Editor's Note: Below is a brief excerpt from Hedgeye Potomac Chief Political Strategist JT Taylor's Capital Brief sent to institutional clients each morning. For more information on how you can access our institutional research please email sales@hedgeye.com.
“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
― Thomas Jefferson
TRUMP’S TRADE TIRADE
Donald Trump’s protectionist and populist trade talk is becoming a big fly in the ointment for Republicans. He pledges to abolish policies that send American jobs overseas, threatens to impose tariffs on Chinese imports, promises to punish companies that move manufacturing to countries with cheaper labor, and bashes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their “insider deals” - even though economists of all stripes argue that Trump’s trade stance would be devastating to the economy and global trade.
Trump is making a calculated move on two fronts: go after both Clintons and their backing of trade deals over the decades, and woo working class voters and Democrats at the expense of main street Republicans and support from the business community. Someone had better buy up Trump’s foreign made clothing line before he gets elected...
HAMPERING HILLARY
In contrast to Trump, June was a good month for Hillary Clinton – she’s climbed in the polls, garnered important endorsements, and dodged a number of potential setbacks. She even broke ground on confronting the trust and likeability issues that have dogged her for years and then, BAM!, the State Department email issue resurfaces in earnest - courtesy of her top aide’s sit down with the Justice Department and her husband’s indiscreet conversation with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch - who this morning announced she would not overrule the final decision by prosecutors and the FBI in the case.
It’s been nearly a year since the inspector general raised concerns over Clinton’s server, and despite comments that they plan to continue the case further, there’s increasing speculation that the Justice Department has set the date of the convention later this month as an unofficial deadline to finish the probe.
TRUMP VEEPSTAKES
While Trump has mostly been moving in the right direction, there’s still an abundance of doubt within his party – he has yet to receive big-name endorsements or even put the convention on solid footing. Trump can quickly allay that doubt once he names his veep. The right veep, that is. Choosing his running mate will anchor support from many in his party as well as provide a foundation for his yet-to-be-unveiled policy agenda. Trump plans for a convention reveal, but we think he’ll do it before – he needs momentum going into the convention.