cnbc--2020-07-16--Trump shakes up campaign staff, demotes top manager Brad Parscale as polls show him behind Biden

President Donald Trump announced a new campaign manager for his 2020 re-election , four months before voters head to the polls and he lags behind his Democratic rival , former Vice President Joe Biden .
Trump said in a social media post that he is removing his top campaign manager , Brad Parscale , and tapping Bill Stepien , his deputy campaign manager and a veteran Republican operative , to take over .
Stepien was campaign manager to both of former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie 's gubernatorial runs and served as his deputy chief of staff , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scandal that plagued the Republican lawmaker .
`` Both were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win , and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together , '' Trump said .
`` This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast , the economy is getting better , vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way , and Americans want safe streets and communities ! ''
Trump said Parscale , who was tapped as campaign manager in 2018 , will oversee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continue to be a senior advisor to the campaign .
The move comes weeks after Parscale boasted about millions of tickets being sold for Trump campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma last month which brought lower-than-expected turnout and left the president fuming .
It also comes as polls show the president trailing Biden months before the November elections .
Biden holds a double-digit lead nationally over Trump , with seven in 10 voters saying the country is on the wrong track and Americans disapproving of the president 's handling of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and race relations amid anti-racism protests over police brutality .

Brad Parscale, manager of U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, speaks during a rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.
President Donald Trump announced a new campaign manager for his 2020 re-election on Wednesday, four months before voters head to the polls, in an effort to reset a campaign that has already been through multiple failed reboots. The announcement comes as he lags even further behind his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Trump said in Facebook post, and later on Twitter after the cyberattack on that platform, that he is removing his top campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and tapping Bill Stepien, his deputy campaign manager and a veteran Republican operative, to take over.
Stepien was campaign manager to both of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's gubernatorial runs and served as his deputy chief of staff, but was fired in 2014 following the Bridgegate scandal that plagued the Republican lawmaker.
"Both were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win, and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together," Trump said. "This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way, and Americans want safe streets and communities!"
The idea to promote Stepien and have him take the reins with only four months to go until the general election has been "flirted with" for months, per a Republican official, but some top campaign aides were caught off guard by the announcement on Facebook on Wednesday night. Several told NBC News they were not aware this was being formalized in recent hours.
Stepien was named deputy campaign manager in May in an effort to layer Parscale, who had been in that role for more than two years but was under fire in the last few months for lagging polls. He will maintain his digital and data strategy duties, per the campaign.
This shakeup was not discussed in the political meeting at the White House on Monday, according to the GOP official.
The move comes weeks after Parscale boasted about millions of tickets being sold for Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month which brought lower-than-expected turnout and left the president fuming. It also comes as polls show the president trailing Biden months before the November elections.


cnbc--2020-07-16--Senate candidate Jon Ossoff looks to young voters to help him flip Georgia blue

CNBC.com is interviewing candidates for federal office this summer to gain insight into their political vision for the U.S. and how it can impact the economic outlook for the 37 % of the 2020 electorate that is from the millennial and Gen Z generations .
Set to be the first American generations to be worse off than their parents , facing the threat of climate change and struggling with student debt , money matters matter to young voters in this election .
Experience : CEO of Insight TWI , an investigative journalism television production company ; candidate in the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of millennials and younger think the U.S. should prioritize renewables over fossil fuels , according to Pew Research .
Your state , Georgia , consistently ranks as a top state for solar power .
Would you like to see an even further expansion ?
Yes , and in the Senate , I 'll work to make Georgia America 's leading state in clean energy production .
I will fight for massive investment in clean and renewable energy and transitioning away from carbon-emitting energy production .
One of the things I 'm most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate and the White House , we will have a historic opportunity to chart a new course for our economy , to save our environment , to bring commerce and human economic activity into harmony with the planet and to make the kinds of transformative and revolutionary investments that will lay the foundations for centuries of prosperity and sustainability .
Young people get this , no matter how much money the oil and gas industry spends on propaganda and lobbying .
Young people get that we have to get our act together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a country but as a species , depends upon making these changes , taking our cues from science and cleaning up our act .
CNBC : According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment report , the sector of our economy that will be the most negatively impacted by climate change is the health-care sector , with weather-related health conditions predicted to increase in severity and unanticipated health threats likely to emerge .
What changes do you think are needed for our health-care system to prepare for an impending climate crisis ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades that if we do n't get greenhouse gas emissions under control and if we do n't decarbonize energy production , then climate change poses a dire threat to our health , to our economy and to our security .
We 've already seen this in Georgia .
We 've seen the effects on our state 's agricultural sector of intensifying tropical storms , storm surge , high-wind events , drought , higher temperatures and increased fire risk , which all has great implications for human health .
Step one is making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy necessary to get carbon emissions under control and build an economy that is sustainable .
Also , I hope that this Covid-19 pandemic is a massive wake-up call for anyone who still believes it 's not vital that every single American has great health insurance .
We have to recognize that health care and health itself are human rights .
I think young people get this too .
I think young people recognize that unless we 're looking out for everyone 's health , our individual and collective health are at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight for a strong public option which will give people more choices and compete with private insurers .
I will fight for dramatic Medicaid expansion to break the link between health and wealth .
I 'll also fight for resources to build more clinics and hospitals in underserved and marginalized communities here in Georgia .
I 'll work to expand the U.S. public health service so that we have the health-care professionals trained and available to serve the people here in Georgia .
Half of our counties have no Ob/Gyn physician .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country , more than 1.4 million Georgians with no health insurance at all .
We had a public health crisis even before Covid-19 .
The good news is that it 's no mystery how we solve it .
When we control the Senate and the White House , we will .
CNBC : Your campaign has focused a lot on criminal justice reform .
Currently in Georgia , marijuana is still not decriminalized .
In the U.S. Senate , would you push for nationwide marijuana decriminalization ?
I wo n't just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for nationwide legalization of cannabis .
The prohibition of this substance is irrational .
It 's hugely expensive .
It has a terrible human toll .
The fact that there are people doing time for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses while others are getting rich in the cannabis industry is a grave injustice .
I 'll fight for outright cannabis legalization , an end to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses and expungement of records for nonviolent cannabis offenses .
CNBC : Since 2010 , Amazon has invested $ 3.6 billion in your home state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's fourth most-loved brand .
However , politicians from Donald Trump to AOC have attacked the company .
Is there a disconnect between young voters and leaders surrounding big tech ?
Amazon provides a great service , but its corporate behavior is unethical .
Jeff Bezos and Amazon shareholders are making enough money that they could treat their workers well and pay their fair share of federal taxes , still provide a great service and still make a lot of money .
Amazon should strengthen labor standards and increase worker pay .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Their labor protections during this pandemic have been totally inadequate .
They 've retaliated against corporate whistleblowers , and they 're avoiding paying taxes while they benefit from all of the services of the federal government , whether that 's the air-traffic system , the way that the U.S. supports and backstops international commerce or all of the infrastructure that Amazon uses to make money .
They 're not contributing sufficiently to the public investment that makes their enterprise possible .
CNBC : According to Pew Research , Gen Z reports being hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over half of those polled saying they know someone who lost a job or had to take a pay cut .
How will you in the Senate not just try to bring back jobs but bring jobs back for vulnerable young Americans entering the workforce ?
We put four-year college up on a pedestal , but what a lot of young people need is free vocational training .
I support expanding not just free vocational training but in many cases paid vocational training .
That intersects with another core priority , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program that will include massive investment in clean energy , but also in transit and transportation , rural broadband , improving the electric grid and transforming our quality of life with investments and infrastructure that are long overdue .
We can train young people to be part of that effort and can get them skills so that they can move from gig work and low-paid wage work without benefits to good-paying steady jobs with benefits helping to rebuild America from this crisis .
We also need to look at how we can get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health sector .
Right now we have a shortage of critical health-care workers .
We have parts of Georgia , for example , where you 're many , many miles away even from a primary-care physician or a nurse practitioner , let alone from a trauma center , and so I think expanding the U.S. public health service is another way we can generate economic opportunity for young people .
But here 's what I 'm really optimistic about .
Young people get it .
I do n't think young people are falling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- -- .
I think that young people have a very clear-eyed understanding of what 's happening in our country and in our world and where we need to get to .
We need to get to a place where every single citizen is guaranteed equal justice under the law , where voting rights are sacrosanct , where we understand that human health is a human right , and where we understand that we do n't have to choose between prosperity and sustainability .
We can build an economy that 's clean and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think there 's tremendous unity and excitement among young people to get out and vote for candidates who support that agenda .
And that 's my agenda .
Who 's on your playlist ?
I 've been listening to lofi hip-hop , man , just to stay calm and cool and collected .
Have you heard of ChilledCow ?
Check it out .
What was your college major ?
International relations Best financial advice you 've ever received from your parents ?
Save more than you spend .
If you were a Gen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector would you enter ?
Well , in Georgia ?
I hope that in the next few years we 're going to have a lot of opportunities for young people in the renewable-energy sector and in public health .
Also , we need to reinvigorate public-interest journalism and investigative journalism in this country .

Campaign workers pose for photos with an Ossoff campaign bus in 2017. "Here's what I'm really optimistic about. Young people get it," Ossoff tells CNBC of his current run for the U.S. Senate. Bill Clark | CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
CNBC.com is interviewing candidates for federal office this summer to gain insight into their political vision for the U.S. and how it can impact the economic outlook for the 37% of the 2020 electorate that is from the millennial and Gen Z generations. Set to be the first American generations to be worse off than their parents, facing the threat of climate change and struggling with student debt, money matters matter to young voters in this election.
Vital stats
Name: Jon Ossoff Running For: Senate, Georgia, Democrat Opponent: Republican Sen. David Perdue Age: 33 Experience: CEO of Insight TWI, an investigative journalism television production company; candidate in the most expensive House race ever Education: Georgetown (BS), London School of Economics (MS) Family: Wife, Alisha Fundraising total: $4.1 million (through May 20) Current polling: Perdue +3 (Fox News, June 20–23); "Lean Republican" (Cook Political Report, May) CNBC: 78% of millennials and younger think the U.S. should prioritize renewables over fossil fuels, according to Pew Research. Your state, Georgia, consistently ranks as a top state for solar power. Would you like to see an even further expansion? Yes, and in the Senate, I'll work to make Georgia America's leading state in clean energy production. I will fight for massive investment in clean and renewable energy and transitioning away from carbon-emitting energy production. One of the things I'm most excited about is that when we win the Senate and the White House, we will have a historic opportunity to chart a new course for our economy, to save our environment, to bring commerce and human economic activity into harmony with the planet and to make the kinds of transformative and revolutionary investments that will lay the foundations for centuries of prosperity and sustainability. Young people get this, no matter how much money the oil and gas industry spends on propaganda and lobbying. Young people get that we have to get our act together and that our success, not just as a country but as a species, depends upon making these changes, taking our cues from science and cleaning up our act. CNBC: According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment report, the sector of our economy that will be the most negatively impacted by climate change is the health-care sector, with weather-related health conditions predicted to increase in severity and unanticipated health threats likely to emerge. What changes do you think are needed for our health-care system to prepare for an impending climate crisis? The evidence is clear and has been clear for decades that if we don't get greenhouse gas emissions under control and if we don't decarbonize energy production, then climate change poses a dire threat to our health, to our economy and to our security. We've already seen this in Georgia. We've seen the effects on our state's agricultural sector of intensifying tropical storms, storm surge, high-wind events, drought, higher temperatures and increased fire risk, which all has great implications for human health. Step one is making the aggressive investments in clean and renewable energy necessary to get carbon emissions under control and build an economy that is sustainable. Also, I hope that this Covid-19 pandemic is a massive wake-up call for anyone who still believes it's not vital that every single American has great health insurance. We have to recognize that health care and health itself are human rights.
Young people get it. I don't think young people are falling for the usual political propaganda and bull----. I think that young people have a very clear-eyed understanding of what's happening in our country and in our world and where we need to get to.
I think young people get this too. I think young people recognize that unless we're looking out for everyone's health, our individual and collective health are at risk. In the Senate, I will fight for a strong public option which will give people more choices and compete with private insurers. I will fight for dramatic Medicaid expansion to break the link between health and wealth. I'll also fight for resources to build more clinics and hospitals in underserved and marginalized communities here in Georgia. I'll work to expand the U.S. public health service so that we have the health-care professionals trained and available to serve the people here in Georgia. Half of our counties have no Ob/Gyn physician. We have among the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, more than 1.4 million Georgians with no health insurance at all. We had a public health crisis even before Covid-19. The good news is that it's no mystery how we solve it. When we control the Senate and the White House, we will. CNBC: Your campaign has focused a lot on criminal justice reform. Currently in Georgia, marijuana is still not decriminalized. In the U.S. Senate, would you push for nationwide marijuana decriminalization? I won't just push for decriminalization; I'll push for nationwide legalization of cannabis. The prohibition of this substance is irrational. It's hugely expensive. It has a terrible human toll. The fact that there are people doing time for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses while others are getting rich in the cannabis industry is a grave injustice. I'll fight for outright cannabis legalization, an end to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses and expungement of records for nonviolent cannabis offenses. CNBC: Since 2010, Amazon has invested $3.6 billion in your home state. Morning Consult says Amazon is Gen Z's fourth most-loved brand. However, politicians from Donald Trump to AOC have attacked the company. Is there a disconnect between young voters and leaders surrounding big tech? Amazon provides a great service, but its corporate behavior is unethical. Jeff Bezos and Amazon shareholders are making enough money that they could treat their workers well and pay their fair share of federal taxes, still provide a great service and still make a lot of money. Amazon should strengthen labor standards and increase worker pay. The conditions in these warehouses are appalling. Their labor protections during this pandemic have been totally inadequate. They've retaliated against corporate whistleblowers, and they're avoiding paying taxes while they benefit from all of the services of the federal government, whether that's the air-traffic system, the way that the U.S. supports and backstops international commerce or all of the infrastructure that Amazon uses to make money. They're not contributing sufficiently to the public investment that makes their enterprise possible. CNBC: According to Pew Research, Gen Z reports being hit the hardest financially by Covid-19, with over half of those polled saying they know someone who lost a job or had to take a pay cut. How will you in the Senate not just try to bring back jobs but bring jobs back for vulnerable young Americans entering the workforce? We put four-year college up on a pedestal, but what a lot of young people need is free vocational training. I support expanding not just free vocational training but in many cases paid vocational training. That intersects with another core priority, which is that we need an unprecedented American infrastructure program that will include massive investment in clean energy, but also in transit and transportation, rural broadband, improving the electric grid and transforming our quality of life with investments and infrastructure that are long overdue. We can train young people to be part of that effort and can get them skills so that they can move from gig work and low-paid wage work without benefits to good-paying steady jobs with benefits helping to rebuild America from this crisis.
U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff attends Juneteenth Voter Registration Concert & Rally at Murphy Park Fairgrounds on June 19, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Paras Griffin | Getty Images
We also need to look at how we can get more young people employed in the public health sector. Right now we have a shortage of critical health-care workers. We have parts of Georgia, for example, where you're many, many miles away even from a primary-care physician or a nurse practitioner, let alone from a trauma center, and so I think expanding the U.S. public health service is another way we can generate economic opportunity for young people. But here's what I'm really optimistic about. Young people get it. I don't think young people are falling for the usual political propaganda and bull----. I think that young people have a very clear-eyed understanding of what's happening in our country and in our world and where we need to get to. We need to get to a place where every single citizen is guaranteed equal justice under the law, where voting rights are sacrosanct, where we understand that human health is a human right, and where we understand that we don't have to choose between prosperity and sustainability. We can build an economy that's clean and green and growing and prosperous. I think there's tremendous unity and excitement among young people to get out and vote for candidates who support that agenda. And that's my agenda. Netflix or Hulu: Netflix Apple Music or Spotify: Apple Music Who's on your playlist? I've been listening to lofi hip-hop, man, just to stay calm and cool and collected. Have you heard of ChilledCow? Check it out. What was your college major? International relations Favorite TV Show: That's tough! "The Wire." Best financial advice you've ever received from your parents? Save more than you spend. If you were a Gen Z individual entering the workforce, what sector would you enter? Well, in Georgia? I hope that in the next few years we're going to have a lot of opportunities for young people in the renewable-energy sector and in public health. Also, we need to reinvigorate public-interest journalism and investigative journalism in this country. Is a hot dog a sandwich? No.


cnbc--2020-07-16--Manhattan DA Vance asks Supreme Court to rush Trump tax return ruling to lower courts, warns of stat

Manhattan DA Vance asks Supreme Court to rush Trump tax return ruling to lower courts, warns of statute of limitations

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to immediately send to lower federal courts its recent ruling that President Donald Trump is not immune from having his tax returns subpoenaed , warning a delay could thwart the filing of possible criminal charges .
Vance 's action came hours after Trump 's lawyer formally told a federal judge that Trump will fight to keep the DA from obtaining the president 's tax returns , and argued in a new court filing that as part of that battle Trump is entitled to know why Vance 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court ruled last week 7-2 that Trump does not have absolute immunity as president from being investigated by a state prosecutor while in office , and from being subject to a subpoena like the one for his tax records issued by a Manhattan grand jury to his accounting firm .
Vance 's prosecutors had sought the subpoena as part of an ongoing criminal investigation they are conducting .
The Supreme Court opinion left the door open for Trump to continue challenging the subpoena to the Mazars USA firm on other grounds .
Normally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimum of 25 days before its opinions take effect .
But Vance , in his request , wants that to happen much sooner `` to ensure that the state grand jury has access to all of the evidence to which it is entitled in a timely fashion – thereby minimizing any risk that criminal conduct will go unpunished . ''
He warned that if there is a lag in transmitting the ruling , and a related delay in a lower court adjudicating Trump 's expected new challenge to the subpoena , `` Given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at issue in the grand jury 's investigation , issues could arise in the near future concerning the applicable statutes of limitations . ''
Those statutes bar the filing of charges related to certain kinds of crimes .
And Vance said if there is too long a delay Trump might get `` the absolutely immunity that this court rejected . ''
Trump lawyer William Consovoy , in a joint update with Vance 's office to Judge Victor Marrero , the Manhattan federal court judge overseeing the subpoena case , laid out several possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to block or reduce the scope of the subpoeana for the tax returns .
The filing came on the deadline this year for Americans to file their federal income tax returns .
Consovoy said the potential arguments against the subpoena include claiming that it was not `` properly tailored , '' that it was `` motivated by a desire to harass or is conducted in bad faith , '' is designed to retaliate against Trump , and that compliance with the demand would `` impede his constitutional duties . ''

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to immediately send to lower federal courts its recent ruling that President Donald Trump is not immune from having his tax returns subpoenaed, warning a delay could thwart the filing of possible criminal charges.
Vance's action came hours after Trump's lawyer formally told a federal judge that Trump will fight to keep the DA from obtaining the president's tax returns, and argued in a new court filing that as part of that battle Trump is entitled to know why Vance's prosecutors want the records.
The Supreme Court ruled last week 7-2 that Trump does not have absolute immunity as president from being investigated by a state prosecutor while in office, and from being subject to a subpoena like the one for his tax records issued by a Manhattan grand jury to his accounting firm. Vance's prosecutors had sought the subpoena as part of an ongoing criminal investigation they are conducting.
The Supreme Court opinion left the door open for Trump to continue challenging the subpoena to the Mazars USA firm on other grounds.
Normally, the Supreme Court waits for a minimum of 25 days before its opinions take effect.
But Vance, in his request, wants that to happen much sooner "to ensure that the state grand jury has access to all of the evidence to which it is entitled in a timely fashion – thereby minimizing any risk that criminal conduct will go unpunished."
He warned that if there is a lag in transmitting the ruling, and a related delay in a lower court adjudicating Trump's expected new challenge to the subpoena, "Given the age of many of the transactions at issue in the grand jury's investigation, issues could arise in the near future concerning the applicable statutes of limitations." Those statutes bar the filing of charges related to certain kinds of crimes.
And Vance said if there is too long a delay Trump might get "the absolutely immunity that this court rejected."
Trump lawyer William Consovoy, in a joint update with Vance's office to Judge Victor Marrero, the Manhattan federal court judge overseeing the subpoena case, laid out several possible grounds for the president to continue his effort to block or reduce the scope of the subpoeana for the tax returns. The filing came on the deadline this year for Americans to file their federal income tax returns.
Consovoy said the potential arguments against the subpoena include claiming that it was not "properly tailored," that it was "motivated by a desire to harass or is conducted in bad faith," is designed to retaliate against Trump, and that compliance with the demand would "impede his constitutional duties."


cnbc--2020-07-15--Biden opens up 11-point national lead over Trump in NBC News/WSJ poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden , 2020 Democratic presidential candidate , smiles during an primary night rally in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles , California , U.S. , on Tuesday , March 3 , 2020 .
WASHINGTON — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a double-digit lead nationally over President Donald Trump , with 7 in 10 voters saying the country is on the wrong track , and majorities disapproving of the president 's handling of the coronavirus and race relations .
Those are the major findings of a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2020 presidential election , amid a pandemic that has killed approximately 140,000 Americans , and during protests and debate over race across the country .
The poll shows Biden ahead of Trump by 11 points among registered voters , 51 percent to 40 percent , which is well outside the poll 's margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points .
Biden 's lead in last month 's poll was 7 points , 49 percent to 42 percent .
In addition , the poll shows Democrats enjoying an intensity advantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's job rating declining to 42 percent — its lowest level in two years .
`` The atmosphere and the attitudes toward Donald Trump are the most challenging an incumbent president has faced since Jimmy Carter in 1980 and Lyndon Johnson in 1968 , '' said Democratic pollster Peter Hart , whose firm conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies .
But the survey also finds silver linings for Trump and the GOP , as well as warning signs for Biden and the Democrats : A majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of the economy ; Biden 's personal ratings have dropped since last month ; and Democrats no longer hold a double-digit lead in congressional preference .
`` As Americans are coping with the coronavirus and a reckoning on race , politically , there is a great deal of sorting going on , '' added Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates .
`` We are a long ways away from knowing how this will all play out in voters ' minds . ''
In his matchup against Trump , Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 80 percent to 6 percent ) ; Latinos ( 67-22 percent ) ; voters ages 18 to 34 ( 62-23 percent ) ; women ( 58-35 percent ) ; and white voters with college degrees ( 53-38 percent ) .
Trump is ahead among all white voters ( 49 percent to 42 percent ) , men ( 45-43 percent ) and whites without college degrees ( 57-35 percent ) .
And in the combined 11 battleground states — Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Wisconsin — Biden leads Trump by 12 points , 52 percent to 40 percent .
What 's more , half of voters — 50 percent — say there is no chance at all they would vote for Trump ( compared with 37 percent who say the same of Biden ) .
And in a separate question , a majority — 52 percent — say they would be `` very uncomfortable '' voting for Trump ( compared with 38 percent who say that of Biden ) .

Former Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, smiles during an primary night rally in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
WASHINGTON — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a double-digit lead nationally over President Donald Trump, with 7 in 10 voters saying the country is on the wrong track, and majorities disapproving of the president's handling of the coronavirus and race relations.
Those are the major findings of a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that comes three and a half months before the 2020 presidential election, amid a pandemic that has killed approximately 140,000 Americans, and during protests and debate over race across the country.
The poll shows Biden ahead of Trump by 11 points among registered voters, 51 percent to 40 percent, which is well outside the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Biden's lead in last month's poll was 7 points, 49 percent to 42 percent.
In addition, the poll shows Democrats enjoying an intensity advantage heading into November, and it has Trump's job rating declining to 42 percent — its lowest level in two years.
"The atmosphere and the attitudes toward Donald Trump are the most challenging an incumbent president has faced since Jimmy Carter in 1980 and Lyndon Johnson in 1968," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, whose firm conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
But the survey also finds silver linings for Trump and the GOP, as well as warning signs for Biden and the Democrats: A majority of voters approve of the president's handling of the economy; Biden's personal ratings have dropped since last month; and Democrats no longer hold a double-digit lead in congressional preference.
"As Americans are coping with the coronavirus and a reckoning on race, politically, there is a great deal of sorting going on," added Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates. "We are a long ways away from knowing how this will all play out in voters' minds."
In his matchup against Trump, Biden's biggest advantages are with African American voters (80 percent to 6 percent); Latinos (67-22 percent); voters ages 18 to 34 (62-23 percent); women (58-35 percent); and white voters with college degrees (53-38 percent).
Trump is ahead among all white voters (49 percent to 42 percent), men (45-43 percent) and whites without college degrees (57-35 percent).
And in the combined 11 battleground states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Biden leads Trump by 12 points, 52 percent to 40 percent.
What's more, half of voters — 50 percent — say there is no chance at all they would vote for Trump (compared with 37 percent who say the same of Biden).
And in a separate question, a majority — 52 percent — say they would be "very uncomfortable" voting for Trump (compared with 38 percent who say that of Biden).


cnbc--2020-07-16--Trump is running out of time to craft an economic agenda for reelection as Biden gains ground

WASHINGTON — There is one outlier amid all the gloom of President Donald Trump 's cratering poll numbers this summer : Public approval of his handling of the economy .
According to Real Clear Politics ' polling average , voters currently disapprove by double digits of Trump 's response to the coronavirus pandemic , his handling of foreign policy and the general direction of the country .
When it comes to the economy , though , even in the midst of a historically rapid recession and an unemployment rate of 11 % , Trump remains above water .
But even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under four months until Election Day .
New polling released Wednesday by CNBC/Change Research found that only 46 % of likely voters approved of Trump 's handling of the economy , versus 54 % who disapproved .
The poll also showed a dramatic shift over the past two weeks in how independent voters grade the president 's handling of the economy .
In late June , the same poll showed Trump 's economic approval ratings underwater by eight points with independents .
Two weeks later , that deficit had swelled to a 28-point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling pollsters they disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy .
Biden and his campaign strategists know the economy is Trump 's traditional strong suit .
So they 're moving quickly to do something about it , by releasing a series of plans .
The first is a `` buy American '' platform that takes the fight to Trump 's economic nationalist turf .
The second , released on Tuesday , is a green jobs plan .
So far , Trump has struggled to respond to them .
After the buy American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that Biden 's proposal ripped off his own policies while also going too far left .
Following Biden 's Tuesday event , Trump convened the White House press and spent more than an hour reading a list of Biden 's proposals aloud , inadvertently drawing more attention to his opponent 's agenda than his own .
Trump 's mixed-up messages are not isolated examples of the president getting caught flat-footed .
Instead , they reflect a broader failure throughout Trump 's political universe to craft an economic platform for the president to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan could come from Trump himself , much like the bulk of his 2016 campaign economic platform did .
Alternatively , it could be spearheaded by top White House economic advisors , like the massive 2017 Trump tax cut bill was .
The third option is that an economic platform for Trump could come out of his reelection campaign itself .
As recently as late May of this year , top strategists for Trump 's campaign were reportedly working with the White House on an overhaul of the GOP 's official platform to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As a Republican , economic messaging is your bread and butter , '' said Christine Matthews , a Republican pollster who has closely studied what messages resonate most with moderate Republicans and independent voters .
Republicans `` might not always have the best answers on , say , the environment , but the economy is where they run the tables , '' Matthews said .
Given that the public still gives Trump relatively high marks on economic policy , `` why would you not embrace that , and run into that ? ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ go before Nov. 3 , time is running out for Trump to chart an economic course for his reelection effort .
Trump has always approached economic policies not as part of a grand vision , but as a way to deliver on specific campaign promises he made to his supporters in 2016 : Tax cuts , trade wars and deregulation .
Taken together , these tactics came to define Trump 's first-term economic agenda .
This time around , Trump is furious that , as he sees it , the coronavirus pandemic `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his surest path to reelection .
Determined to move on from the pandemic , Trump insists he and his administration have `` done a great job , '' despite the current explosion of daily infections .
The closest Trump has come in recent months to laying out a second-term economic agenda was part of a response he gave earlier this month to his friend and Fox News host Sean Hannity .
After first pledging to `` defeat the invisible enemy , '' one of the terms he uses for coronavirus , Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy , we 're going to bring back jobs from all of these foreign lands that have stolen our jobs on horrible trade deals .
We are going to continue to make great trade deals . ''
At that point , Trump pivoted from the economy to the border wall .
Given exchanges like that one , it 's easy to see why Trump might prefer to focus on culture-war issues such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the removal of Confederate monuments .
`` Our nation is witnessing a merciless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defame our heroes , erase our values , and indoctrinate our children , '' Trump said in a speech at Mount Rushmore over the Fourth of July that offered a preview of how he plans to frame the election .
Earlier this month , Trump attacked a recent decision by NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at races , and he demanded that Bubba Wallace , the league 's only full-time Black driver , apologize after NASCAR officials investigated a noose found in Wallace 's garage .
Trump has hosted official White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice protesters `` thugs '' and encouraged violent responses to peaceful demonstrations .
He signed an executive order increasing the penalty for vandalizing federal monuments in response to the toppling of statues featuring slave owners and Confederate generals .
On Tuesday night , Trump tweeted : `` You & your children wo n't be SAFE in Biden 's America , and neither will anyone else ! ''
For Trump , this is all part of a wide-ranging effort to style himself as the candidate of `` law and order , '' and Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mayhem .
Yet several Republican donors and strategists say Trump 's pivot to law and order is a mistake , one that risks alienating voters the party needs if it hopes to build a winning coalition in November .
`` Trump 's a businessman first and foremost , and focusing on the economy is a pillar of Trump 's success , along with judicial appointments and his America First agenda , '' said Dan Eberhart , a Texas-based Republican political donor and a Trump supporter .
`` This recent pivot to law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will ultimately not convince the pursuable centrist voters Trump needs to defeat Biden , '' Eberhart told CNBC .
`` Though it was just launched , it 's already time for a U-turn . ''
`` The voters Trump is losing right now are white , college-educated men , the ones who actually respond best to economic messaging , '' said Matthews , the Republican pollster .
She explained that for the past four years , white college-educated men have been able to justify supporting Trump by ignoring his divisive and racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great his economic policies are .
`` They 'll say , 'Well , he tweets too much , ' or ' I do n't really agree with some of the things he says , ' but then they always come back around to , 'Well , he 's great on my taxes and my 401 ( k ) s and my investments , ' '' she said .
`` But now , by doubling down on this culture-war stuff and refusing to provide an economic road map for a second term , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white , college-educated men ca n't claim anymore that they support Trump because they like his economic plans , '' she added .
`` He 's forcing them out of his coalition by leaving them nothing to hold up as a reason to vote for him .
`` It 's 'you 're either with me for the culture wars , or there 's nothing here for you . '
'' Any potential Trump campaign U-turn would also be made more complicated by the president 's ongoing refusal to fully address the deadly threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't really have a positive economic message until he gets a handle on the pandemic .
But he lives in his own thought bubble , with magical thinking like that the virus is going to just disappear on its own , or that parents should n't worry about their kids getting sick , '' Matthews said .
`` Out here in the real world , no one wants to do magical thinking about their kids and their health and their family 's health , '' she added .
There is an exodus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic team .
In the past month alone , a half-dozen staffers have either left their positions or announced plans to leave .
The most high-profile departure was that of Kevin Hassett , a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors who had returned to help oversee the coronavirus economic recovery plans .
Another significant departure was that of Bimal Patel , who served as assistant treasury secretary for financial institutions until the end of June .
Most recently , Patel was the chief liaison between the Treasury Department and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that made individual Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses .
Should there be a second round of PPP loans later this summer , Patel will no longer be there to oversee the lending side of the massive program .
The rise in White House departures `` reflects a great deal of confusion about the path going forward by the Republican economists there and the terrible situation we find ourselves in , '' said Bill Hoagland , a senior VP at the Bipartisan Policy Center , to the Washington Post .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially at the career staff level . ''
Biden 's rollout last week of his `` buy American '' plan highlighted some of the tensions inside the White House economic team .
Specifically , the plan revived speculation about the fate of a proposed executive order to shift pharmaceutical and medical supply production back into the United States .
Drafted several months ago by hawkish White House trade advisor Peter Navarro , the executive order stalled after it encountered opposition from the more laissez-faire faction within Trump 's economic team .
It did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's former advisor , publicly praised the Biden plan , noting that the vice president `` has very smart people around him , particularly on the economic side . ''
Another symptom of the dysfunction within the White House economic team is the failure so far to lay out a comprehensive plan , or even a set of consistent principles , to guide the federal response to the economic devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic .
Instead , the administration has reacted to historic job losses and business closures with a series of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which will be debated in Washington this month .
With a week or so left before negotiations begin in earnest , it remains unclear where the president stands on key issues in the next round of funding , such as another round of small business loans .
Congressional negotiators have also previously complained of conflicting messages coming from different White House advisors .
Trump has signaled that he favors more direct payments to individuals .
Yet most experts chalk this up to election-year considerations , rather than to any specific idea that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic 's ongoing economic fallout .
With the White House focused on more immediate problems , the task of crafting a cohesive economic message for the president would typically fall to the campaign , whose leaders bear responsibility for making sure that the issues important to voters do n't get lost amid the daily news cycles .
But so far Trump 's campaign team has not produced a forward-looking economic plan .
No movement from the campaign Given the Trump campaign 's well-known emphasis on digital fundraising , data and organizing , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump campaign reelection website up-to-date .
On the contrary , it looks as if it 's been at least a year since the Trump campaign updated the bullet points on its `` Economy and Jobs '' issue page .
Other Trump issue pages , including those for hot-button issues such as `` Law and Justice '' and `` Health Care , '' are equally skimpy and out of date .
CNBC reached out to the Trump campaign to ask whether there was somewhere else on the website that had a more up-to-date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even a second-term agenda .
In response , deputy national press secretary Ken Farnaso emailed CNBC a boilerplate statement the campaign had previously given to other news outlets when they asked about Trump 's campaign agenda .
The statement read , in part : `` The best is yet to come .
Whether it be keeping taxes low for Americans , renegotiating failed trade deals like NAFTA , protecting and enforcing immigration laws , creating an economic renaissance with record low unemployment rates , or strengthening our military , 'Promises Made , Promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's a bold track record of success . ''
CNBC also reached out to the Biden campaign for this story .
Trump 's `` presidency has thrown American manufacturing into a recession , killed tens of millions of jobs , and sent the strong economy he inherited from the Obama-Biden Administration into a full-on meltdown , '' said Biden 's director of rapid response , Andrew Bates .
`` Joe Biden 's vision for reinvigorating American industry , building our economy back better , and restoring the middle class is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' One reason the Trump campaign 's lack of an economic message is particularly galling , say Republicans , is because it would be so easy to put one together .
`` Even though the economy is struggling , there 's still room for a positive economic message this year , '' said Matthews , the founder of Bellwether Research and Consulting in Alexandria , Virginia .
Unlike 2008 , she said , when the housing collapse tore through middle-class communities , `` many white-collar workers are doing OK , and their jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also pointed out that the stories behind the trillions of dollars in coronavirus recovery funds Republicans have already distributed this year basically amount to ready-made campaign ads for GOP candidates .
Eberhart , who is CEO of Canary LLC , one of the nation 's largest oilfield services providers , said much the same thing as Matthews .
`` I wish Karl Rove would tap [ Trump campaign manager ] Brad Parscale on the shoulder and tell him to highlight the businesses that have been helped by the PPP , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` You 've practically got to use a magnifying glass to find 'feel good ' stories of jobs the PPP has helped save . ''
A message about how the GOP is helping small businesses would also transfer easily to down-ballot races , where it could benefit vulnerable Senate incumbents .
`` There 's no message better for an incumbent than what they 're doing to help their constituents economically , '' said Matthews .

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office at the White House after receiving a briefing from top law enforcement officials on operations against the MS-13 gang in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2020. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — There is one outlier amid all the gloom of President Donald Trump's cratering poll numbers this summer: Public approval of his handling of the economy. According to Real Clear Politics' polling average, voters currently disapprove by double digits of Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic, his handling of foreign policy and the general direction of the country. When it comes to the economy, though, even in the midst of a historically rapid recession and an unemployment rate of 11%, Trump remains above water. But even that edge is disappearing, with just under four months until Election Day. New polling released Wednesday by CNBC/Change Research found that only 46% of likely voters approved of Trump's handling of the economy, versus 54% who disapproved. The poll also showed a dramatic shift over the past two weeks in how independent voters grade the president's handling of the economy. In late June, the same poll showed Trump's economic approval ratings underwater by eight points with independents. Two weeks later, that deficit had swelled to a 28-point deficit, with 64% of independents telling pollsters they disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy. Biden and his campaign strategists know the economy is Trump's traditional strong suit. So they're moving quickly to do something about it, by releasing a series of plans. The first is a "buy American" platform that takes the fight to Trump's economic nationalist turf. The second, released on Tuesday, is a green jobs plan. So far, Trump has struggled to respond to them. After the buy American plan was released last week, Trump claimed that Biden's proposal ripped off his own policies while also going too far left. Following Biden's Tuesday event, Trump convened the White House press and spent more than an hour reading a list of Biden's proposals aloud, inadvertently drawing more attention to his opponent's agenda than his own.
President Donald J. Trump stops to talk to reporters as he walks to board Marine One and depart from the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, July 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Trump's mixed-up messages are not isolated examples of the president getting caught flat-footed. Instead, they reflect a broader failure throughout Trump's political universe to craft an economic platform for the president to run for reelection on. Such a plan could come from Trump himself, much like the bulk of his 2016 campaign economic platform did. Alternatively, it could be spearheaded by top White House economic advisors, like the massive 2017 Trump tax cut bill was. The third option is that an economic platform for Trump could come out of his reelection campaign itself. As recently as late May of this year, top strategists for Trump's campaign were reportedly working with the White House on an overhaul of the GOP's official platform to better fit Trump's priorities. "As a Republican, economic messaging is your bread and butter," said Christine Matthews, a Republican pollster who has closely studied what messages resonate most with moderate Republicans and independent voters. Republicans "might not always have the best answers on, say, the environment, but the economy is where they run the tables," Matthews said. Given that the public still gives Trump relatively high marks on economic policy, "why would you not embrace that, and run into that?" But with just over 100 days to go before Nov. 3, time is running out for Trump to chart an economic course for his reelection effort.
Trump prefers culture wars
Trump has always approached economic policies not as part of a grand vision, but as a way to deliver on specific campaign promises he made to his supporters in 2016: Tax cuts, trade wars and deregulation. Taken together, these tactics came to define Trump's first-term economic agenda. This time around, Trump is furious that, as he sees it, the coronavirus pandemic "stole" the prosperous economy that was his surest path to reelection. Determined to move on from the pandemic, Trump insists he and his administration have "done a great job," despite the current explosion of daily infections. The closest Trump has come in recent months to laying out a second-term economic agenda was part of a response he gave earlier this month to his friend and Fox News host Sean Hannity. "What's your second-term agenda?" Hannity asked Trump in a phone interview.
watch now
After first pledging to "defeat the invisible enemy," one of the terms he uses for coronavirus, Trump said: "We are going to rebuild the economy, we're going to bring back jobs from all of these foreign lands that have stolen our jobs on horrible trade deals. We are going to continue to make great trade deals." At that point, Trump pivoted from the economy to the border wall. Given exchanges like that one, it's easy to see why Trump might prefer to focus on culture-war issues such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the removal of Confederate monuments. "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children," Trump said in a speech at Mount Rushmore over the Fourth of July that offered a preview of how he plans to frame the election. Earlier this month, Trump attacked a recent decision by NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at races, and he demanded that Bubba Wallace, the league's only full-time Black driver, apologize after NASCAR officials investigated a noose found in Wallace's garage. TRUMP TWEET Trump has hosted official White House events featuring police officers, called racial justice protesters "thugs" and encouraged violent responses to peaceful demonstrations. He signed an executive order increasing the penalty for vandalizing federal monuments in response to the toppling of statues featuring slave owners and Confederate generals. On Tuesday night, Trump tweeted: "You & your children won't be SAFE in Biden's America, and neither will anyone else!" For Trump, this is all part of a wide-ranging effort to style himself as the candidate of "law and order," and Democrats as the party of lawlessness, crime and mayhem. Yet several Republican donors and strategists say Trump's pivot to law and order is a mistake, one that risks alienating voters the party needs if it hopes to build a winning coalition in November. "Trump's a businessman first and foremost, and focusing on the economy is a pillar of Trump's success, along with judicial appointments and his America First agenda," said Dan Eberhart, a Texas-based Republican political donor and a Trump supporter. "This recent pivot to law and order and culture wars is ill-conceived and will ultimately not convince the pursuable centrist voters Trump needs to defeat Biden," Eberhart told CNBC. "Though it was just launched, it's already time for a U-turn." "The voters Trump is losing right now are white, college-educated men, the ones who actually respond best to economic messaging," said Matthews, the Republican pollster. She explained that for the past four years, white college-educated men have been able to justify supporting Trump by ignoring his divisive and racist rhetoric in favor of pointing out how great his economic policies are. "They'll say, 'Well, he tweets too much,' or 'I don't really agree with some of the things he says,' but then they always come back around to, 'Well, he's great on my taxes and my 401(k)s and my investments,'" she said. "But now, by doubling down on this culture-war stuff and refusing to provide an economic road map for a second term, Trump is making it so that these same white, college-educated men can't claim anymore that they support Trump because they like his economic plans," she added. "He's forcing them out of his coalition by leaving them nothing to hold up as a reason to vote for him. "It's 'you're either with me for the culture wars, or there's nothing here for you.'"
US President Donald Trump arrives for the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty images
Any potential Trump campaign U-turn would also be made more complicated by the president's ongoing refusal to fully address the deadly threat posed by the coronavirus. "Trump can't really have a positive economic message until he gets a handle on the pandemic. But he lives in his own thought bubble, with magical thinking like that the virus is going to just disappear on its own, or that parents shouldn't worry about their kids getting sick," Matthews said. "Out here in the real world, no one wants to do magical thinking about their kids and their health and their family's health," she added.
Confusion and division
Another potential source of ideas for Trump's economic platform is his economic team at the White House, which has taken the lead on implementing Trump's first-term economic priorities. But there are problems here, too.
watch now
There is an exodus underway among key members of Trump's economic team. In the past month alone, a half-dozen staffers have either left their positions or announced plans to leave. The most high-profile departure was that of Kevin Hassett, a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors who had returned to help oversee the coronavirus economic recovery plans. Another significant departure was that of Bimal Patel, who served as assistant treasury secretary for financial institutions until the end of June. Most recently, Patel was the chief liaison between the Treasury Department and the thousands of banks and credit unions that made individual Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses. Should there be a second round of PPP loans later this summer, Patel will no longer be there to oversee the lending side of the massive program. The rise in White House departures "reflects a great deal of confusion about the path going forward by the Republican economists there and the terrible situation we find ourselves in," said Bill Hoagland, a senior VP at the Bipartisan Policy Center, to the Washington Post. "It's a high level of frustration, especially at the career staff level."
Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Biden's rollout last week of his "buy American" plan highlighted some of the tensions inside the White House economic team. Specifically, the plan revived speculation about the fate of a proposed executive order to shift pharmaceutical and medical supply production back into the United States. Drafted several months ago by hawkish White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, the executive order stalled after it encountered opposition from the more laissez-faire faction within Trump's economic team. It didn't help that Steve Bannon, Trump's former advisor, publicly praised the Biden plan, noting that the vice president "has very smart people around him, particularly on the economic side." Another symptom of the dysfunction within the White House economic team is the failure so far to lay out a comprehensive plan, or even a set of consistent principles, to guide the federal response to the economic devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the administration has reacted to historic job losses and business closures with a series of ad hoc recovery bills, the fourth of which will be debated in Washington this month. With a week or so left before negotiations begin in earnest, it remains unclear where the president stands on key issues in the next round of funding, such as another round of small business loans. Congressional negotiators have also previously complained of conflicting messages coming from different White House advisors. Trump has signaled that he favors more direct payments to individuals. Yet most experts chalk this up to election-year considerations, rather than to any specific idea that Trump has about how to address the pandemic's ongoing economic fallout. With the White House focused on more immediate problems, the task of crafting a cohesive economic message for the president would typically fall to the campaign, whose leaders bear responsibility for making sure that the issues important to voters don't get lost amid the daily news cycles. But so far Trump's campaign team has not produced a forward-looking economic plan.
No movement from the campaign
Given the Trump campaign's well-known emphasis on digital fundraising, data and organizing, one might think staffers would also prioritize keeping the Trump campaign reelection website up-to-date. On the contrary, it looks as if it's been at least a year since the Trump campaign updated the bullet points on its "Economy and Jobs" issue page. Other Trump issue pages, including those for hot-button issues such as "Law and Justice" and "Health Care," are equally skimpy and out of date. CNBC reached out to the Trump campaign to ask whether there was somewhere else on the website that had a more up-to-date list of Trump's accomplishments or maybe even a second-term agenda. In response, deputy national press secretary Ken Farnaso emailed CNBC a boilerplate statement the campaign had previously given to other news outlets when they asked about Trump's campaign agenda. The statement read, in part: "The best is yet to come. Whether it be keeping taxes low for Americans, renegotiating failed trade deals like NAFTA, protecting and enforcing immigration laws, creating an economic renaissance with record low unemployment rates, or strengthening our military, 'Promises Made, Promises Kept' isn't just a motto, it's a bold track record of success."
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about the U.S. economy during a campaign event at McGregor Industries, a metal works plant that manufactures stairs and stair railings, in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, July 9, 2020. Tom Brenner | Reuters
CNBC also reached out to the Biden campaign for this story. Trump's "presidency has thrown American manufacturing into a recession, killed tens of millions of jobs, and sent the strong economy he inherited from the Obama-Biden Administration into a full-on meltdown," said Biden's director of rapid response, Andrew Bates. "Joe Biden's vision for reinvigorating American industry, building our economy back better, and restoring the middle class is the antithesis of Donald Trump's failures." One reason the Trump campaign's lack of an economic message is particularly galling, say Republicans, is because it would be so easy to put one together. "Even though the economy is struggling, there's still room for a positive economic message this year," said Matthews, the founder of Bellwether Research and Consulting in Alexandria, Virginia. Unlike 2008, she said, when the housing collapse tore through middle-class communities, "many white-collar workers are doing OK, and their jobs are not in jeopardy." Matthews also pointed out that the stories behind the trillions of dollars in coronavirus recovery funds Republicans have already distributed this year basically amount to ready-made campaign ads for GOP candidates.
US President Donald Trump shows a signed Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2020. Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images


cnbc--2020-07-15--Trump's approval rating on the economy tanks in new poll

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington , July 14 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump 's approval rating on his handling of the U.S. economy has dropped dramatically in the last month , according to a new poll .
The poll , from Quinnipiac University , shows that only 44 % of people approve of the way Trump is handling the U.S. economy , compared with 52 % from the month before .
Trump 's stewardship of the economy had been one of the only bright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The dramatic drop is an ominous sign for his reelection prospects .
The results come just after the release of what Trump called a `` spectacular '' jobs report , which revealed that the economy in June added 4.8 million jobs , a figure that surpassed projections .
But his rival , former Vice President Joe Biden , has suggested that the jobs report was n't reflective of the reality for many Americans .
`` Make no mistake , we 're still in a deep , deep job hole because Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , '' the presumptive Democratic nominee said .
`` For everyone whose job has n't come back , for everyone who does n't own stock , who ca n't get a sweetheart loan through connections , does this feel like a victory ? ''
Meanwhile , 50 % of those surveyed say that Biden would do a better job handling the economy than Trump , while 45 % said he would not .
The poll was conducted between July 9 and July 13 .
There were 1,273 respondents , and the poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.8 percentage points .
New polling released Wednesday by CNBC/Change Research found that only 46 % of likely voters approved of Trump 's handling of the economy , versus 54 % who disapproved .
The poll also showed a dramatic shift over the past two weeks in how independent voters grade the president 's handling of the economy .
In late June , the same poll showed Trump 's economic approval ratings underwater by eight points with independents .
Two weeks later , that deficit had swelled to a 28-point deficit , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy .
Overall , Biden is leading the president by a wide margin nationally and in critical swing states in most recent polls as the campaign season heads into its final phase .
The RealClearPolitics national polling average shows Biden , with 48.3 % voter support , substantially ahead of Trump , with 40.2 % support .
Trump also received dismal marks for his handling of the U.S. response to the coronavirus .
The Quinnipiac poll shows that only 35 % of voters approved of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicated disapproval .
This rating is the lowest he 's received since March , according to a press release from Quinnipiac University .
More than half the respondents , or 59 % , said Biden would handle the pandemic well , compared with 35 % who said the opposite .
The coronavirus has roiled markets , forcing thousands of small businesses nationwide to shutter in an effort to limit movement and contain the virus .
The coronavirus outbreak has spread worldwide , with more than 13.3 million confirmed cases and over 578,600 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University .
The U.S. has had at least 3.4 million cases and 136,400 deaths , according to the latest tallies .

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, July 14, 2020.
President Donald Trump's approval rating on his handling of the U.S. economy has dropped dramatically in the last month, according to a new poll.
The poll, from Quinnipiac University, shows that only 44% of people approve of the way Trump is handling the U.S. economy, compared with 52% from the month before.
Trump's stewardship of the economy had been one of the only bright spots for the president in recent polls. The dramatic drop is an ominous sign for his reelection prospects.
The results come just after the release of what Trump called a "spectacular" jobs report, which revealed that the economy in June added 4.8 million jobs, a figure that surpassed projections.
But his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, has suggested that the jobs report wasn't reflective of the reality for many Americans.
"Make no mistake, we're still in a deep, deep job hole because Donald Trump has so badly bungled the response to coronavirus," the presumptive Democratic nominee said. "For everyone whose job hasn't come back, for everyone who doesn't own stock, who can't get a sweetheart loan through connections, does this feel like a victory?"
Meanwhile, 50% of those surveyed say that Biden would do a better job handling the economy than Trump, while 45% said he would not. The poll was conducted between July 9 and July 13. There were 1,273 respondents, and the poll had a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
New polling released Wednesday by CNBC/Change Research found that only 46% of likely voters approved of Trump's handling of the economy, versus 54% who disapproved.


cnbc--2020-07-15--Fauci says White House's 'bizarre' efforts to discredit him hurt Trump, adds Peter Navarro is 'in a

Fauci says White House's 'bizarre' efforts to discredit him hurt Trump, adds Peter Navarro is 'in a world by himself'

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the `` bizarre '' recent efforts from White House officials to discredit him ultimately harm President Donald Trump , and offered some choice words for the president 's trade advisor Peter Navarro .
`` I can not figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that , '' Fauci said in an interview with The Atlantic published Wednesday .
Fauci was responding to a list shared over the weekend by a White House official that resembled an opposition research-type document used in political campaigns , highlighting Fauci 's past comments about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outlet , `` is totally wrong .
It 's nonsense .
It 's completely wrong .
The whole thing is wrong .
The whole thing is incorrect . ''
`` I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do , because it 's only reflecting negatively on them , '' said Fauci , the nation 's top infectious disease expert , in the interview .
He was also asked about a scathing op-ed published Tuesday night by Navarro , who wrote that Fauci `` has been wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on . ''
`` I ca n't explain Peter Navarro ; he 's in a world by himself .
So I do n't even want to go there , '' Fauci said .
The White House said earlier Wednesday that it had not approved Navarro 's article .
Navarro 's op-ed , which was published in USA Today , `` did n't go through normal White House clearance processes , '' White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said on Twitter .
The piece is `` the opinion of Peter alone , '' Farah said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration . ''
Trump , when asked in the Oval Office later Wednesday if he was OK with the piece , said , `` That 's Peter Navarro , but I have a very good relationship with Dr .
Fauci . ''
The administration 's efforts to distance itself from Navarro 's article came days after the White House denied it is seeking to discredit Fauci , who has provided sometimes dire warnings about the trajectory of the coronavirus that clash with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the notion that there 's opposition research and that there 's Fauci versus the president , it could n't be further from the truth , '' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a press briefing Monday .
`` Dr. Fauci and the president have always had a very good working relationship . ''
Trump said Monday that while `` I do n't always agree with '' Fauci , `` we get along very well , I like him personally . ''
Fauci also told The Atlantic he would not resign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight against the coronavirus pandemic .
`` I think the problem is too important for me to get into those kinds of thoughts and discussions .
I just want to do my job .
I 'm really good at it .
I think I can contribute .
And I 'm going to keep doing it , '' Fauci said .
Still , Fauci acknowledged that `` obviously , we 've got to do better .
We 've got to almost reset this and say , 'Okay , let 's stop this nonsense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Trump 's chief of staff , Mark Meadows , about the list of his prior remarks that was circulated by the White House .
`` Ultimately , it hurts the president to do that .
When the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it , it ultimately hurts the president , '' Fauci told The Atlantic .
`` And I do n't really want to hurt the president .
But that 's what 's happening .
I told him I thought it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't serve any good purpose for what we 're trying to do . ''
Meadows did not apologize and said he did n't know about the list , according to Fauci .
But two officials told NBC News reported later Wednesday that Meadows advised White House staff to stop attacking Fauci .
Meadows `` was n't happy '' about the op-ed , one of the officials told NBC .
Other White House officials have recently taken shots at Fauci .
Over the weekend , Trump 's close aide Dan Scavino reportedly shared a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a faucet whose spout drips alarming messages about the pandemic — such as `` Schools stay closed this fall ! ''
and `` Indefinite lockdown ! ''
— that threaten to drown the economy .
`` Sorry , Dr. Faucet !
At least you know if I 'm going to disagree with a colleague , such as yourself , it 's done publicly — and not cowardly , behind journalists with leaks , '' Scavino wrote on Facebook alongside the post .
`` See you tomorrow ! ''
Navarro wrote in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good bedside manner with the public , but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on . ''
The trade advisor accuses Fauci of having `` fought against the president 's courageous decision '' in late January to restrict travel to the U.S. from China , and for downplaying the risk of a possible pandemic when the virus first started to emerge .
`` Now Fauci says a falling mortality rate does n't matter when it is the single most important statistic to help guide the pace of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Administration officials including Trump have recently pointed out that the mortality rate has not increased in line with the surge of cases currently being experienced in a number of Southern and Western states .
`` The lower the mortality rate , the faster and more we can open , '' Navarro wrote .
`` So when you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauci 's advice , my answer is : only with skepticism and caution , '' Navarro wrote .
Vice President Mike Pence , who leads the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted a photo of himself sitting next to Fauci during a `` productive '' meeting of the group .

Dr. Anthony Fauci (R), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on April 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the "bizarre" recent efforts from White House officials to discredit him ultimately harm President Donald Trump, and offered some choice words for the president's trade advisor Peter Navarro. "I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that," Fauci said in an interview with The Atlantic published Wednesday. Fauci was responding to a list shared over the weekend by a White House official that resembled an opposition research-type document used in political campaigns, highlighting Fauci's past comments about the coronavirus. That list, Fauci told the outlet, "is totally wrong. It's nonsense. It's completely wrong. The whole thing is wrong. The whole thing is incorrect." "I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it's only reflecting negatively on them," said Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, in the interview. He was also asked about a scathing op-ed published Tuesday night by Navarro, who wrote that Fauci "has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on." "I can't explain Peter Navarro; he's in a world by himself. So I don't even want to go there," Fauci said.
Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro speaks to members of the press outside the West Wing of the White House June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images
The White House said earlier Wednesday that it had not approved Navarro's article. Navarro's op-ed, which was published in USA Today, "didn't go through normal White House clearance processes," White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said on Twitter. The piece is "the opinion of Peter alone," Farah said in the tweet, adding that Trump "values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration." Farah TWEET Trump, when asked in the Oval Office later Wednesday if he was OK with the piece, said, "That's Peter Navarro, but I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci." The administration's efforts to distance itself from Navarro's article came days after the White House denied it is seeking to discredit Fauci, who has provided sometimes dire warnings about the trajectory of the coronavirus that clash with Trump's more optimistic rhetoric.
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cnbc--2020-07-15--The world will make China 'pay a price' over coronavirus outbreak, Mike Pompeo says

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington , D.C. , U.S. , July 15 , 2020 .
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that he believes the world will make China `` pay a price '' for the coronavirus pandemic .
`` I think the world will absolutely make them pay a price , '' the nation 's top diplomat said during a virtual event with The Hill .
`` Every place I go , every foreign minister that I talk to , they recognize what China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm very confident that the world will look at China differently and engage with them fundamentally different than they did before this catastrophic disaster , '' Pompeo said .
The Trump administration for months has hinted that the U.S. would take steps to punish China for failing to prevent the deadly virus , which was first observed in the Chinese city of Wuhan , from spreading around the globe .
On Tuesday , President Donald Trump signed legislation to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong 's autonomy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Kayla Tausche that Trump plans to hold off on sanctions for the time being over concerns of a worsening relationship with China .

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2020.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that he believes the world will make China "pay a price" for the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think the world will absolutely make them pay a price," the nation's top diplomat said during a virtual event with The Hill.
"Every place I go, every foreign minister that I talk to, they recognize what China has done to the world. I'm very confident that the world will look at China differently and engage with them fundamentally different than they did before this catastrophic disaster," Pompeo said.
The Trump administration for months has hinted that the U.S. would take steps to punish China for failing to prevent the deadly virus, which was first observed in the Chinese city of Wuhan, from spreading around the globe.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed legislation to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong's autonomy. However, two sources told CNBC's Kayla Tausche that Trump plans to hold off on sanctions for the time being over concerns of a worsening relationship with China.


cnbc--2020-07-15--Key Senate races in Alabama, Maine and Texas are set as GOP and Democrats fight for majority

The latest primaries set the stage for three of the Senate races that will determine which party controls the chamber after the November election .
In Alabama , Maine and Texas , voters on Tuesday chose challengers who will run in some of the country 's most closely watched races this fall in campaigns changed by the coronavirus pandemic .
Results in those states , along with a handful of others , will determine whether Republicans or Democrats have a Senate majority next year — and will help to shape the agenda the next president can pursue .
• Former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sessions in Alabama 's GOP Senate runoff as the ex-senator and attorney general tried to reclaim his old seat .
Tuberville will face Democratic Sen. Doug Jones , Sessions ' successor and the most vulnerable member of his party running this year .
• Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon won her Democratic primary and will take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins .
• Air Force veteran MJ Hegar won the Texas Democratic Senate primary runoff and will run against GOP Sen. John Cornyn in November .
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to flip a net four seats to control the chamber .
They have a favorable map this year : The GOP has to defend 23 Senate seats , while Democrats have only 12 up for grabs .
Races in states such as Arizona , Colorado , Georgia , Iowa , Michigan , Montana , New Hampshire and North Carolina will also decide Senate control .
The Senate 's partisan composition will play a huge role if presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden beats President Donald Trump in November .
A Democratic Senate would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies such as a health insurance public option or $ 15 an hour minimum wage .
A GOP majority would give Republicans a buffer against those plans in a Biden administration or more leverage in a second Trump term .
Tuberville , who coached Auburn from 1999 to 2008 , defeated Sessions with support from Trump , who has thrashed his former attorney general for years .
The president blames Sessions for special counsel Robert Mueller 's appointment to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election because he recused himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won a 2017 special election to complete Sessions ' term after the senator left for the Justice Department , has potentially the most difficult path of any senator to keeping his seat .
Trump won Alabama by nearly 30 percentage points in 2016 .
In a victory speech Tuesday night , Tuberville portrayed Jones as too liberal for Alabama and criticized him for his votes against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh 's confirmation and for Trump 's conviction and removal from office in the Senate impeachment trial .
`` Doug Jones ' Alabama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love and embrace and defend .
It 's a liberal fantasy , '' he said .
In a statement Tuesday night , Jones said he has `` passed seventeen bipartisan bills signed into law by President Trump . ''
He added that the `` choice before the voters is an unprepared hyper partisan that will add to the divide in Washington , or my proven track-record to find common ground and get things done . ''
Jones ' campaign raised $ 2.7 million in the second quarter , ending June with $ 8.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal Election Commission filing .
Tuberville 's campaign had raised about $ 667,000 through June 24 and had roughly $ 450,000 in the bank .
Collins has also tried to build a centrist brand during her four terms in the Senate .
She enraged both the right and left during Trump 's first term with her pivotal votes against Obamacare repeal and for Kavanaugh 's confirmation , respectively .
In response to her GOP nomination Tuesday night , Collins said `` I can assure you that I will continue to fight hard for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day . ''
In a state where Democrats have performed well in recent statewide elections , liberal opposition to the GOP senator has fueled a fundraising boom for Gideon .
Though she has not yet filed full second-quarter financial details with the FEC , her campaign said this month that it raised more than $ 9 million during the period .
The haul gives her a substantial fundraising advantage over the incumbent , who had raised about $ 3 million and had roughly $ 5 million on hand as of June 24 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticized Collins for her votes for many of Trump 's judicial nominees and the 2017 Republican tax cuts .
She said the senator has become part of a `` broken system '' in Washington .
`` Susan Collins has changed , and Mainers deserve better , '' she said .
Hegar defeated Democratic state Sen. Royce West in the runoff Tuesday to win the Democratic nomination .
`` Together , we are mounting a Texas-sized winning campaign that will take down Senator Cornyn and deliver real results on health care , racial justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration , and gun violence , '' she said in a statement Tuesday night .
But of the Alabama , Maine and Texas senators , Cornyn appears to have the best chance of keeping his seat — despite an ongoing blue drift in the Lone Star State .
Cornyn has a financial edge over Hegar , after his campaign said it raised $ 3.5 million in the second quarter and had $ 14.5 million in the bank .
The Democratic challenger raised more than $ 1.7 million in the second quarter and ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to filings .
In a statement responding to Hegar 's nomination , Cornyn 's campaign highlighted the senator 's work on issues including hurricane relief and gun background checks .
It also criticized Hegar for her support of a Medicare public option , saying it could lead to a single-payer `` Medicare for All '' system .

Mary Ottilie "MJ" Jennings Hegar on September 15, 2018 in Georgetown, Texas. Suzanne Cordeiro | AFP via Getty Images
The latest primaries set the stage for three of the Senate races that will determine which party controls the chamber after the November election. In Alabama, Maine and Texas, voters on Tuesday chose challengers who will run in some of the country's most closely watched races this fall in campaigns changed by the coronavirus pandemic. Results in those states, along with a handful of others, will determine whether Republicans or Democrats have a Senate majority next year — and will help to shape the agenda the next president can pursue. Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville defeated Jeff Sessions in Alabama's GOP Senate runoff as the ex-senator and attorney general tried to reclaim his old seat. Tuberville will face Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, Sessions' successor and the most vulnerable member of his party running this year.
Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon won her Democratic primary and will take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Air Force veteran MJ Hegar won the Texas Democratic Senate primary runoff and will run against GOP Sen. John Cornyn in November. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats would need to flip a net four seats to control the chamber. They have a favorable map this year: The GOP has to defend 23 Senate seats, while Democrats have only 12 up for grabs. Races in states such as Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire and North Carolina will also decide Senate control. The Senate's partisan composition will play a huge role if presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden beats President Donald Trump in November. A Democratic Senate would give Biden an easier path to passing policies such as a health insurance public option or $15 an hour minimum wage. A GOP majority would give Republicans a buffer against those plans in a Biden administration or more leverage in a second Trump term.
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Alabama
Tuberville, who coached Auburn from 1999 to 2008, defeated Sessions with support from Trump, who has thrashed his former attorney general for years. The president blames Sessions for special counsel Robert Mueller's appointment to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election because he recused himself from the probe. Jones, who won a 2017 special election to complete Sessions' term after the senator left for the Justice Department, has potentially the most difficult path of any senator to keeping his seat. Trump won Alabama by nearly 30 percentage points in 2016. In a victory speech Tuesday night, Tuberville portrayed Jones as too liberal for Alabama and criticized him for his votes against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation and for Trump's conviction and removal from office in the Senate impeachment trial. "Doug Jones' Alabama is not the conservative state that we love and embrace and defend. It's a liberal fantasy," he said. In a statement Tuesday night, Jones said he has "passed seventeen bipartisan bills signed into law by President Trump." He added that the "choice before the voters is an unprepared hyper partisan that will add to the divide in Washington, or my proven track-record to find common ground and get things done." Jones' campaign raised $2.7 million in the second quarter, ending June with $8.8 million on hand, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. Tuberville's campaign had raised about $667,000 through June 24 and had roughly $450,000 in the bank.
Maine
Collins has also tried to build a centrist brand during her four terms in the Senate. She enraged both the right and left during Trump's first term with her pivotal votes against Obamacare repeal and for Kavanaugh's confirmation, respectively. In response to her GOP nomination Tuesday night, Collins said "I can assure you that I will continue to fight hard for the state of Maine each and every day." Susan Collins tweet In a state where Democrats have performed well in recent statewide elections, liberal opposition to the GOP senator has fueled a fundraising boom for Gideon. Though she has not yet filed full second-quarter financial details with the FEC, her campaign said this month that it raised more than $9 million during the period. The haul gives her a substantial fundraising advantage over the incumbent, who had raised about $3 million and had roughly $5 million on hand as of June 24. In victory remarks Tuesday night, Gideon criticized Collins for her votes for many of Trump's judicial nominees and the 2017 Republican tax cuts. She said the senator has become part of a "broken system" in Washington. "Susan Collins has changed, and Mainers deserve better," she said.
Texas