Josh Hafner

USA TODAY

Are you a U.S. citizen who carries a gun? According to Donald Trump, you should be considered suspicious — at least in Chicago.

After the Republican nominee called for a revival of “stop-and-frisk” policing, Trump Thursday clarified on Fox News that he only meant police officers should stop and search people deemed suspicious in the Windy City.

And people who carry guns? They should be stopped, Trump said.

"You know, [the police are] proactive and if they see a person possibly with a gun or they think may have a gun, they will see the person and they'll look and they'll take the gun away," said Trump said. “They will stop, they will frisk, and they will take the gun away, and they don’t have anything to shoot with.”

This is the same Trump who, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, lamented that the victims who’d been partying inside weren’t carrying guns, a statement the NRA disagreed with.

Also on Thursday: Hillary Clinton held debate prep with Zach Galifianakis while another comedian, the Dalai Lama, showed his Donald Trump impression to the world.

It’s For the Record, the politics newsletter from USA TODAY.

Trump blames North Carolina turmoil on ‘lack of spirit between the white and the black,’ drugs

As protests in Charlotte continued after a police shooting of a black man, Donald Trump tied the unrest to drug trafficking in urban areas.

“If you’re not aware, drugs are a very, very big factor in what you’re watching on television,” Trump said Thursday in Pennsylvania, where he called for a “national anti-crime agenda” to help heal America’s racial divide.

Trump condemned Charlotte’s violent protesters and accused Clinton of blaming police for the city’s problems. If elected he would work with local law enforcement agencies and appoint prosecutors and other officials to address problems like drug trafficking.

"It just seems that there's a lack of spirit between the white and the black," Trump said earlier that day on Fox News, inspiring a hashtag: #TheWhiteAndTheBlack.

Only three sleeps until the debate! Here’s how Clinton and Trump are prepping

Monday’s debate remains must-watch TV, pitting Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, against Trump, an outsider with no governing experience.

Clinton’s challenge, as Heidi Przybyla writes, will be to dodge Trump’s rhetorical hammers, restate his controversies and get him angry; Clinton likes Trump when he’s angry.

She needs to pivot quickly from any topics that rhyme with Schmenghazi. She needs to look alive, with not even a hint of pneumonia.

And while Clinton’s clear edge is on policy issues, Democrats doubt Trump will want to talk pure policy.

“We all know that’s not going to be the kind of debate this is,” said Maria Cardona, who advised Clinton’s 2008 campaign. “He will transform that debate stage into a reality show.”

Maybe that’s why Clinton spent some pre-debate time sparring with another entertainer, Zach Galifianakis. Clinton sat down with the comedian for his mock-interview show “Between Two Ferns,” the video of which dropped Thursday. The debate, of course, came up.

“Do you wonder what your opponent might be wearing?” Galifianakis asked Clinton.

“I assume he will wear that red power tie,” Clinton said.

“Or maybe a white power tie,” Galifianakis said.

Trump himself will face challenges Monday. Or at least a challenge.

“He has to just not be an idiot," said Ed Rogers, a GOP consultant who’s admittedly no Trump fan.

But research shows that viewers can ding women for coming across as strong or authoritative, a potential edge for Trump over his female opponent. And Trump’s penchant for falsehoods could go unchecked in a live scenario.

In the days leading up to the debate, Trump tried to lower expectations for his debate performance by undermining the event. He complained about moderator Lester Holt being a Democrat (he’s not) and vaguely criticized the debates at large as “a phony system.”

Today in polls: Clinton leads nationally as the race tightens in Florida

Clinton topped Trump by six points among likely voters in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 43% to 37%. That’s a bit surprising, given that poll came after a rough week for Clinton in which she caught flak for getting sick and calling half of Trump’s supporters “deplorables.”

Like those sweet Valencias that ripen in Florida, however, the Sunshine State may be turning orange: A Suffolk University poll released Thursday shows Trump leading Clinton 45% to 44%, an indication that Clinton’s one-time lead there could be slipping.

Thursday polls also showed Trump with a seven-point lead over Clinton in Iowa, while Clinton led Trump by as much in Colorado.

Around the campaign trail

Trump’s Ohio official resigns after racist remarks (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Trump has business ties to Russia, and Clinton wants you to know (USA TODAY)

President Jed Bartlet declines role as Clinton surrogate (USA TODAY)

Super PACs keep super PACing, collect $1 billion in donations (USA TODAY)

The Dalai Lama does his best Donald

“I don’t know. Sometimes … his hair, something like that. And his mouth, small. That’s my impression.”

For an impression, it’s pretty impressionistic.