# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 206
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4103 "2016-08-12T12:02:06Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > [x.com](https://mobile.twitter.com/SeanMcElwee/status/763784781259833345?s=09) This is really interesting stuff. Redstate (which is undergoing a kind of identity crisis since it loathes Trump but loves everything else conservative) was complaining about these headlines are going too far. The truth is, though, that most people don’t pay much attention past the headline, and a big part of Trump’s strategy is to say something ludicrous and excpect that people will only pay attention to the headline. “Oh yeah, I saw a headline yesterday that said Trump saw that video.” It’s about time the news media got more aggressive with baldfaced lies - and I’m good with it no matter the candidate. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4104 "2016-08-12T12:48:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > This is really interesting stuff. Redstate (which is undergoing a kind of identity crisis since it loathes Trump but loves everything else conservative) was complaining about these headlines are going too far. The truth is, though, that most people don’t pay much attention past the headline, and a big part of Trump’s strategy is to say something ludicrous and excpect that people will only pay attention to the headline. > > “Oh yeah, I saw a headline yesterday that said Trump saw that video.” > > It’s about time the news media got more aggressive with baldfaced lies - and I’m good with it no matter the candidate. Agreed, but the thing is: Trump is unique in that he routinely makes laughably false statements. His “facts” are often proven to be lies with little to no research. I think CNN’s tactic is a great idea - for Trump. But something tells me this wouldn’t work as well with most other candidates, who may fudge a fact here or there, but don’t often make things up out of whole cloth the way Trump does six times before lunch. And there’s a very simple “fix” for this from the other side. Fox News just starts doing it with democratic candidates, but lying in the headline. “Independent investigation reports Clinton did not issue stand down in Benghazi (she did)”. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4105 "2016-08-12T12:51:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > The truth is, though, that most people don’t pay much attention past the headline, and a big part of Trump’s strategy is to say something ludicrous and excpect that people will only pay attention to the headline. > > “Oh yeah, I saw a headline yesterday that said Trump saw that video.” They should just put “Trump Opens His Yap Again” as the headline, and bury the quote in the article. Or stop repeating his idiocy all together. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4106 "2016-08-12T14:27:58Z")
On Fox News yesterday, Trump questioned whether he really needed to put much effort into getting out the vote. Via [TPM](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-no-need-get-out-the-vote): > [@](#): > > “We are gonna have tremendous turnout from the evangelicals, from the miners, from the people that make our steel, from people that are getting killed by trade deals, from people that have been just decimated, from the military who are with Trump 100 percent,” he went on. “From our vets because I’m going to take care of the vets.” > > “I don’t know that we need to get out the vote,” the Republican nominee concluded. “I think people that really want to vote, they’re gonna just get up and vote for Trump. And we’re going to make America great again.” Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has just one field office in all of Florida, the state party leaders are barely even saying his name in their own campaign offices, and Clinton is outspending him in ads in the state $20M - $500K ([cite](http://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2016/08/as-clinton-campaign-opens-adds-staff-offices-trump-camp-counts-on-rise-of-independent-gop-voters-to-win-fla-104589)). It’s not looking much better in Ohio, where Trump has no operation on the ground in Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati ([cite](http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/08/10/email-trump-campaign-scrambling-sw-ohio/88514306/)). For reference, I lived in Cincinnati in 2008. The Obama campaign ran a bus shuttle from several stronghold areas to the local election office, beginning on the day early voting opened and continuing throughout the election. I would have voted in any case, but it was nice to have a ride. Parking downtown would have sucked. I haven’t bothered to read Trump’s campaign finance reports. I’m sure they go into detail about how he’s spending his money. Has anyone else looked at them? What the hell is he spending his cash on? As far as actual campaigning, the dude’s just phoning it in. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4107 "2016-08-12T14:53:38Z")
According to Politico, Trump is pushing the RNC to open field offices in every states – something the RNC rightfully feels is a huge waste of money and staff since Alabama isn’t going to go Clinton and Hawaii isn’t going to go Trump no matter who they have there. The compromise position seems to be twenty-five offices in more competitive states with paid staff and twenty-five volunteer offices in the remaining states. Ironically, the Trump campaign is closing their own campaign office in New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4108 "2016-08-12T15:01:29Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > …the definition of stupidity is repeating the same action again and again and expecting a different outcome. I think that’s the usual definition of insanity, but it seems equally applicable to the Trump campaign. > [@Maastricht](#): > > Assange says Wikileaks is " working on hacking and releasing" Trumps tax returns. Assange does not want to be seem solely attacking Clinton… Julian Assange has just risen two, no, _three_ millimeters in my estimation. > [@coremelt](#): > > My opinion is that Trump is just not capable of changing even if he sincerely wants to. The outrageous statements usually get him instant applause and mean that the media is talking about him for the next few days. That instant gratification “wow look at all the people talking about me” is worth more to him than the future abstract possibility of being President… Amen. Deep down, he is still far more a reality-TV-show host and not a serious candidate for the Presidency. Here’s CNN on how Trump’s stumbles may help Dems remake the Electoral College map in November: [http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/12/politics/clinton-trump-electoral-map-utah-georgia/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/12/politics/clinton-trump-electoral-map-utah-georgia/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4109 "2016-08-12T15:21:10Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Assange says Wikileaks is " working on hacking and releasing" Trumps tax returns. Assange does not want to be seem solely attacking Clinton. Oh, yeah, hey… I’m “working on” hacking Trump’s tax returns too! Yup, just sittin’ here, hacking away. I’ll have them for you any day now so you all just talk about how fair and unbiased I’m being and I’ll just keep on with all this hard core hacking that I’m totally doing. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4110 "2016-08-12T15:51:25Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I’m amazed how few here are talking about how Trump keeps saying over and over that Obama and Clinton are the “founders” of ISIS. There’s a thread on it right now, with over a hundred posts, so yes, people are talking about it: [Trump calls Barack Obama the “founder of ISIS”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=801017). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4111 "2016-08-12T16:39:19Z")
[Trump is threatening](https://politicalwire.com/2016/08/12/trump-threatens-to-stop-fundraising-for-rnc/) to stop fund raising for the RNC if the RNC shifts focus to down ballot races. Guess that unity convention didn’t quite work out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4112 "2016-08-12T16:41:03Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Here’s a [sentence](http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2015/07/31/donald_trump_this_run_on_sentence_from_a_speech_in_sun_city_south_carolina.html) to diagram. [Here you go](http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/files/2015/08/trump-diagram-v2.jpg). (Apologies if someone already posted this attempt.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4113 "2016-08-12T17:08:40Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > [Trump is threatening](https://politicalwire.com/2016/08/12/trump-threatens-to-stop-fundraising-for-rnc/) to stop fund raising for the RNC if the RNC shifts focus to down ballot races. > > Guess that unity convention didn’t quite work out. This happened on Thursday (yesterday) Trumps beat down, er, unity convention is today, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4114 "2016-08-12T17:10:49Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Assange says Wikileaks is " working on hacking and releasing" Trumps tax returns. Assange does not want to be seem solely attacking Clinton. > > [Julian Assange to Bill Maher: WikiLeaks ‘Working On’ Hacking Trump’s Tax Returns](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/06/julian-assange-to-bill-maher-we-re-working-on-hacking-trump-s-tax-returns.html) I don’t want Assange to hack Trump’s tax returns. I want him arrested. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4115 "2016-08-12T17:15:25Z")
Not sure if this has been posted yet: Politico reports that a group of prominent Republicans is writing a letter to the RNC, urging them to cut off funding for Trump and focus funding solely on the House and vulnerable Senate seats: [Dozens of Republicans to urge RNC to cut off funds for Trump](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/republicans-urge-rnc-cut-funds-trump-226918#ixzz4H8gHl5fv) Politico reports seeing a draft of the letter: [QUOTE=Bunch of really pissed off Republicans] “We believe that Donald Trump’s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide, and **only the immediate shift of all available RNC resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck,”** states a draft of the letter obtained by POLITICO. “This should not be a difficult decision, as Donald Trump’s chances of being elected president are evaporating by the day.” … “Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities,” the letter states. **“He also has shown dangerous authoritarian tendencies, including threats to ban an entire religion from entering the country, order the military to break the law by torturing prisoners, kill the families of suspected terrorists, track law-abiding Muslim citizens in databases, and use executive orders to implement other illegal and unconstitutional measures**.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4116 "2016-08-12T17:24:03Z")
My Trump predictions: 1. The dollar amount being spent on Trump properties by the Trump campaign will \*skyrocket \*over Primary levels. 2. Trump will say something which can be construed as rescinding his “endorsement” of Paul Ryan. 3. There will be a gun incident at a rally. Probably have been already, but kept quiet. 4. There will be modifications to the debate schedule, even if one of those changes is “DJT isn’t showing up.” 5. Wikileaks will release something. America will yawn, as she did with the voice mails. 6. People are going to get sick of seeing DJT all the time. This, of course, will drive DJT even crazier. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4117 "2016-08-12T17:28:16Z")
I will also predict that I will spend over $500, easily, on all the tell-all and analysis books that will come out of this campaign. I haven’t looked forward to a media push like this since the 2008 Financial Crisis. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4118 "2016-08-12T17:36:36Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 1. There will be a gun incident at a rally. Probably have been already, but kept quiet. Does this count? > **[Man who attempted to grab gun at rally wanted ‘to kill Trump’ | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/19/politics/trump-rally-gun-police-officer/)** > > The man arrested for trying to disarm a police officer inside a Donald Trump in Las Vegas Saturday told authorities he intended to use the gun to harm Trump, a law enforcement source said. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4119 "2016-08-12T17:37:44Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Politico reports seeing a draft of the letter: And this is the _Republican_ critique of Trump. Sweet. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4120 "2016-08-12T17:41:16Z")
Don’t know if this has been posted before, but Trump closed his New Jersey office back in June and they haven’t been back since. [Trump closes up shop in New Jersey - POLITICO](http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2016/08/trump-nj-headquarters-closed-not-long-after-it-opened-104651) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4121 "2016-08-12T17:43:49Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > Does this count? > > [http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/19/politics/trump-rally-gun-police-officer/](http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/19/politics/trump-rally-gun-police-officer/) Yup. Forgot about that one. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/4122 "2016-08-12T17:52:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Don’t know if this has been posted before, but Trump closed his New Jersey office back in June and they haven’t been back since… No worries. I’m sure Chris Christie and his legions will be working _super_ hard to help The Donald. > [@JohnT](#): > > I will also predict that I will spend over $500, easily, on all the tell-all and analysis books that will come out of this campaign. I haven’t looked forward to a media push like this since the 2008 Financial Crisis. Yes! I can’t wait for the next Heilemann and Halperin _Game Change_ book - the first two were great, and reading all about what was really going on behind the scenes aboard the Trumptanic is, I’m sure, going to be a hoot. > [@pulykamell](#): > > [Here you go](http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/files/2015/08/trump-diagram-v2.jpg). (Apologies if someone already posted this attempt.) I… think I’m going to just go lie down now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=205) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=207)