First lady joins Clinton on trail

They urge optimism, unity; Trump seizes on leaked emails

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama wave to supporters during a campaign rally Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama wave to supporters during a campaign rally Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Hillary Clinton sought to tap into first lady Michelle Obama's star power Thursday, as Clinton's campaign warned supporters that the presidential election is likely to be closer than polls now appear.


RELATED ARTICLES

http://www.arkansas…">Clinton charities, pay abut in memo http://www.arkansas…">Trump University hiring scrutinized

photo

AP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally Thursday in Toledo, Ohio.

Donald Trump spent the day in battleground state Ohio, where he seized on newly released emails in which longtime Bill Clinton aide Doug Band describes overlapping relationships between the Clintons' global philanthropy and their private enrichment.

As the election nears, the Democratic presidential nominee and her strategists are giving their all, using high-profile surrogates in campaign events across the country.

"As Michelle reminds us, this election is about our kids and, in my case, our grandkids," Clinton said. "We have a job to do. Starting right now, let's come together. Let's work together and be hopeful and optimistic and unified."

[INTERACTIVE: 2016 election coverage]

Michelle Obama called Clinton a friend and praised her qualifications and determination. "Hillary doesn't play," the first lady said in Winston-Salem as she addressed an enthusiastic, 11,000-person crowd, one of Clinton's biggest of the campaign.

"We want someone who is a unifying force in this country, someone who sees our differences not as a threat but as a blessing," Michelle Obama said.

The first lady also warned supporters that Republicans are actively seeking to suppress voter turnout by making the election "so dirty and ugly that we don't want any part of it."

She told the crowd: "When you hear folks talking about a global conspiracy and saying that this election is rigged, understand that they are trying to get you to stay home. They are trying to convince you that your vote doesn't matter, that the outcome has already been determined and that you shouldn't even bother to make your voice heard."

She continued: "Just for the record, in this country, the United States of America, the voters decide elections. They've always decided."

Clinton is hoping that some of Michelle Obama's magnetism and support among young people and blacks can help consolidate a lead in North Carolina. The first lady has emerged as one of the Democrats' most powerful and effective voices opposing Trump, and Clinton frequently quotes the first lady's admonition to "go high" when critics "go low."

As an indication of Michelle Obama's appeal, the Clinton campaign booked a stadium for Clinton's first in-person campaign event with the first lady. The campaign cited a local fire marshal as estimating the crowd at 11,000 people at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, more than twice the size of most of the recent events Clinton has held alone.

Clinton appeared to joke about President and Michelle Obama's reputation as a "cool" couple and the contrast with herself. She noted that she had enjoyed seeing the first couple dance.

"One can only hope," Clinton added in a wistful tone.

WikiLeaks emails

Campaigning in Springfield, Ohio, Trump took aim at the Clintons' charitable foundation and financial dealings, pointing to private communications released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

"The more emails WikiLeaks releases, the more lines between the Clinton Foundation, the secretary of state's office and the Clintons' personal finances, they all get blurred," Trump said.

The emails were among thousands stolen from the private account of a top Hillary Clinton aide, part of a hacking that the Democratic campaign has blamed on the Russians.

"Mr. Band called the arrangement 'unorthodox.' The rest of us call it outright corrupt," Trump said. "If the Clintons were willing to play this fast and loose with their enterprise when they weren't in the White House, just imagine what they'll do in the Oval Office."

Band wrote a 2011 memo defending his firm, Teneo, describing how he encouraged his clients to contribute to the Clinton Foundation and provide consulting and speaking gigs for Bill Clinton.

Later in Toledo, Ohio, Trump jokingly suggested that the election should be scrapped because Hillary Clinton would make such a poor president.

"We should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?" Trump asked supporters while campaigning in the Midwestern industrial city. "What are we even having it for? Her policies are so bad."

Trump also said he would work on "the ghettos" of America if he is elected.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, visited Omaha, Neb., and western Iowa before flying to New York. In a brief moment of concern, the airplane carrying Pence slid off the runway during its landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Pence told reporters that he's fine, and no one on board appeared to be injured.

The plane hit hard as it landed. The pilot slammed on the brakes, and passengers could smell burning rubber. The 37 passengers, including Pence, and 11 crew members were evacuated through the back of the plane.

In Geneva, Ohio, Trump told his supporters that Pence had come "pretty close to grave, grave danger." But, he added: "I just spoke to Mike Pence and he's fine. Everybody's fine."

Clinton tweeted: "Glad to hear mike--pence, his staff, Secret Service, and the crew are all safe."

Clinton cautious

For the Democrats, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, also campaigned in Ohio.

Kaine told supporters in Lorain, Ohio, that the state could seal the election for Clinton.

"You guys are more than a battleground. You are a checkmate state," Kaine said. "If you win it, you done won it. If we win Ohio, the race is over."

In recent days Clinton has been warning supporters not to assume that because she holds a lead in national polls that their votes are unnecessary. Her campaign released an online video Thursday in which campaign manager Robby Mook warns against complacency.

"Donald Trump has been going around telling people not to listen to the polls and saying that he can still win this race," Mook says. "Well, you know what? He's absolutely right.

"We call states like Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire battlegrounds for a reason." He added, "They can go either way."

Clinton told reporters aboard her plane that her campaign is not taking anything for granted.

"There's not an ounce of complacency," Clinton said. "I feel good. But I am really determined that nobody is going to rest or stop or in any way think this election is over before it's actually over."

That lack of rest has paid off in campaign funds, with Clinton's team collecting nearly $53 million in the first 19 days of the month -- an average of about $2.8 million per day.

Trump, meanwhile, raised about $30 million in the first 19 days of October, including $31,000 of his own money. Those same reports showed that his campaign had only about $16 million left in the bank as of last week.

The late fundraising helps ensure that Clinton can keep her campaign at full strength in the final days of the race. Federal Election Commission reports filed Thursday show that her campaign had $62.4 million in available cash as of last week.

Clinton's campaign employs more than 800 people, many of whom are fanned out across the country encouraging people to vote for Clinton. Trump has a much leaner operation, with a 10th of the staff members Clinton has.

Putin dismisses claims

As concerns grow over the hacked emails from the Clinton campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dismissed claims that his country is interfering in the U.S. presidential election, saying the allegations are designed to distract the public from real issues.

Speaking to international foreign policy experts in Sochi in Russia, Putin dismissed "the hysteria about Russia's influence on the U.S. presidential election."

He argued that U.S. elites have used the "mythical and fictitious" issue to distract attention from real problems such as government debt and police violence.

"Does anyone seriously think Russia can somehow influence the American people's choice?" Putin said. "Is America some kind of banana republic? America is a great power!"

Putin called the claim that Russia favors Trump in the race "sheer nonsense" that has served as a campaign tool. "It's just an instrument of political struggle, a way of manipulating public opinion," he said.

The Russian leader added that while Trump may sound "extravagant," he is trying to reach out to people who are tired of elites, and "time will tell how efficient it is for him."

"We don't know how Trump or Clinton will behave, what they will or will not deliver," he said. "We feel more or less indifferent about it."

Putin added that it's not clear what stance the next U.S. president will take toward Russia but that Moscow welcomes campaign statements about normalizing ties.

"We will work with any president who will be elected by the American people," he said.

Information for this article was contributed by Abby Phillip, Sean Sullivan, Anne Gearan, Ed O'Keefe, Scott Clement, Anne Gearan and Emily Guskin of The Washington Post; by Julie Pace, Jonathan Lemire, Kathleen Hennessey, Jill Colvin, Vladimir Isachenkov, Bradley Klapper, Julie Bykowicz, Chad Day and Will Weissert of The Associated Press; and by Jennifer Epstein and staff members of Bloomberg News.

A Section on 10/28/2016

Upcoming Events