Speaking to the press pool following an event with supporters at his New Jersey resort, President Trump was asked to respond to former White House aide, Omarosa Manigault's new book, whispering to the cameras "she's a lowlife."
The backstory: In her book out next week, Omarosa claims Trump is a "racist," has repeatedly used the "N-word," and there are tapes from the filming of The Apprentice to prove it. The White House responded to these claims explaining, "this book is riddled with lies and false accusations." Go deeper:The juiciest claims from Omarosa’s upcoming book
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced to supporters on Saturday "If the U.S. is turning its back on us...choosing a pastor instead, sorry...we continue our path with decisive steps... This treatment by America of its strategic partner has annoyed us, it has upset us," Reuters reports.
The big picture: Erdoğan's remarks come in response to recent sanctions the U.S. has slapped on Turkey for not releasing American pastor Andrew Brunson who remains on house arrest on terrorism charges. The lira dropped to an all-time low Friday as geopolitical tensions between NATO allies, Turkey and the United States continued to escalate.
One day before people gather in the nation's capital for the second "Unite the Right" rally, President Trump tweeted that he condemns "all types of racism and acts of violence."
Why it matters: Trump stirred controversy following last year's rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, arguing that "both sides" were to blame for the destructive riots that resulted in a woman's death.
In her new book coming out next week, former White House staffer Omarosa calls Trump a "racist," claims there are tapes of him saying the "N-word," and says there is a tanning bed in the White House, according to the Washington Post and the Guardian who have received advanced copies.
The big picture: This will be the first book from a former Trump White House aide that goes after the president and his administration. Omarosa, who was one of the original contestants on Donald Trump's former reality TV show "The Apprentice" and went on to work for the Trump campaign and ultimately the White House, was fired by Chief of Staff John Kelly in December and was reportedly forcibly removed from the White House grounds.
In response to question's about former White House aide Omarosa Manigault's new book lambasting the president, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that "this book is riddled with lies and false accusations," adding, "It’s sad that a disgruntled former White House employee is trying to profit off these false attacks."
The big picture: In the book out next week, Omarosa, an African-American woman, claims Trump is a "racist," has repeatedly used the "N-word," and there are tapes from the filming of The Apprentice to prove it, according to a copy of the book obtained by the Guardian. However, Omarosa doesn't explicitly say she heard him use the word in person. She also says that she was offered $15,000 a month to stay silent about her being fired, according to the Washington Post.
Both parties are making on-the-fly changes to their messages in the heat of midterm campaigning, because their go-to issues turn out to have problems.
Between the lines: Some Democrats salivated about running on impeachment, until their leaders convinced them that would backfire and the "Abolish ICE" boomlet was co-opted by Republicans. Meanwhile, the GOP planned to make the Trump tax cut the centerpiece of the fall. But that didn't even last through March, since the tax cuts don't have the broad popularity the party expected.
A "sizable share" of President Trump's large base had doubts when they voted for him, and continue to have reservations, New York Times' Nate Cohn and Alicia Parlapiano report, using data from Pew’s American Trends Panel.
Why it matters: This is an important factor to take into consideration as we approach November's election, Cohn and Parlapiano report. How the Republicans fare in the midterm elections could be decided "by voters at the edge of Mr. Trump's coalition" — so it's important to understand how broad that is.
President Trump uses internal polling and approval rating data from the Republican National Committee to decide where to hold his midterm rallies — including one held just before Ohio's special election, a GOP official with knowledge of the data sharing told Axios.
Why it matters: This is the first look inside the data that gives Trump part of his power over the primaries. He knows how to energize his Republican base, but pushing long-shot candidates over the finish line only works if he's in the right place and speaking to the right people.
