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| Republicans seek unity on Trump as Clinton and Sanders fight on – live | Republicans seek unity on Trump as Clinton and Sanders fight on – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.37pm BST | |
| 14:37 | |
| John Miller 'may or may not be Trump' | |
| Tapper moves on to Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns: the businessman insists he is worth $10bn but has not provided documents to prove his worth. | |
| Manafort says the candidate has not refused to release the returns, although he told ABC earlier this week that it’s “none of your business”. | |
| “He has said he will release his tax returns he never has changed his position,” Manafort says. He blames the delay on an IRS audit, though the IRS has said repeatedly that there is no legal barrier for someone to release their returns during an audit. “As I understand it the audit is going back for the last eight years,” Manafort says. | |
| “Anything going on beyond eight years is not going to be of interest to anyone beyond the media,” he adds. “This is an issue that the media is interested in, it’s not an issue that middle america is interested in.” | |
| He says that any tax attorney who is “not politically motivated” would advise their client not to release the returns. Manafort says he takes Trump at his word: “he’s said there’s nothing in there. i have no basis to believe otherwise.” | |
| There are reasons to be suspicious of Trump’s claimed versus actual net worth. He has for instance told federal officials that one New York golf club is worth $50m, but told a judge that the club is worth $1.4m as part of a lawsuit seeking lower taxes on the property. | |
| Related: How Trump’s $50m golf club became $1.4m when it came time to pay tax | |
| Tapper then asks Manafort about Trump’s use of pseudonyms, “John Baron” and “John Miller”, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Washington Post published a recording from Trump during that time in which a “John Miller”, sounding very much like Trump, brags about Trump’s dating life. | |
| Trump has admitted under oath that he used these names, and the speaker on the recording uses distinctive language (“tremendously successful”, “you people do a great job”, “totally unanimous”). | |
| Manafort looks uncomfortable. “I could barely understand it. I couldn’t tell who it us. Donald Trump says it isn’t him.” | |
| He says he believes him, and questions why the press has brought this up. “That may or may not be Trump,” he says. “It’s 25 years old.” | |
| “It’s not focusing on the interests that Trump is trying to talk about today which is jobs, terrorism … | |
| Tapper interrupts to point out that Trump has made a great fuss about the infidelities of Bill Clinton in the 1990s, also 20-30 years ago, and criticized Hillary Clinton for “enabling” her husband. | |
| Manafort says it’s a different situation, but does not provide detail: “she was an enabler and made the victims of those dalliances into a really bad situation.” | |
| “The tape has not proven that it’s him,” he says. “I’ve been working for Donald Trump for six weeks, I’m using words he uses.” | |
| Finally Tapper questions Manafort about his former clients, including Kremlin ally and twice-deposed president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. Is there a dangerous conflict with Trump receiving classified national security briefings, as nominees do, and your past with world leaders of dubious integrity? | |
| “I don’t see classified briefings,” Manafort says. “I’m not in the room when he receives them.” | |
| “Secondly I have no clients now, I have one client, Donald Trump.” | |
| He says “if you do any fact checking” he’ll learn that Manafort was involved in negotiating “the framework” to make sure “Ukraine is now a part of Europe”. | |
| Ukraine is not a part of the European Union. Yanukovych ultimately balked from a EU deal that would’ve drawn Ukraine closer to western Europe in 2013, leading to mass protests, a shaky 2014 deal brokered by western and Russian officials, and eventually Yanukovych’s flight from the country after more than 100 people died in violence between protesters and riot police. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.41pm BST | |
| 2.18pm BST | 2.18pm BST |
| 14:18 | 14:18 |
| Manafort: Trump won't change | |
| First up this morning is Paul Manafort, the chief adviser for Donald Trump. He’s on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, who asks him about how the presumptive nominee’s meeting with the most powerful Republican in Washington – Paul Ryan – went earlier this week. | First up this morning is Paul Manafort, the chief adviser for Donald Trump. He’s on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, who asks him about how the presumptive nominee’s meeting with the most powerful Republican in Washington – Paul Ryan – went earlier this week. |
| Trump “was not asked by the leadership to change”, Manafort says, “and there’s no reason for him to change [after] beating 16 qualified candidates”. | Trump “was not asked by the leadership to change”, Manafort says, “and there’s no reason for him to change [after] beating 16 qualified candidates”. |
| He insists: “Trump in the primaries was appealing to the broader electorate”. | He insists: “Trump in the primaries was appealing to the broader electorate”. |
| “That’s not to say Paul Ryan didn’t talk about policy,” he goes on. “They actually got along very well.” | “That’s not to say Paul Ryan didn’t talk about policy,” he goes on. “They actually got along very well.” |
| But he doesn’t get into any specifics, eg how Trump wants tariffs and Ryan wants free trade, Trump a wall, Ryan immigration reform. “Trump agenda’s to make America great again and Paul Ryan’s agenda to restore prosperity” have a lot of overlap, is all Manafort says. | But he doesn’t get into any specifics, eg how Trump wants tariffs and Ryan wants free trade, Trump a wall, Ryan immigration reform. “Trump agenda’s to make America great again and Paul Ryan’s agenda to restore prosperity” have a lot of overlap, is all Manafort says. |
| Tapper asks about the record-breaking negative feeling about Trump in the polls, for instance among women. “This is one of these conventional wisdom facts that are not correct,” Manafort says. “Yes there are some high negatives on Trump right now, who’s just come out of a a very spirited contest,” he adds, but “Hllary Clinton has some very high negatives too.” | Tapper asks about the record-breaking negative feeling about Trump in the polls, for instance among women. “This is one of these conventional wisdom facts that are not correct,” Manafort says. “Yes there are some high negatives on Trump right now, who’s just come out of a a very spirited contest,” he adds, but “Hllary Clinton has some very high negatives too.” |
| Manafort isn’t wrong: Clinton would be the most disliked candidate in modern history were it not for Trump who is even more disliked. But Manafort makes a slightly less tenuous addition to this argument, saying: the “real gender gap is a male gender gap on the part of Clinton”. | Manafort isn’t wrong: Clinton would be the most disliked candidate in modern history were it not for Trump who is even more disliked. But Manafort makes a slightly less tenuous addition to this argument, saying: the “real gender gap is a male gender gap on the part of Clinton”. |
| He admits that Trump is struggling with women voters. “It’s an issue, it’ll be dealt with. We’re coming to a healing process,” he says. “This is way early and still already we’re seeing convergence on the party of the electorate on Donald Trump.” | He admits that Trump is struggling with women voters. “It’s an issue, it’ll be dealt with. We’re coming to a healing process,” he says. “This is way early and still already we’re seeing convergence on the party of the electorate on Donald Trump.” |
| Updated | |
| at 2.39pm BST | |
| 1.39pm BST | 1.39pm BST |
| 13:39 | 13:39 |
| Hello and welcome to our rolling coverage of the 2016 presidential election, two days out from the Oregon primaries and the Kentucky Democratic primary – and 10 days into a de facto, surreal general election between a former reality TV star and a former secretary of state. | Hello and welcome to our rolling coverage of the 2016 presidential election, two days out from the Oregon primaries and the Kentucky Democratic primary – and 10 days into a de facto, surreal general election between a former reality TV star and a former secretary of state. |
| Hillary Clinton has not yet locked up the Democratic primary election against Bernie Sanders, though she stands on the verge of doing so, with only 143 bound or unbound delegates needed for the party’s nomination. Clinton faces unexpected challenges among young and progressive voters of the west – eg: the Oregon progressives who appreciate Sanders’ liberal message – and the disaffected voters of Appalachia, who’ve been wooed in earnest by a man who wants to make coal great again. | Hillary Clinton has not yet locked up the Democratic primary election against Bernie Sanders, though she stands on the verge of doing so, with only 143 bound or unbound delegates needed for the party’s nomination. Clinton faces unexpected challenges among young and progressive voters of the west – eg: the Oregon progressives who appreciate Sanders’ liberal message – and the disaffected voters of Appalachia, who’ve been wooed in earnest by a man who wants to make coal great again. |
| But with her nomination nearly assured, Clinton has retreated from the media – it’s one of her possible vice-presidential picks who will appear on the shows this morning, while Sanders faces the press himself. He’ll talk about his plan for America’s future, with an impressive number of delegates who will help him rewrite the Democrats’ priorities with or without a clear path to the nomination. | But with her nomination nearly assured, Clinton has retreated from the media – it’s one of her possible vice-presidential picks who will appear on the shows this morning, while Sanders faces the press himself. He’ll talk about his plan for America’s future, with an impressive number of delegates who will help him rewrite the Democrats’ priorities with or without a clear path to the nomination. |
| Republicans remain the strangest story of 2016: riven by factions and taken over by a businessman who claims billions but refuses to prove it in tax forms, whose positions are reduced to “suggestions” and who has admitted, in court, to posing as an imaginary public relations person in order to brag about his dating exploits. | Republicans remain the strangest story of 2016: riven by factions and taken over by a businessman who claims billions but refuses to prove it in tax forms, whose positions are reduced to “suggestions” and who has admitted, in court, to posing as an imaginary public relations person in order to brag about his dating exploits. |
| The crisis facing Republicans is whether they can unite around this presumptive nominee, who managed to defeat 16 rivals in an orange avalanche of personal attacks, incendiary rhetoric and proposals that voters loved and congressmen loathed. | The crisis facing Republicans is whether they can unite around this presumptive nominee, who managed to defeat 16 rivals in an orange avalanche of personal attacks, incendiary rhetoric and proposals that voters loved and congressmen loathed. |
| Seven have endorsed him. Many, including the most powerful Republican in Congress, have inched toward supporting him. And a few holdouts, ex-presidents and an ex-nominee among them, have rejected him unequivocally. At least one of his rivals won’t even say his name. Republicans in May 2016 face an unenviable dilemma: can they rally around a man who once asked a stranger whether his 16-year-old daughter was “hot, right?” | Seven have endorsed him. Many, including the most powerful Republican in Congress, have inched toward supporting him. And a few holdouts, ex-presidents and an ex-nominee among them, have rejected him unequivocally. At least one of his rivals won’t even say his name. Republicans in May 2016 face an unenviable dilemma: can they rally around a man who once asked a stranger whether his 16-year-old daughter was “hot, right?” |
| The Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, will attempt to answer that question at least three times today. Priebus met with the presumptive nominee earlier this week, and is charged with organizing a party convention around the three-day owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant. | The Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, will attempt to answer that question at least three times today. Priebus met with the presumptive nominee earlier this week, and is charged with organizing a party convention around the three-day owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant. |
| The former steak salesman is not scheduled to appear this morning. In his place are supporter Jeff Sessions, a long-time Alabama senator who does not want immigration reform, Paul Manafort, a campaign adviser who recently contracted with a twice-deposed president of Ukraine, and Newt Gingrich, a supporter and former speaker of the House who wants to build a US base on the moon. | The former steak salesman is not scheduled to appear this morning. In his place are supporter Jeff Sessions, a long-time Alabama senator who does not want immigration reform, Paul Manafort, a campaign adviser who recently contracted with a twice-deposed president of Ukraine, and Newt Gingrich, a supporter and former speaker of the House who wants to build a US base on the moon. |
| Representing the conflicted class is Peter King, a New York representative who says he wants to see what the presumptive nominee has to offer. What could go wrong? | Representing the conflicted class is Peter King, a New York representative who says he wants to see what the presumptive nominee has to offer. What could go wrong? |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.00pm BST | at 2.00pm BST |