
As CNN's Ted Barrett reports, "Senators are now engaging in bipartisan talks to see what, if anything, they can agree on. One measure that it appears would be able to get at least 60 votes to pass is a bipartisan bill to improve reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The measure, commonly referred to as 'Fix NICS,' would offer financial incentives to state and local authorities for reporting information to the background check system.
"We'll get 80 votes on it if we get a vote on the floor," predicted Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, about the measure he co-authored."
And so, we wait ... | | TRUMP: MAYBE WE SHOULD EXECUTE DRUG DEALERS? | | Dispatch from CNN's Dan Merica at the White House:
What Trump did not discuss at today's summit on the opioid epidemic: the chaos surrounding his Cabinet secretaries.
What Trump did talk about during his brief remarks:
1) A new administration policy -- ETA "the next three weeks" -- and potential lawsuits against "some of these opioid companies."
2) Lax, according to Trump, penalties for drug dealers.
"Some countries have a very, very tough penalty," Trump said. "The ultimate penalty. And by the way, they have much less of a drug problem than we do. So we're going to have to be very strong on penalties."
This might be shocking to read, but it's not exactly new. Axios' Jonathan Swan reported on Sunday, "According to five sources who've spoken with Trump about the subject, he often leaps into a passionate speech about how drug dealers are as bad as serial killers and should all get the death penalty." | | With Hope Hicks on her way out, we took a look at some of the most heated and, in a handful of cases, ongoing intra-White House feuds.
The one constant?
TRUMP.
Sometimes that means the President pitting himself against a staffer or appointee, sometimes it means staffers and appointees facing off with each other, usually as a means of getting a foothold in the Oval Office. CNN's Zach Wolf and Greg Krieg have a quick, and yet very long, rundown of the spats here.
But if you prefer pictures, consider THIS below, courtesy of CNN's Will Mullery. | | REPUBLICANS REACT (BADLY) TO TRUMP TARIFF TALK | | Trump's newly announced plan to impose tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) is not going over well with Republicans on Capitol Hill. The details -- like which countries will be targeted and which will be spared -- are still a mystery, but concern over retaliatory action from abroad is already bubbling up.
Here's a sampling of what they're saying, via CNN's Daniella Diaz and Ted Barrett:
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse: "You'd expect a policy this bad from a leftist administration, not a supposedly Republican one."
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts: "Every time you do this, you get a retaliation. And agriculture is the number one target. I think this is terribly counterproductive for the (agriculture) economy and I'm not very happy."
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn: "My reaction is I'm going to study exactly what the President did. But (I'm) obviously concerned about retaliation and unintended consequences."
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch: "Tariffs on steel and aluminum are a tax hike the American people don't need and can't afford. I encourage the President to carefully consider all of the implications of raising the cost of steel and aluminum on American manufacturers and consumers."
The big question now, as it often is with Trump, is whether he'll follow through. | | THE SENATE SEATS MOST LIKELY TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER | | A new month means new rankings out today from CNN's Eric Bradner. Here are his top five (and here's the full list with in-depth analysis of each).
1. Nevada: R --> D
Incumbent: Republican Sen. Dean Heller
Primary date: June 12
2. Arizona: R --> D
Incumbent: Open seat (Republican Sen. Jeff Flake is retiring)
Primary date: August 28
3. Missouri: D --> R
Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill
Primary date: August 7
4. Indiana: D --> R
Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly
Primary date: May 8
5. West Virginia: D --> R
Incumbent: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin
Primary date: May 8
| | WHY DOES UTAH GET A BAD RAP? | | | The Utah House of Reps. has released this, ummm, remarkable video featuring lawmakers explaining the legislative process, Schoolhouse Rock-style, to the tune of the "The Fresh Prince of of Bel-Air" theme song. You can watch and listen here. | |  | Anthony Scaramucci, seen Scaramucci'ing above, told CNN's "New Day" this morning that chief of staff John Kelly is making the White House an unbearable place to work. "The morale is terrible," The Mooch said. "The reason why the morale is terrible is that the rule by fear and intimidation does not work in a civilian environment." | | | Don't forget to tell people to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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