Donald Trump on Wednesday will look to regain control of the campaign narrative by turning attention away from the turmoil roiling his campaign and onto his likely general election opponent Hillary Clinton.
“All of the money she is raising is blood money,” Donald Trump said, previewing his attacks in an interview CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, alleging Clinton made deals with Wall Street to get their donations.
Trump is expected to hit Clinton on the controversies that have swirled around her and husband former President Bill Clinton — from quid pro quo allegations involving the Clinton Foundation to her use of a private email server — as well as on policy issues like trade and immigration in a speech Wednesday morning at one of his properties in downtown Manhattan, a source familiar with his prepared speech told CNN.
Trump tweeted earlier Tuesday billing his speech as one that would focus on “the failed policies and bad judgment of Crooked Hillary Clinton.”
Trump will focus on five areas in his speech attacking the former secretary of state, the source said.
He is expected to paint Clinton as a supporter of regimes with tawdry human rights records, particularly regarding women and gays, while also attacking Clinton’s positions on two key issues: immigration and trade.
Trump will slam Clinton’s support of various free trade agreements and contrast his hardline immigration position with Clinton’s support for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Trump is also slated to accuse the Clintons of engaging in “pay for play” schemes that saw donors to the Clinton namesake foundation allegedly receive favorable treatment from the State Department. He will level similar allegations about paid speeches Bill Clinton gave while his wife was secretary of state.
Trump adviser Michael Cohen also previewed that line of attack Wednesday morning, saying the real questions voters need to ask is “where is her money really coming from?”
“You have the top 15 law firms in the country donating to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. You have the top 10 pharmaceutical companies donating to Hillary Clinton,” he said. “What do you think they’re looking for? They’re looking for political favor. And when you have this political favor, it’s not going to help the United States, it’s not going to help the American people to find jobs. It’s only going to help Hillary Clinton.”
This source cited China and Russia as prime examples of the Clintons’ unethical behavior, notably the former president’s paid speeches by government-linked Chinese and Russian entities at the same time as then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton worked on President Barack Obama’s “pivot” to Asia and engaged in an attempted “reset” of relations with Russia, said the source who previewed Trump’s speech on the condition of anonymity.
Finally, Trump is expected to hammer Clinton over her use of a personal email account and private server during her time as secretary of state.
A State Department Inspector General report released last month said Clinton broke federal rules by failing to turn over all her emails before leaving her post at the helm of the State Department.
Trump has said on the campaign trail he believes Clinton “has to go to jail” for her email practices and has accused her of jeopardizing national security.
The FBI last year launched a broad investigation into Clinton’s email use to determine if classified materials were improperly handled, though officials said in May the probe is focused on the security of the server and the handling of classified information.
Trump has also previously hinted that he would raise alleged Clinton scandals going back decades, including the Whitewater real estate controversy tied to the Clintons’ time in Arkansas.
Shortly after Trump gives his speech, Clinton will lay out “her affirmative vision for an economy” in remarks in Raleigh, North Carolina, an aide said in a statement on Tuesday night. Clinton gave a scorching speech Tuesday where she repeatedly criticized Trump’s business history and warned Americans not let him get his “his hands on our economy.”
