Donald Trump's campaign today went on a new tear against the media, blaming the "disgusting" press for a week of distractions at a time when Republicans have urged him again to focus on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump will get another chance to reset his campaign on tomorrow when he is expected to lay out his plan for defeating what running mate Mike Pence today called, "radical Islamic terrorism" with "real specifics" on how to make the United States safer.
But Trump set up that address with extensive new complaints about the latest disastrous week of coverage and reports of campaign chaos.
Not to blame, Trump suggested, were his own remarks that gun rights supporters could "do something" if Hillary Clinton becomes president and appoints liberal judges, or his repeated insistence on the falsehood that President Barack "Obama founded ISIS."
"If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly and didn't put false meaning into the words I say, I would be beating Hillary by 20 percent," he tweeted before noon.
That tweet was followed by: "My rallies are not covered properly by the media. They never discuss the real message and never show crowd size or enthusiasm."
It was the latest in a series of implicit acknowledgements by the Republican presidential nominee that he is not winning and in fact could be headed for a big loss to Clinton on Election Day in less than three months.
Signs were popping up across the political landscape that Trump's year-plus flirtation with presidential politics was in danger of not advancing much further.
Gaffe-by-gaffe, additional Republicans have come forward to say they're not supporting his bid, with Carlos Gutierrez, secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, announcing his support for Clinton today.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders in Washington and in the most competitive states have begun openly contemplating turning their backs on their party's presidential nominee and putting their money and effort instead behind the party's House and Senate candidates.
Frustratingly for Republicans, Trump's missteps have overshadowed difficult news for Clinton: The new release of 44 previously-unreleased email exchanges Clinton had while at the State Department.
They became public on Tuesday and showed her interacting with lobbyists, political and Clinton Foundation donors and business interests while serving as secretary of state.
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