Donald Trump

Mediaite - President Donald Trump literally jumped the gun Friday by encouraging American ranchers to go ahead and shoot gray wolves to protect their cattle herds from the predators. Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office Friday with a provision to “encourage” states to delist gray wolves as protected species so ranchers can shoot them.

“Gray wolves have been listed under federal endangered species protection in parts of the United States for over 50 years,” according to the Endangered Species Act.

“Anybody have a problem with the Mexican gray wolf?” Trump asked the ranchers surrounding the Resolute Desk.

One rancher said the Clinton administration released gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, which have become “a big problem.”

“Not a great idea, right?” Trump asked. “Although they are beautiful looking. But you don’t think they are beautiful, do you? And what do they do, rip the herd apart?”

“They will kill your livestock, they will kill your dogs, your horses,” the rancher said.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said, “But sir, the problem is, because they are on the endangered species list, they can’t shoot them. They have to sit and watch them destroy the herd.”

“You can shoot them as of today,” Trump declared.

Axios - President Trump is hitting the campaign trail and doing the last thing many Republicans want: making the 59 days to the Nov. 3 midterms a referendum on him, Axios' Marc Caputo reports

 Most Republicans are too scared to bluntly tell Trump how unpopular he is. Timidity aside, Republicans need Trump's low-propensity voters to turn out. So they're going along with a Trump-focused strategy that many believe could cost them credibility — along with seats in the House and Senate.

"We have no choice. We're stuck on the boat with him whether we like it or not," said a top Republican campaign official who's in contact with Trump's political operation.

….Trump essentially demanded the ads focus on him because midterms are referendums on a president anyway, and he wanted to tout his accomplishments, The Atlantic first reported.

"I'm not on the ballot, but I'm on the ballot," Trump told one confidant who relayed the conversation to Axios.