Melania Trump Blames Everybody But Donald Trump For His Treatment of Women, Hillary Clinton Pulls Away in Polls and More

Just ahead of Wednesday presidential debate, Melania Trump reemerged from her media absence Monday night only to blame the press for Donald Trump's recent campaign disasters and slide in the polls. "I didn't expect media would be so dishonest and so mean. I didn't expect that," Melania Trump told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "Also for me, from the beginning, I never had one correct story — one honest story."

She also defended her husband in her first interview since he began facing mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that included sexual assault, calling the accusations "lies" and saying that television host Billy Bush "egged" Trump on to make the lewd comments about women. "I believe my husband. I believe my husband," she said.

In fact, Melania Trump appeared to blame everybody but her husband, saying, "This was all organized from the opposition. And with the details ... did they ever check the background of these women? They don't have any facts."

Top Stories

Melania Trump Says Donald Was 'Egged On' By Billy Bush In Leaked Audio: "Melania Trump said her husband was 'egged on' by 'Access Hollywood' host Billy Bush when Donald Trump described sexually assaulting women in a leaked audio tape that has upended the presidential election." (Patch)

Hillary Clinton Continues to Pull Ahead in Polls While Donald Trump Puts Up Some Roadblocks: "Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is leading Republican rival Donald Trump by significant digits in nearly every national poll, but the GOP nominee is still presenting some challenges, according to a slew of recently released polls." (Patch)

Marco Rubio Rebukes Donald Trump: 'This Election Is Not Being Rigged': "Sen. Marco Rubio is flatly rejecting Donald Trump's claims the election is being 'rigged' against the Republican presidential nominee. 'This election is not being rigged,' Rubio said Monday during a debate with his Democratic senatorial challenger Rep. Patrick Murphy. 'There is no evidence behind any of this, so this should not continue to be said.'" (CNN)

From the Twitterverse

From Donald Trump's rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin last night, in which he still has not learned to stop trying to kiss women and girls who want no part of it.

On the Radar

• Donald Trump has two afternoon rallies in Colorado.
• Hillary Clinton is off the campaign trail in preparation for Wednesday's debate.
• Mike Pence will campaign in North Carolina.
• Tim Kaine will deliver an economic speech in Detroit, Michigan.

Today's Numbers

• 20 days until Election Day 2016.
• Investor Peter Thiel will give Donald Trump $1.25 million in support of his candidacy.
• Yemen to start 72-hour cease-fire.
• Netflix shares just soared 20 percent.

Quote of the Day

GOP strategist and former Ted Cruz presidential campaign communications director Rick Tyler on the future of the Republican party:

“It’s splitting right before your eyes. It’s happening now. There is a civil war in the party that is going on right now. The question is whether, after the election, the party will be able to repair itself; or cease to exist; or continue to exist in some diminished way.”

Allen McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons