POLITICO Playbook: TRUMP to Dickerson, re polls: ‘I almost feel guilty’ – ‘I will do more for women than Hillary'

SUNDAY BEST - John Dickerson interviewed Donald Trump for CBS's "Face the Nation" on Friday night in the living room of Mar-a-Lago, the historic Palm Beach estate where Trump built a landmark club, but keeps private quarters where he often spends weekends and holidays. Dickerson asked: "Will you talk as much as a president as you do as a candidate? Will you be on TV all the time, giving rallies, that kind of thing?"

TRUMP: "I think I would be giving rallies. I want to rally this country because our country has no spirit. I would certainly probably not talk as much. ... [O]riginally, we were 17 [GOP candidates]. Now, we're 14 people and 13 people. A lot of people are going to be dropping out ... And so obviously I had to do a lot of talking. You know, I'm getting hit from 15 different sides. I like to defend myself, right? But, no, I would be a much different person, I think, as president. 

"But I would be very enthusiastic, like I am right now, toward the country. We need spirit. We need a cheerleader. President Obama's a bad cheerleader. ... I thought he'd be a great cheerleader actually. That's the one thing I thought, is that he was going to be a great cheerleader. He is really a big divider. We need cheerleading."

By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; [email protected]) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; [email protected])

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TRUMP, on his ad buy in Iowa: "I'm going to spend $2 million on ads per week at least."

DICKERSON: "What do people not know about you that they need to see in the ad?"

TRUMP: "Honestly, I don't know. I think I'm probably wasting the money. But I'm $35 million under budget. Look, I was going to have 35 or 40 million spent by now. I haven't spent anything. I almost feel guilty. ... I'm leading by, as you all say, a lot. You can take the CBS poll. You can take any poll and I'm winning by a lot. I don't think I need the ads. But I'm doing them. I almost feel guilty. And I'm 35 to $40 million under budget. I was going to have at least 35 million dollars spent as of January 1st ... I spent almost nothing. I feel guilty.

"So what I'm going to do is I'm going to spend a little money. I want to be certain. I want to be sure. And I think I'm going to do very well in Iowa. I think I'm going to do really well in New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, the polls are very, very powerful, very strong. And in Iowa, I'm leading. You know, nobody says it. In Iowa, the CNN poll, it's 33-20 that I'm leading. Ted Cruz is second. Nobody ever talks about that poll. That was a very major poll. Probably the most expensive poll taken. ... I want to win Iowa. I do great with evangelicals. And I do great with the Tea Party. And I'm doing great. I have a real good feeling with Iowa."

TRUMP on Hillary: "[S]he's constantly playing the woman card. It's the only way she may get elected -- I mean, frankly. Personally, I'm not sure that anybody else other than me is going to beat her. And I think she's a flawed candidate. ... [I]t hasn't been a very pretty picture for her or for Bill. Because I'm the only one that's willing to talk about his problems. I mean, what he did and what he has gone through I think is frankly terrible, especially if she wants to play the woman card. ... 

"She is pandering to the public . And she's pandering to women. And when she did it with me, she talked about sexist. And I said, 'Me?' I have more respect for women by far than Hillary Clinton has. And I will do more for women than Hillary Clinton will. I will do far more, including the protection of our country. She caused a lot of the problems that we have right now. You could say she caused the migration. ... As secretary of state. I mean, the entire world has been upset. The entire world, it's a different place.

"During Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's term, she's done a horrible job. She's caused so many of the problems. And let me tell you something. She has caused death. She has caused tremendous death with incompetent decisions. I was against the war in Iraq. I wasn't a politician, but I was against the war in Iraq. She voted for the war in Iraq."

DICKERSON: "You said she caused death. How?"

TRUMP: "Well, absolutely. Look at Libya. That was her baby. Look. I mean, I'm not even talking about the ambassador and the people with the ambassador -- young, wonderful people. With messages coming in by the hundreds, and she's not even responding. I'm not talking about that. ... 

"If we would have never done anything in the Middle East, we would have a much safer world right now. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein-- I'm not saying he was a good person. He was a bad person. But what we have now is far worse, okay? And all of this has led to ISIS. All of this has led to the migration. All of this has led to tremendous death and destruction. And she, for the most part, was in charge of it, along with Obama." Videohttps://cbsn.ws/1PFavSC

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TRUMP on SUNDAY FRONT PAGES - DAVID SHRIBMAN for the Boston Globe, in Des Moines, "Trump and the unfiltered tradition in American politics": "Trump - flamboyant and unfiltered - may not resemble any single figure in the American political tradition as much as he is a formidable combination of several of them: some from the left, some from the right, a mix reflecting Trump's own political provenance and profile. There are echoes of some relatively recent presidential aspirants, from H. Ross Perot, the crusty, cocksure business mogul who, like Trump, promised in 1992 to use his executive smarts to fix what politicians had broken, to Patrick J. Buchanan, the fierce conservative who delighted, a la Trump, in lashing the viceroys of the political establishment and who terrified them by winning the 1996 New Hampshire primary.

"Conversations with a range of scholars, and some rummaging through historical sources, suggest that the most riveting figure in American politics today can perhaps be parsed as one part populist (recalling ... William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate and secretary of state); one part brilliant exploiter of public fears (Joseph McCarthy, senator and red-baiter); one part mesmerizing but inflammatory preacher (Father Charles Coughlin, supporter of Franklin Roosevelt and then bitter opponent of the New Deal), one part showboat (Jesse Ventura, gaudy professional wrestler, and governor of Minnesota), and one part crusading antielitist (Huey Long, governor of Louisiana, senator, and possible presidential candidate)." https://bit.ly/1R8zkK9

--Atlanta Journal Constitution lead story, "South keeps Trump in race: Economic populism, blunt talk help make Republican popular," by Greg Bluestein in Hilton Head, S.C.: "If Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, ... he will likely have to do it by storming across the South. [His] support has softened in Iowa, and a skirmish in New Hampshire with [the Union Leader] could scramble the race. But ... [p]olls show him maintaining commanding leads in South Carolina, where Republicans will cast ballots on Feb. 20, as well as Georgia and other states that vote in the ... 'SEC primary' on March 1." https://on-ajc.com/1OEt506

TRUMP SHOWS in this story that he's capable of being introspective and self-aware -- N.Y. Times A1, "For Trump, Lessons in a Brother's Pain: Watching and Learning as an Older Sibling Stumbled," by Jason Horowitz: "[T]he story of Freddy, a handsome, gregarious and self-destructive figure who died as an alcoholic in 1981 at the age of 43, is bleak and seldom told. ... Trump said he had learned by watching his brother how bad choices could drag down even those who seemed destined to rise. Seeing his brother suffering led him to avoid ever trying alcohol or cigarettes ... 

"[T]he painful case of Freddy Trump, eight years his brother's senior and once the heir apparent to their father's real estate empire, also serves as an example of the dangers of failing to conform in a family dominated by a driven, perfectionist patriarch and an aggressive younger brother. In the upwardly mobile Trump family, Donald was the second and favorite son ... Freddy was the disappointment, who lacked the killer instinct." https://nyti.ms/1MNqXLZ

FIRST FAMILY due back at White House later this a.m. - Final Hawaii pool report, from WSJ's Colleen McCain Nelson: "Obama's motorcade arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at 10:19 p.m. A few folks lined the route to wave to the motorcade ... Obama, looking casual in a button-down shirt and jeans, spent a couple minutes shaking hands and saying hello to the crowd assembled in a viewing pen. ... The president and first lady, who donned a purple dress, then boarded Air Force One together. After two weeks of sun, golf, beaches, shave ice, scenic hikes, long dinners and of course more golf, that's a wrap for the presidential vacation. AF1 is preparing to depart. Next stop: Joint Base Andrews."

MEDIAWATCH - Boston "Globe reporters, editors mobilize to aid home delivery teams" - Unbylined: "Scores of Boston Globe editors, reporters, photographers, and other employees worked late Saturday and early Sundayacross eastern Massachusetts to assist delivery crews in making sure subscribers received their Sundaynewspapers. The Globe switched to a new delivery company, ACI Media Group, on Dec. 28, and customers have since reported issues receiving newspapers. Missing papers prompted an outcry from readers, who vented on social media and overwhelmed the Globe's phone system with complaints." https://bit.ly/1YYgLr1

--CNN's BRIAN STELTER, "'Army' of Boston Globe reporters deliver Sunday's newspaper": "If you're a subscriber to the Boston Globe, the person who delivers your paper on Sunday may well be the same person who wrote part of it. ... News of the ad hoc delivery strategy quickly spread among Globe staffers via email." https://cnnmon.ie/1Jn5vCL

--PLAYBOOK FACTS of LIFE: So awesome of these journalists: Shows pride in their formidable, albeit diminished institution, and an old-fashioned esprit that you couldn't assume was still there. This would have been a fantastic "Lou Grant" episode. But what a catastrophe for the company, which still has not explained why it switched distribution vendors, when the old one seemed to work fine. The Globe posted a list showing "delivery delays" are expected today - the seventh day of the new contractor - in 116 Massachusetts ZIP Codes, from Acton to Wilmington. Folks don't need a NEW reason to cancel a newspaper.  https://bit.ly/1MO5ani

N.Y. TIMES Quotation of the Day - Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate and prominent Republican donor who bought the local newspaper, The Review-Journal: "When you have all the marbles, you can make the calls. And he has all the marbles." Article on p. 1, below fold (with pic), "Purchase of Las Vegas Newspaper Is Seen as a Mogul's Power Play," by Ravi Somaiya, Ian Lovett and Barry Meier https://nyti.ms/1RXMCc4

REMEMBERING DALE BUMPERS - "Ex-governor, senator Bumpers dead at 90: Statesman remembered for oratory, wit," by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Bill Bowden: "Dale Leon Bumpers, who rose from country lawyer to Arkansas governor and then served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years, died Friday night at his Little Rock home. He was 90. He fell on Dec. 12, broke his hip and had surgery the next day ... His condition was exacerbated by dementia ... He emerged from retirement in 1999 to give one of his most famous speeches -- defending President Bill Clinton during Clinton's impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. ...

"Bumpers defeated some of the giants in Arkansas politics -- Orval Faubus and Winthrop Rockefeller for governor in 1970, and J. William Fulbright in 1974 for the U.S. Senate seat that Fulbright had held for 30 years. After that initial Senate win, Bumpers defeated anyone who ran against him, including Asa Hutchinson and Mike Huckabee." https://bit.ly/1PFny8w

--PRESIDENT CLINTON statement: "Dale Bumpers was a governor of profound historical importance, the most eloquent defender of our constitution in the Senate, a man who put his considerable gifts of wisdom, wit, and passion to work for the common good. For more than 40 years Hillary and I cherished his friendship.

"I am grateful that his advice made me a better governor and President, and that we laughed at each other's jokes even when we'd heard them before. ... I loved him. I loved learning from him and laughing with him."

--MIKE HUCKABEE statement: "I first knew him as a political opponent and I must confess he beat me like a drum. Later, when I became Governor and he was the Senior Senator we worked very well together. ... [H]e ... always reminded his audiences that 'public service is a noble calling.'"

--CARTER ESKEW tells Playbook: "There are candidates you have to teach and candidates you learn from. He was in the second category."

MAYOR EMANUEL - WashPost A1, top of col. 1, "In Chicago, criticism has turned 'personal': Emanuel critics say lack of transparency, abrasive style garnered distrust," by William Wan and Mark Guarino: "More anger may be on the way. Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union ... are threatening a 'protracted strike' this year." https://wapo.st/1RivfRP

--Chicago Tribune lead story, "CHICAGO 2015: A year under the gun -- More than 2,900 shot and nearly 470 killed as surge of shootings rocks neighborhoods, gains national notoriety," by crime reporter Jeremy Gorner (online: "Chicago violence, homicides and shootings up in 2015"): "Despite being the nation's third most populous city, Chicago far outpaces New York City, Los Angeles and every other large city in America in the sheer number of homicide and shooting victims." https://trib.in/1StzfzP

--"Chicago police shot fewer people in 2015," by Jeremy Gorner: "Chicago police officers shot 22 people in 2015, eight of them fatally. That's a 40 percent drop in the total number of people shot compared with 2014, when 37 people were hit by police gunfire and 16 of them were killed, according to department figures. Since 2011, the number of people shot by Chicago's cops has gradually declined." https://trib.in/1PF9qdp

--WashPost, one-third of A1, "'He is not a statistic': A look into the lives of 12 of Washington's 162 homicide victims in 2015 ... one for each month of a violent year." Front-page graphic includes the names and ages of each victim, listed by month. https://wapo.st/1O3bDwA

CLICKERS - "Top 9 primaries to watch in 2016," by Scott Bland, Theodoric Meyer, Elena Schneider and Kevin Robillard: "1. New Hampshire's 1st District: GOP Rep. Frank Guinta ... 2. California's 17th District: Democratic Rep. Mike Honda ... 3. Alabama's 2nd District: GOP Rep. Martha Roby ... 4. Tennessee's 4th District: GOP Rep. Scott DesJarlais ... 5. North Carolina's 2nd District: GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers ... 6. Texas' 29th District: Democratic Rep. Gene Green ... 7. New Hampshire Senate: GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte ... 8. Illinois' 1st District: Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush ... 9. Arizona Senate: GOP Sen. John McCain."  https://politi.co/1PDOJ1q

--"The 12 Best Donald Trump Stories from 2015" - Politico Magazine https://politi.co/1Un55wH

THOUGHT LEADERS - Cover of NYT Sunday Styles, "The Bill Gates Bump," by Katherine Rosman (online: "Bill Gates: The Billionaire Book Critic"): "For years, Mr. Gates ... had been scribbling notes in the margins of books he was reading and then emailing recommendations to friends and colleagues. Then he began to post these recommendations and critiques on the blog [GatesNotes.com]. ... Gates says he reads about 50 books in a year, eschewing digital readers for old-fashioned books on paper. When he is busy with work, he reads about a book or two a week but will consume four or five in the same period while vacationing with family." https://nyti.ms/1IK9byd ... www.gatesnotes.com

SPOTTED: at the New Year's Day open house hosted by Lee Zak, director of the USTDA, and her husband, Ken Hansen: Capricia Marshall, Henry Pitney, Ashley and Ben Chang, Jennifer Lane, Dan Poneman, Darcy Vetter.

ENGAGED: Daily Caller's Andrew Follett to Cato's Chelsea Olivia - Chris Bedford emails the staff: "Please raise the Budweiser you're waking up next to, and give a toast to Andrew Follett and Chelsea Olivia, who were engaged [Thursday] night in Williamsburg, at the spot they first kissed. Andrew met the future Cato analyst when still a spry young athlete, impressing her with his Quidditch skills. She denies this, but YouTube does not lie." Pichttps://bit.ly/1NY2wiR ... The ring https://bit.ly/1OrEZZc

BIRTHDAYS : "Chef" Geoff Tracy -- whose Facebook profile says, "I love bacon, my kids, and Norah O'Donnell. I dislike speed cameras and pretentious food" -- is 43 ... Betty Rollin, NBC News alumnus, is 80 ... WashPost's David Fahrenthold, celebrating at the beach with family, including his wife, Elizabeth Lewis; their two daughters (and the world's best nieces) Alexandra (3) and Stella (one month yesterday!); and sister-in-law Annie Lewis, who was a birthday girl yesterday ... Rigby Spicer is 5 (h/t Mom and Dad, Rebecca and Sean) ... Marcie Ridgway Kinzel, a RNC and Scott Brown alum (h/t Sean Spicer) ... David Margolick (h/t Amy JM Morris) ... Noam Levey, healthcare reporter for the LA Times/Tribune D.C. bureau ... Jenna Golden, head of political sales at Twitter D.C. and a TNR and NJ alum ... Multiplier Capital's Thomas Walton-Cale ... Michele Soresi ... 

... Burns Strider, the pride of Grenada, Mississippi, founding partner of Eleison and founder and president of American Values Network ... Roger Kay (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Sarah Lenti of political consulting firm SML Advisory Partners and an NSC, Condi and Mitt alum ... Carolyn Fiddler, national comms. director for the DLCC and an AFT, Atlas Project and Media Matters alum ... Igor Volsky, director of video and contributing editor at ThinkProgress, is 3-0 ... Jonathan Spaner ... Grant Gottesman ... Rob Darling ... Michelle Bollman ... Mary Fox ... Shane Montalban ... James Hunter, senior L.A. for Rep. David Price (D-NC) ... Michele Soresi, an alum of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ... Dabney Coleman is 84 ... Victoria Principal is 66 ... Mel Gibson is 60 ... Kimberley Locke ("American Idol") is 38 ... New York Giants QB Eli Manning is 35 ... Mark Pontius (Foster the People) is 31 ... actor Alex D. Linz is 27 (h/ts AP)

BIRTHDAY TUE.: David Bauder, AP media writer in New York

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