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U.S. election: Trump denies urging supporters to kill Clinton

Among all registered voters, some 44 percent want Trump to drop out.

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Almost one-fifth of 396 registered Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos August 5-8 poll released on Wednesday want Trump to drop out of the race for the White House and another 10 percent “don’t know” whether the Republican nominee should or not.

It lists dozens of Republicans and independents who back Clinton, including former director of national intelligence John Negroponte, former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hewlett Packard Enterprise chief executive Meg Whitman.

Almost 63 percent have an unfavorable view of Trump. You should never joke about something like that. He doesn’t understand the basic requirements of being president of the United States.

Clinton’s campaign now has a website for Republicans and political independents to sign up in support of Clinton. It lists 50 prominent Republicans and independents who have endorsed her so far, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

ABC, CBS and NBC deluged viewers with more than five times more coverage – 25 minutes and 35 seconds versus 4 minutes and 41 seconds – to Trump’s “Second Amendment people” remark than they did to the father of an ISIS-inspired terrorist sitting right behind Clinton at a rally in Orlando, Florida.

“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks”, Trump said.

“I have been a little busy today, I heard about this Second Amendment quote, it sounds like a joke going bad, I hope he clears that up very quickly”.

“I thought a reasonable person could listen to what he said and conclude that he was in fact, in some sort of off-handed way, suggesting that a gun rights supporter might shoot Hillary Clinton”.

To be sure, neither Trump nor Clinton enjoys great popularity. Trump’s campaign said the comment was misinterpreted and that he was encouraging gun activists to use their political power.

It was the latest in a long string of Trump missteps – including his prolonged clash with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in action – that have marred his campaign since he officially won the nomination last month, prompting several Republicans to reject his candidacy.

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The RealClearPolitics national poll average shows Clinton leading Trump by 48 percent to 40 percent. A number of prominent Republicans have declined to endorse him in the November 8 election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, citing his fiery rhetoric and policy proposals such as building a wall along the U.S. Trump dismissed the group as part of the Washington establishment that he blames for numerous United States’ problems. Both are critical battleground states.

Pressure mounts on Republicans to reject Trump