Welcome to Breitbart News’s live updates of the 2016 horse race.
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All times eastern.
7:15: Trump says he will work with the RNC to raise a billion dollars for the general election campaign to beat Clinton. But he doesn’t think he may need a lot of money because of the megaphone that he has.
7:13: Trump says he would like to see a high-level policy-oriented and says Clinton is weak on borders and ISIS. He cites her vote to go to war in Iraq and her Libya failures. Trump says “I’ll see what they do to me.” He says if the Clinton campaign is fair with him, he will be fair with them but he won’t be afraid to bring up Bill Clinton if they don’t treat him properly.
7:12: When asked to give a couple words to describe Clinton, Trump says “bad judgment.” He points out that Sanders has also said Clinton has had “bad judgment.”
7:11: When asked about some of his unfavorable numbers, Trump says his general election campaign has just gotten started.
7:09: Trump again stand by his temporary Muslim ban and doesn’t soften his tone in his mainstream media interview. Trump says we have to be “vigilant” because Islamic terrorism is an “urgent” and “real problem” while Obama doesn’t even want to mention “radical Islamic terrorism.” Trump also says illegal immigrants need to be deported but he says those who have “achieved” will be be allowed to come back.
7:08: When asked about some Republicans who were burning their registration cards, Trump mentions that so many more million of people have voted for him. “We have a lot of new people coming into the party,” he tells NBC’s Lester Holt.
7:05: Trump won’t give Lester Hold any names but he says people who have attacked him viciously have called him to say they will endorse him. Trump mentions the importance of Bobby Knight’s endorsement. He says he has not heard from Cruz today and hasn’t spoken to Kasich.
7:00: Bushes sitting out this election:
6:55: Nikki Haley not interested in being Trump’s running mate:
“While I am flattered to be mentioned and proud of what that says about the great things going on in South Carolina, my plate is full and I am not interested in serving as vice president,” she reportedly said.
6:24: Trump says he thinks Clinton is a good debater and will be ready to go one-on-one with her int he fall.
6:20: Trump says the last GOP convention was “not exciting” and he says he wants to put on a convention that “would make people happy.” He says the last convention was one one of the lowest-rated in history. Trump says we have to be cheerleaders for our country and promote the country more. He says he gave the Romney campaign some suggestions four years ago and they didn’t use any of them, and he points out Romney lost a race he should have won.
6:19: Trump says “I am who I am” but also says he feels like he is “presidential.” Trump says he really doesn’t like hitting people first but is a better counter-puncher.
6:12: Trump says he will put New York in play. He says he will win upstate New York by “massive numbers.” He says if he wins New York, he wins the election. He predicts he will win Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and will “do very well.” He says he will put states in play that no other Republican will talk about or go to.
6:09: Trump says women want “security” and a “strong military” and “women’s health issues taken care of.” He says he is he is going to bring back jobs and says NAFTA was signed by the Clinton administration and has been a “total disaster.”
6:07: Trump says he has the business end covered and will go the “political route” in choosing a vice president. He says he will be vetting people soon and points out that he wants to get “legislation passed.” He says he will ask Dr. Ben Carson and Chris Christie to be on a selection committee. Trump says he is “looking forward” to releasing his tax return but he is under audit.
5:52: Trump predicts that he will get a lot of Sanders supporters and says that Democrats in New York told reporters on local television stations that they wanted to vote for Trump.
5:50: Trump says he is “very different from most Republicans” and says he is looking at perhaps raising the minimum wage above $7.25/hour. He says “you have to have something you can live on” but says he will bring good jobs so people can make $15/hour but says we can’t “mess around” with the lower number or some companies will not be competitive. “I’m going to bring jobs back to this country,” he says. He says Clinton “doesn’t have a clue.”
5:46: Trump says he “we have a really big problem”with Syrian refugees because we have no idea where they are coming from. He says they have no documentation and he is for a temporary ban until we figure out what is going on. Trump says we can’t be the police of the entire world and seems to suggest that he is willing to let South Korea and Japan become nuclear powers to defend themselves against the North Korean “maniac” if they don’t pay their fair share for their defense. Trump says Saudi Arabia “would not be there” if we don’t protect them. He also says China has “no respect” for the United States by building military facilities in the South China Sea.
5:45: Trump tells Wolf Blitzer that he would not bail out Puerto Rico. He says he and Putin are “so far off to a good start” because Putin called him a “genius.” Trump says he would tell Putin to “don’t do it again” when Blitzer mentioned that Russian fighter jets “barrel rolled” U.S. aircraft. Trump says it was a sign of disrespect. He says he doesn’t want to say whether he has spoken to Putin when Blitzer asks.
5:40: When asked about “vicious” anti-Semitic some of his supporters are making against a reporter, Trump says he doesn’t know about the attacks and doesn’t have a message for those supporters.
5:37: Castellanos also points out that Trump can win a general election without winning a significant number of minorities, women, and millennials because he just has to prevent Clinton from running up the score with them.
5:35: GOP establishment consultant Alex Castellanos, who unsuccessfully tried to raise money for anti-Trump forces and suggested that the “Never Trump” crowd “shiv him in the ribs” to figuratively take him out like how Brutus killed Caesar, concedes to Chuck Todd on “MTP Daily” that nobody understands understand new media like Trump. He quips that Trump may have done worse if he only had a good media consultant. He says he has a 50-50 chance or better against Clinton and says Clinton has never faced a candidate with “10 arms and eight legs like this.” He notes that Clinton’s “not a great candidate” and Trump is a “terrific salesman” and a disruptive candidate while Clinton favored taxi cab unions over uber.
5:22: Kasich says as he suspends his campaign, he has a renewed faith that the Lord will show him the way forward and fulfill the purpose of his life and “show me the way forward.”
5:20: Kasich says to get more economic growth, politicians have to ignore polls and can’t focus on focus groups while overcoming the fear of reelection or criticism.
5:15: Kasich says the people in the country changed him and reminisces about the hug he got from a supporter on the campaign trail in South Carolina that went viral.
5:05: In Ohio, Kasich thanks his wife. He adds that nobody has done more with less than his staff. He thanks his volunteers for giving him the “octane” and “fuel” to carry out his purpose. He also thanks his donors. Kasich thanks the people of New Hampshire as well and reminisces about being stuck in traffic in California and spending a “magical” winter wonderland in the Michigan peninsula. He speaks of the “energy” of Miami Beach. He says they didn’t think he could make any debate but he made all of them and even “won” a couple of them. Kasich thanks Ohioans for giving him an opportunity to be a leader in the state and giving him the “greatest professional experience of my lifetime.” He says he always held “Ohio high” and people realized that Ohio was a special place and the state will have more visitors as a result of his campaign.
4:50: Kasich getting ready to officially suspend his campaign:
4:30: Rush predicts Trump will beat Clinton in “landslide.”
4:20: Jim Gilmore, Richard Burr will vote for Trump:
3:55: Trump officially wins all 57 delegates in Indiana.
3:27: Clinton email name-checking establishment Republicans and the GOP “Smart Set.”
3:25: GOP establishment consultant John Feehery, who has shown no love for conservatives and Tea Partiers, admitted today on MSNBC that he has been wrong about Donald Trump throughout the election cycle and will support Trump in the general election because “I trust the Republican voters.” He said a “a lotof his colleagues in Washington,” though, “don’t” trust GOP voters who gave them their power. He also slammed the “Never Trump” movement in his column:
I am a Republican. And I don’t like Hillary Clinton. The #NeverTrump people are either hopelessly naïve, ridiculously idealistic or they are neo-conservatives who figure that Hillary is more pliable when it comes to foreign adventurism. For the neo-cons especially, her vote to go to war in Iraq is the real selling point.
[…]
Trump is not the perfect candidate, but he is the change candidate. Ask yourself this question: Do the American people want change to come to Washington or do they want to embrace the status quo? You think Trump doesn’t have a chance? Think again.
3:05: Kasich doesn’t want to be Trump’s vice president:
3:00: Washington Post columnist Milbank getting ready to literally eat his words:
2:59: Sanders still going.
2:45: CNN’s Dana Bash: Hillary Clinton “missing the point of the Trump candidacy.” Bash points out that voters “don’t care about experience” and “detailed policy plans.” Bash notes that Clinton is appealing to the heads of voters while Trump is appealing to their hearts. Gloria Borger rightfully points out on that Clinton is sounding exactly like Jeb Bush (Americans are probably thanking Trump for saving them from a Clinton v. Jeb! snoozefest).
2:36: Flashback: John McCain repeatedly said Americans needed a “steady hand at the tiller” in his campaign against Obama. Voters wanted change instead in 2008.
2:28: Clinton says she is not calling herself the “presumptive nominee” and says she has a lot of empathy for Sanders because against Obama in 2012, she won nine of the last 12 contest but could not close the gap in pledged delegates. She says the gap between her and Sanders is far wider than it was between Obama and her in 2008.
2:27: “Not that I recall,” Clinton says when asked if Trump asked her for favors after he donated to her Senate campaign.
2:25: Cooper says Democrats are wondering if Clinton is ready to run a campaign against Trump (he references Trump’s remarks about her husband/marriage), and Clinton nervously laughs. She then talks like a robotic politician and says “if Trump wants to go back to the playbook of the 1990s” and “follow in the footsteps of those who have tried to knock me down and take me out of the political arena, I’m more than happy to have him do that.” She says she is ready and says “this is to me a classic case of a blistering, bullying guy who has knocked out of the way all of the Republicans because they were dumbfounded” and “didn’t know how to deal with him.” Clinton wants voters to get on the “American team” instead of the “red” or “blue” team.
2:21: “I think Elizabeth Warren is really smart,” Clinton says, when asked if she agrees with Warren’s Tweet that Trump is running a racist, sexist, and xenophobic. She says anyone who has listened to Trump speak can draw that conclusion. When asked if she thinks Trump is a racist, Clinton simply says, “I’m going to let people judge for themselves, but I have the highest regard for Senator Warren.”
2:20: Clinton slams Trump for demeaning women, degrading people with disabilities, and talking about “keeping Muslims out of the country.” She insists that she is going to keep running her campaign while Trump can run a “bullying” campaign.
2:18: Clinton says Trump needs to put some “meat on the bones” and she says reporters need to ask Trump some tougher questions. Clinton claims she is for “fair and free trade.” She hits Trump for saying that “wages are too high.”
2:17: It’s the economy, stupid. Cooper points out that more Americans trust Trump on the economy than her. “We’ll have to go back and talk about the history,” Clinton says of the 1990s. She says Trump can argue about the “peace and prosperity” in the 1990s and she’s going to talk about the future.
2:16: When asked again if she is ready for Trump, she says she has been in the arena for more than 20 years and insists that she isn’t running against Trump and is running her own campaign. “I have a very clear mission in this campaign,” she says.
2:15: In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Hillary Clinton says that Trump’s nomination seemed “pretty clear for some time.” She says it didn’t surprise her at all that Trump got the nomination. When asked if she is ready to run against Trump, she says we can’t take a risk on a “loose cannon” like Trump. Clinton says Trump’s advisers will be “scrambling” and slams Trump for his comments about women and climate change.
2:10: Clinton’s campaign account, The Briefing, is gleefully re-Tweeting those in the “GOP Smart Set” who are vowing not to support Trump in the general election:
2:02: When notified that Kasich was dropping out, Trump tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “that’s big.” He also says he will be interested in vetting Kasich to potentially be his running mate. Kasich has repeatedly said he does not want to be vice president:
2:00: Kasich expected to suspend campaign later today, reportedly not likely to endorse Trump:
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