NEWS AND OPINION:
Detroit is the destination of choice for the two presidential nominees, both ready to offer major economic policy speeches. Republican Donald Trump appeared Monday before an audience of 1,500 at the Detroit Economic Club — long a traditional stop for White House hopefuls. The tone and content of his policy speech showcased the fact that the businessman knows his stuff and is poised to position America as the leading force in a global marketplace. Media critics predictably went after the content. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump’s message ultimately will reset a campaign narrative burdened by repeat attacks from Democrats, an unfriendly media and uneven poll numbers.
“For too long we have watched as President Obama and Hillary Clinton have ruined our economy and decimated the middle class. I am going to be the greatest jobs president our country has ever seen,” says Mr. Trump, though the Democratic National Committee has already dismissed his economic ideas as “harmful.”
But Mrs. Clinton will also journey to Detroit, also intending to talk up her economic and jobs policy — but not until Thursday. Her campaign will have three days to craft a point-by-point rebuttal to Mr. Trump if they choose, though the tone of her speech already appears to be established.
Her campaign says that Mrs. Clinton intends “to lay out the choice voters are facing and her commitment to building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top — and not just Donald Trump.” There’s an interesting campaign wrinkle of note: A new poll finds that the nation’s most affluent voters favor Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Trump; see the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
SUMMARY: TRUMP ON CLINTON
“Honestly, I don’t think she’s all there.”
— Donald Trump, weighing in on rival Hillary Clinton, during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Saturday.
THE GREEN REFRAIN
“Jill not Hill!”
— Repeat chorus heard at the Green Party National Convention this weekend, which officially nominated Jill Stein as their presidential nominee. Her personal motto: “It’s time to reject the lesser evil for the greater good.”
’NYET’ TO HILLARY
“An August poll by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion found 34 percent of respondents expected relations between Russia and the United States to improve if Donald Trump wins, while only 6 [percent] said they would improve if Hillary Clinton is elected president. By contrast, 53 percent said they believe relations would worsen if Clinton became president, compared to 12 percent who felt that way if Trump is elected.”
— USA Today correspondent Anna Arutunyan, reporting Sunday on Russian public opinion.
MICROTARGETING EMERGING VOTERS
Two events of note in the nation’s capital Monday illustrate just how finely tuned voter outreach has become.
RespectAbility — a nonprofit group representing disabled voters — headed to Capitol Hill to offer insight into “disability messaging in the presidential election.” They point out that this demographic is a potential 56 million-member voting bloc, and that disabled Americans and their families are “up for grabs.”
Then there is “Diles que Voten” — which means “tell them to vote” in Spanish. It is, however, an NGO with offices in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina — led by Latin American campaign strategists and advertising agencies, that says they’ve directed some 80 “winning” campaigns in Latin America.
“The U.S. Latino community in the U.S. is growing larger in size and influence. However, in elections, Latinos tend to vote and participate less than other minorities. As a result, the community and its agendas are underrepresented in presidential and congressional races,” the group noted. They made their case at the National Press Club.
LUNCH WITH ERIC
Lotteries for friendly access to candidates or leading campaign representatives is an election year staple, practiced by Republicans and Democrats alike. This time around, Eric Trump — who has proved an able warrior in his father’s White House quest — is offering a lunch date in New York City to a fan of Donald Trump.
The big prize includes roundtrip airline tickets to New York for the winner and a guest, a hotel stay, a tour of Trump campaign headquarters and lunch with the younger Mr. Trump. “We’ll sit down for a private lunch to get your thoughts on our campaign and what you want to see my father enact in his first days in office as president,” he advises the prospective winner.
But wait, there’s more. Huma Abedin — Hillary Clinton’s longtime adviser and vice chair of Hillary for America — has also entered the campaign fray. In a new outreach, she is asking loyal Democrats to complete a survey that ranks the importance of 15 issues as well as their own “motivations” for voting — which includes such rationales as “fear of Donald Trump” and “time for a woman president.”
SCIENCE CORNER
The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about possible harms from “whole body cryotherapy” — supercooling the body in an enclosed chamber or device using liquid nitrogen. Online health sources have touted cryotherapy as a panacea for asthma, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, among other ills.
“Based on purported health benefits seen in many promotions for cryotherapy spas, consumers may incorrectly believe that the FDA has cleared or approved devices as safe and effective to treat medical conditions. That is not the case,” notes Dr. Aron Yustein, a medical officer in the agency’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
POLL DU JOUR
• 77 percent of affluent Americans with incomes over $150,000 are “extremely or very concerned” about the 2016 presidential election.
• 44 percent favor Hillary Clinton; 6 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of independents and 88 percent of Democrats agree.
• 35 percent favor Donald Trump; 78 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of independents and 3 percent of Democrats agree.
• 14 percent don’t know or cite another candidate; 12 percent of Republicans, 21 percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats agree.
• 7 percent overall favor Gary Johnson; 5 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of independents and 2 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 1,251 affluent U.S. adults with incomes of more than $150,000 conducted July 15 to 25, and released Thursday.
• Ballyhoo and whoop-de-doo to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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