Reporter Michelle Fields and editor Ben Shapiro Cartoon

Ben and Michelle

Donald 2.0: In an interview, Trump tones down the trash talk

When I sat down with Donald Trump for an interview at Mar-a-Lago, he directed our crew to soften the lighting and pull back on the close-up shot.
He was right. This is a man who knows how to project an image.
I wasn’t surprised at all when Trump was restrained at the CNN debate in Miami. He signaled pretty clearly in our interview that he was done trashing his rivals, at least for now. Trump, in the hallowed tradition of front-runners, is trying to pivot toward party unity.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. How, I wondered, could Trump be running an ad attacking Marco Rubio as “corrupt” and “dishonest,” but also say he wouldn’t rule him out as a running mate?
He responded with more positive words for Rubio. There was none of this Little Marco or Lying Ted stuff. He told me how he had had a constructive conversation with Paul Ryan.
The message was clear: Trump believes he has this thing just about wrapped up, and he wants to mend fences with his Republican detractors. And he told me he expected a milder atmosphere on the debate stage.
Of course, Trump lost control of this coming-together narrative when protestors shut down his Chicago rally the next night. This sparked a heated debate over whether these are thugs looking to suppress free speech or Trump is implicitly encouraging violence with his harsh remarks about protestors. He denied any responsibility in a round of testy Sunday show appearances.
Once again, the media focus was on Trump—he called in to several cable shows on Friday night to explain his decision to cancel the rally—but this time as disturbing scenes of crowd scuffles played out on the television screens.
CNN’s Jake Tapper, who deserves credit for the substantive and civil debate, foreshadowed what was to come by reading Trump the harsh remarks he has made about protestors at previous rallies and asking whether he bears any responsibility.
On that Florida stage Trump was prepared to counterpunch, but it turned out he didn’t have to.
Rubio has admitted that he was uncomfortable when he started hitting Trump with personal insults about small hands and spray-tanning, and embarrassed in front of his kids. He may have overcompensated, because he was a Boy Scout at the debate—his last real chance to buttress his last stand in Florida.
Cruz was also restrained. In fact, when the questioning turned to outbreaks of violence at Trump rallies, he passed up an opportunity to blame Trump. Instead he offered a mild jab about how candidates should pledge allegiance to their supporters, not the other way around. It was Trump who brought up negative information in response, dismissing a far-fetched “Today” show narrative that all those raised hands were reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
But he probably came closer to appearing presidential than in any of the 11 previous debates.
John Kasich, running neck and neck with Trump in Ohio, always takes the high road at debates, so the result was a subdued and issue-oriented affair that some folks complained was boring.
The next morning, Trump rolled out an endorsement by Ben Carson, despite the fact that he had attacked the doctor as “pathological” over elements of his life story. Politics is a strange business.
As our interview was winding down, I asked Trump about some of the thermonuclear attacks by some commentators on the left and right. He usually punches back at them personally, and there was a little of that.
But he also said he didn’t understand their “personal hatred” for him, that it was "unbelievable," that they didn’t know him and didn’t try to reach him and yet wrote terrible things about him. I believe that media attacks actually help him, because his supporters don’t trust the press, but Trump disagreed, and for one brief moment, it seemed like his feelings were hurt.
Donald Trump keeps saying he’s not a politician, but for all his tough talk, he has something in common with those in his new profession: He wants to be liked.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz. 

Breitbart reporter, editor resign over response to alleged assault by Trump campaign manager

A reporter and editor for the conservative news website Breitbart resigned their positions late Sunday over the site's response to an alleged assault on the reporter by Donald Trump's campaign manager.
Reporter Michelle Fields and editor Ben Shapiro confirmed their resignations in statements to Buzzfeed News and on social media.
Their departures from the site stem from the alleged actions of Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at a rally Wednesday night. Fields claimed that she was grabbed by the arm and pulled down. Washington Post reporter Ben Terris identified Lewandowski as the assailant. Fields did not see who grabbed her arm herself.
Lewandowski denied the incident took place, and called Fields "totally delusional" in a tweet. For her part, Fields accused the Trump campaign of character assassination.
"[Thursday] they released a statement calling me a liar. They have basically done a character assassination on me,” Fields told Fox News' Megyn Kelly Friday. “They're linking to blogs with conspiracies about me, and they're not telling the truth."
On Sunday, Fields wrote that she did not believe the site "has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways."
"Both Lewandowski and Trump maligned Michelle in the most repulsive fashion," Shapiro write in his statement to Buzzfeed. "Breitbart News not only stood by and did nothing outside of tepidly asking for an apology, they then attempted to abandon Michelle by silencing staff from tweeting or talking about the issue."
Shapiro's statement also slammed Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon, calling him "a bully [who] has sold out ... in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda."
There was no immediate response from Breitbart or the Trump campaign.

Trump says Americans are 'angry,' he's 'just the messenger'

Donald Trump dismissed criticism Sunday that he’s fueling the violence at his campaign rallies, saying he’s “just the messenger” for Americans’ festering frustration and urged campaign supporters in Illinois to “give me two years” to turn around the country.  
“We have protesters so mean. They are so bad,” the front-running GOP presidential candidate said at an outdoor rally in Bloomington, Ill. “Our people started swinging back, and the next day we are the bad guys.”
Trump’s comments at the rally follow a weekend of campaign events marred by violence and increasing calls for him to acknowledge that his fiery campaign rhetoric has caused at least some of the problems.
Among the problems are arrests, clashes between supporters and protesters, a would-be stage crasher and the cancellation of a rally Friday night in Chicago.
Trump told “Fox News Sunday” and others that Americans are “angry” about years of stagnant wages, few jobs and other issues -- including bad international trade deals and the lack of care for U.S. military veterans.
"The people are angry at that,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “They're not angry about something I'm saying. I'm just the messenger."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Saturday that Trump’s campaign rhetoric, including the argument that essentially all Muslims dislike America and his talk about "punching" campaign protesters, has incited the violence and is “creating a toxic environment."
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton said at a rally Saturday: "The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong, and it's dangerous. ... That's not leadership. That's political arson."
Trump also argued Sunday that his events draw crowds that far exceed those of his White House rivals -- including 35,000 people at a recent rally in Alabama -- so the repeated talk about violence is being exaggerated.
“Nobody’s ever been hurt,” he told Fox. “Some of these protesters are bad dudes. They swing and they punch.”
Trump said he doesn’t condone violence, including the case of the white male supporter who is accused of striking a black protester in the face during a recent rally in Fayetteville, N.C.
Trump also make stops Sunday in Ohio and Florida, ahead of voting Tuesday in those states and in Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina that could be make-or-break for candidates.
The Illinois rally was interrupted several times by protesters, which was followed by Trump unapologetically telling security to “get ‘em out.”
He also continued to argue that the protesters are hired and suggested that some of them are backed by the same people or groups that support Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont.
“Send them back to Bernie,” Trump shouted at the rally. “What happened in Chicago was a setup. … They are not protesters; They are disruptors.”
Trump also called up to the stage a rally attendee wearing a T-shirt that read: “I’m a legal alien.”
“I came here when I was 5 years old,” the man said. “I’m surprised to be up here. My parents did it by the book.”
A town hall-style event later Sunday in West Chester, Ohio, outside of Cincinnatti, then a rally in Boca Raton, Fla., were both interrupted by protestors.
Although the police presence was obvious in West Chester, the audience was far friendlier than at the past few Trump stops.
Only two protesters sneaked into the ballroom where Trump was speaking: a man holding a Sanders for president campaign sign and a woman who faced the news media covering the event and tore a Trump sign in half.  
Following Friday night’s unrest in Chicago before one of his rallies, Trump was met with protests and countless interruptions Saturday in Ohio and Missouri.
The Chicago Police Department said in a news release sent Saturday night that three men from Chicago and a 45-year-old woman from Michigan were arrested and charged for participating in a disturbance at the protest Friday night.
At a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, a man tried to breach the security buffer at the event and he was removed “rapidly and professionally,” Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said. Secret Service agents rushed the stage to protect Trump.
Thomas Dimassimo was identified as the barrier jumper. He was charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said.
Such problems continued in Kansas City, Mo., where Trump was interrupted numerous times. At least seven people stalled the rally in the first few minutes. And police had to pepper spray several protesters.
"I think they're Bernie [Sanders] supporters," Trump said of the protesters, pointing to at least one protester who appeared to be holding a sign in support of the senator.
Trump canceled his rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Friday after violence broke out in the arena where he was scheduled to speak.
He spoke later to Fox News, saying he canceled the event because he didn’t want to see “people get hurt.”
He said he made the decision to cancel after meeting with law enforcement authorities. Trump also said his First Amendment rights had been violated.
Hours earlier, Trump supporters and opponents stood calmly in a line together waiting to get inside. Police horses and barricades kept the bulk of the demonstrators across the street.
Trump opponents were protesting what they called his divisive comments, particularly about Muslims and Mexicans. Dozens of UIC faculty and staff had petitioned university administrators to cancel the rally, citing concerns it would create a "hostile and physically dangerous environment."
At one point, nearly 20 officers who had been manning barricades suddenly bolted for an intersection across a street bridge over a freeway -- where protesters shouted at and jostled with police already there. An officer was seen walking from that intersection with blood on his head.

Poll: Rubio drops to third in Florida, days before big Tuesday primaries

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio has dropped to third place just days ahead of a crucial primary in his home state of Florida, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday.
The primary, among five Tuesday, is essentially a must-win for Rubio, who significantly trails front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the delegate count. And Rubio’s drop in the poll appears to be another indication that his campaign might soon come to an end.
On Sunday, he continued to criticize the violence at Trump rallies, saying the candidate and protestors share the blame.
"You have a leading contender for president telling people in his audience, ‘Go ahead and punch someone in the face. I'll pay your legal bills,’ ” Rubio said in Florida. “That's wrong if our kids did it. That is disastrous if a president does it.” He has also acknowledged that some of the protestors appeared to be paid.
The CBS News 2016 Battleground Tracker poll shows Trump -- who has several, popular golf-resort properties in Florida -- maintaining his lead in the state’s winner-take-all primary, in which 99 delegates are at stake.
The billionaire businessman has 44 percent of the vote among registered voters in the state, compared to Cruz at 24 percent and Rubio at 21 percent.
At a rally Sunday in Ohio, Trump tried to portray Rubio as an unpopular senator who was elected in 2010 to go to Congress but has since repeatedly missed votes to instead campaign and further his political career.
The poll, conducted by the YouGov an online polling group, shows Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the remaining GOP presidential candidate, in a dead heat in Ohio, at 33 percent. They are followed by Cruz at 27 percent and Rubio at 5 percent.
On Sunday, Trump hit Kasich at rallies, including one in the Cincinnati area, for voting as a congressman in favor of the roughly 20-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement that critics say has taken away millions of manufacturing jobs, especially ones in so-called Rust Belt states such as Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
Kasich faces a similar situation as Rubio, needing to win in his home state to keep his campaign headed toward the GOP convention in July.
The popular governor has repeatedly vowed that he will win Ohio and that he will drop out if he loses the primary, in which the winner gets all 66 delegates.
Trump leads the delegate count 460, followed by Cruz with 370, Rubio with 163 and Kasich, who has yet to win a primary or caucus, with 63.
The three other states on Tuesday also holding primaries are North Carolina (72 delegates), Missouri (52 delegates) and Illinois (69 delegates.)
Trump also leads in Illinois -- 38 percent, followed by Cruz at 34 percent, Kasich at 16 percent and Rubio at 11 percent.
CBS said the numbers suggest Cruz is “emerging more generally in the minds of many non-Trump voters as the alternative to the frontrunner.”
While an “overwhelming number” of Trump supporters described him as “authentic and not beholden to big donors,” backers also described him as “too extreme at times,” according to the poll.
On the Democratic side, frontrunner Hillary Clinton has a big lead in Florida over rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 62-to-34 percent, according to the CBS poll.
However, she leads Sanders by single-digits in Ohio, 52-to-43 percent, the poll show. And Sanders has a narrow 48-46 percent lead in Illinois.
Early voting in Florida's primary comes to an end Sunday, with more than 1.9 million voters having already made their presidential choice.
Republican voters far outnumber Democratic ones, according to the latest figures released Sunday by the state Division of Elections.
Republicans account for more than 1.1 million early voters, while about 819,000 Democrats have cast ballots.
Early voters are projected to account for at least half the total number expected to vote in Tuesday's primary.
Florida's closed primary is open only to those registered to one of the major parties.