Will Trump’s threats undercut his policy message?
The election is in 15 days, and the newest national poll shows Hillary Clinton with a big lead. She is 12 points ahead of Donald Trump, 50 to 38 percent, in a four-way race.
In our latest CBS News Battleground tracker, Trump leads by just three points in Texas, where Republicans have won every presidential race since 1980. But Clinton leads by the same margin in the swing state of Florida. Both those polls are within the margin of error.
- Clinton leads in Florida, Trump narrowly leads in Texas - CBS Battleground Tracker
- Hillary Clinton increasingly pitches down-ballot Democrats
Trump is trying to get back in the game in Florida, with at least five events in the state this week. To keep supporters energized, Trump is also outlining early White House priorities. But efforts to roll out new policy over the weekend were muddied with unfounded claims of current voter fraud and vowed retribution on his political enemies.
Landing his helicopter in the Sunshine State on Sunday, Trump told voters to ignore reports that he’s trailing.
“Numbers are looking phenomenal in Florida. Don’t believe the media,” Trump said in Naples.
A recent poll found more than 80 percent of Republicans in Florida and Texas agree that voter fraud is a legitimate problem, and more than eight in 10 of those feel Trump would win if the system was fair.
“It’s a rigged, broken, corrupt system,” Trump said.
Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, was more candid about the challenges of competing against Clinton.
“We are behind. She has some advantages,” Conway said on “Meet the Press.”
“She has a former president, happens to be her husband, campaigning for her, the current president and first lady, vice president, all much more popular than she can hope to be,” she added.
On Saturday in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Trump sketched out his first 100 days, emphasizing trade, a limited federal hiring freeze and a tougher stance on immigration.
“When they get deported, they stay out, otherwise they have very serious prison terms,” Trump said. “Right now, they have no consequence, they have no consequences.”
The speech also included a lengthy detour where Trump threatened to break up media companies.
“They’re trying to poison the mind of the American voter,” Trump said.
He also threatened to sue the women who have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. Another stepped forward Sunday, making the total at least 11 accusers.
“The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over,” Trump said.
Conway defended Trump when she was questioned about whether Trump’s threats would undercut the message about his first 100 days in office.
“Well, he delivers his own speeches. This is his candidacy. He’s the guy who is running for the White House. And he has the privilege to say what he wants,” Conway said on CNN.
Trump also received his first major newspaper endorsement this weekend from the Las Vegas Review Journal, which said the Republican nominee “promises to be a source of disruption” in Washington, despite acknowledging “he has trouble dealing with critics and would be wise to discover the power of humility.”
Notably, the newspaper is owned by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, who’s donated millions of dollars to conservative groups this election cycle.