Donald Trump Says Obama 'Founder' of ISIS, Secret Service May Have Talked to Trump About Gun Comments, and More [AM Briefing]

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday sought to rebound from a bad week that was compounded by comments he made about the "Second Amendment people" taking care of Hillary Clinton by pivoting with the assertion that President Obama is the "founder of ISIS" and labeling 2016 rival Hillary Clinton as the "co-founder." He also pitted two media organizations against each other over the question of whether or not the Secret Service talked to him about those Second Amendment comments, with a report from CNN saying the Secret Service had while Reuters had an official saying that no formal discussion had occurred.

Top Stories

Donald Trump calls Obama 'founder of ISIS': "Donald Trump on Wednesday repeatedly called President Barack Obama the 'founder' of ISIS and labeled Hillary Clinton the 'co-founder.' At a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Trump also said that ISIS 'honors' Obama — who the GOP nominee referred to as 'Barack Hussein Obama.'" (CNN)

Even under oath, Donald Trump struggled with the truth: "In his presidential campaign, Trump has sought to make his truth-telling a selling point. He nicknamed his main Republican opponent 'Lyin’ Ted' Cruz. He called his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, 'A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!' in a recent Twitter message. 'I will present the facts plainly and honestly,' he said in the opening of his speech at the Republican National Convention. 'We cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore.'" (The Washington Post)

One Ally Remains Firmly Behind Donald Trump: The N.R.A.: "Donald J. Trump’s candidacy has driven away throngs of Republican elected officials, donors and policy experts. But not the National Rifle Association. With Mr. Trump increasingly isolated and hobbled by controversies of his own making, the powerful gun-rights group has emerged as one of his remaining stalwart allies in the Republican coalition: the institution on the right most aggressively committed to his candidacy, except for the Republican National Committee itself." (The New York Times)

Hillary Clinton Says No Thanks to Orlando Shooter’s Dad: "Hillary Clinton might be the presidential candidate of choice for the father of the man responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern American history, but that doesn’t mean the Democratic nominee wants Seddique Mateen’s support. 'She disagrees with his views and disavows his support,' campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement following the elder Mateen's roundabout Monday endorsement." (Patch)

Poll: One in Five Republicans want Donald Trump to Drop Out of the Presidential Race: "Nearly one-fifth of registered Republicans want GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump to drop out of the 2016 presidential race, a new poll finds, reflecting the deep divisions within the party over his candidacy." (Patch)

On the Radar

• Hillary Clinton will speak about working families at an engineering and manufacturing center in Warren, Michigan.
• Tim Kaine will meet with members of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in New Orleans.
• Donald Trump will host a rally in Kissimmee, Florida.
• Mike Pence will host two rallies in Wisconsin — one in La Crosse and one in Milwaukee.

From the Twitterverse

Donald Trump denied that the Secret Service talked to him about his Second Amendment comments.

Today's Numbers

• 88 days until Election Day 2016.
• The U.S. leads the Olympic medal count with 11 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze.
• 1948 was the last time a Republican presidential candidate polled this badly among black voters.
• Clinton's lead over Trump in Wisconsin has tripled to 15 percent.
• There are 325 fewer registered lobbyists in the second quarter than there were in the first.

Quote of the Day

Donald Trump on sticking with his strategy during an interview with CNBC:

In the end, it's either gonna work, or I'm gonna have a very very nice long vacation.

[Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons]