>> jimmy: this is "nightline." >> tonight, trump in turmoil. >> the campaign is doing really well. >> a series of missteps embroiling the presidential nominee this week, fracturing the already splintered gop even further. >> i'm an american before i'm a republican. >> after remarks that have angered women, veterans and american muslims, is the party preparing for an intervention? plus, we take you deep into the lush forests of new zealand to give you a sneak peek at the movie-making magic of "pete's dragon." combining star power, high-tech visuals -- >> it's beyond our wildest dreams. and more glory for britney spears. the singer getting into bed with jimmy kimmel. ♪

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headlines in the world of presidential politics. donald trump raising the ire of many. key republicans breaking ranks to endorse hillary clinton. trump's own running mate publicly disagreeing with him. are fractures in the republican party beyond repair? here's abc's david wright with "your voice, your vote." >> what a crowd, what a crowd! >> reporter: today in florida, donald trump insisted his campaign is firing on all cylinders. >> the campaign is doing really well. it's never been so well united. >> reporter: an incredible statement, considering some of his strongest supporters are practically begging him to rein it in. >> you have one person to attack. hillary clinton. >> reporter: other prominent republicans are jumping ship altogether. >> you know, look. i'm an american before i'm a republican. and for me, you know -- i can't get there on a nominee that will denigrate somebody that is standing up honoring their son, somebody that makes fun of the

disabled, somebody that wants to get cozy with vladimir putin. >> reporter: the representative isn't alone. today hewlett-packard ceo meg whitman announced she'll vote and raise money for hillary clinton. >> there are a lot of folks in the republican party who may not have loved donald trump, but had convinced themselves that he's better than hillary clinton. but over the last couple of days, his actions have caused a lot of folks to question those assumptions. >> reporter: this after a week of trump-inflicted wounds. >> he has got to find a way to slow down, really learn some new lessons. this is a little bit like "the apprentice." >> reporter: we all know what happens when "the apprentice" doesn't measure up. >> you're fired. >> reporter: tonight the trump campaign strongly denies reports that top supporters are planning some sort of intervention this weekend. >> we're hearing in the media today about some type of intervention that's going on in the trump campaign? the intervention is the intervention by the american

people against washington, d.c. >> reporter: trump is in danger of tarnishing his party's image with key constituencies. his trouble with veterans started when he picked a fight with the grieving parents of a fallen soldier. they criticized him first. at the democratic national convention. >> you have sacrificed nothing! >> he said, you wouldn't even have let his son in america. >> he doesn't know that. >> reporter: trump pushed back hard, accusing them of viciously attacking him. tonight at the trump rally -- >> does it bother you at all the way he went after the khan family? >> a little because it's a gold star family. it's one of those that they're pretty much sacred in our country. >> reporter: trump came of age during the vietnam war and went to military school, but never actually served in the military. he avoided the draft thanks to a series of deferments. >> i had a minor melody ferment for feet for a bone spur of the foot, which was minor. >> reporter: critics say it's

the foot in the mouth that's causing trump problems now. >> something very nice just happened to me. a man came up to me, and he handed me his purple heart. >> reporter: case in point, a generous gesture by lieutenant colonel lewis dorfman, avid trump supporter. he gave the candidate the purple heart he received after being wounded in baghdad. >> i wanted him to have something to remember all the veterans, not just the ones that are in the top news. >> i said to him, is that like the real one? or is that a copy? and he said, that's my real purple heart. >> reporter: except trump couldn't resist making a wisecrack. >> i always wanted to get the purple heart. this was much easier. >> reporter: as any veteran would tell you, there's nothing easy about the purple heart. >> trump off the cuff made a wisecrack. was that disrespectful?

>> a lot of times it's taken out of context. i mean, it's one of those that, hey, i didn't work that hard to receive this medal. i understand that. >> he's being self-deprecating? >> trump sought to set the record straight insisting he meant no disrespect. >> i said, i can't believe this. it's truly one of the most beautiful things that i've ever received. and from the heart. >> reporter: he's well aware this is sensitive stuff. >> we're writing as a matter of honor, not a matter of politics. >> reporter: today a nonpartisan group of veterans and gold star families wrote trump an impassioned open letter. >> we ask that you demonstrate the character demanded of the office that you seek and apologize for what you've said. >> reporter: zach iscoll is a former marine who served in iraq. >> i just wanted the khan family to know more than anything that they had our support that that support transcended race, ethnicity, religion, background, that our community was behind them. period. >> reporter: james waters, a navy s.e.a.l. platoon commander

who served in afghanistan. he's a registered republican. >> mr. trump's actions in attacking a gold star family was inappropriate, immoral, unethical. a lot of discerning veterans who would normally remain on the sidelines have now been inspired to get involved. >> reporter: war heroes aren't the only ones taking offense at trump's rhetoric. women too are crying foul. over this moment from a rally in virginia. >> i have the biggest bank in the world a tenant of mine in new york. the biggest in the world, a chinese bank. don't worry about that baby, i love babies. i love babies. i hear that baby crying, i like it. the mom's running around like, don't worry about it, you know? it's young and beautiful and healthy and that's what we want. >> reporter: trump initially seemed to empathize with the baby's mother. then two minutes later he turned on her. >> actually, i was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here. that's all right. don't worry.

i think she really believed me that i love having a baby crying while i'm speaking. >> reporter: that outburst flies in the face of one of the oldest rules of american politics, kissing babies. a presidential cliche. there's a reason why politicians like to kiss babies. trump included. because it's supposed to make them seem nurturing and trustworthy. trump now doesn't seem so kid-friendly. >> throwing a baby out of a rally, all of these things that during the primary campaign kept donald trump in the headlines that may have actually helped him become the republican nominee are actually getting him off-course. >> reporter: tonight he blamed the media for feeding the narrative he has a woman problem. in doing so brought up once again last year's feud with megyn kelly. >> like she's got the one with blood coming out of her eyes, i meant her nose or her ears or her mouth. but these people are perverted and they think it was another location. >> reporter: tonight plenty of

women we met at the trump rally are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. >> do you have any qualms about supporting trump? >> i have not one iota of qualms of supporting mr. trump. not one bit. >> and you, no reservations? >> well, some reservations. because no one is perfect. >> when he said a couple of months ago he could stand at fifth avenue and shoot someone and his supporters would stay with him, we are getting closer day by day to that actually being a theory he is testing out. >> reporter: trump hasn't just been willing to risk alienating veterans and women, he's also picking fights with top republicans. he says he hasn't yet decided if he'll endorse house speaker paul ryan, or arizona senator john mccain, in their re-election bids. trump's running mate did endorse ryan. governor mike pence told fox news he did so with trump's blessing. >> i believe we need paul ryan in leadership in the congress of

the united states. >> reporter: at this point, party leaders tell abc news they are actively exploring a possible plan "b." for what it's worth -- >> there's no real clear replacement for trump waiting in the wings. >> reporter: like it or not, they're stuck with him. i'm david wright for "nightline" in jacksonville, florida. up next, not exactly your parents' dragon. "pete's dragon." reimagining a magical friendship between a boy and his dragon. later, britney spears can say "oops, i did it again" again. the pop star has a new album coming out and was ready to share the news bright and early. waking up jimmy kimmel. ♪ ♪ ♪

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we're now about to take you into the forests of new zealand. a place ripe for mythical filmmaking. from "lord of the rings" to "avatar," now home to a new type of movie creature, "pete's dragon." sarah hayes takes us behind the scenes. >> reporter: there's something magical in these woods. >> elliot! >> reporter: it isn't just a mystical dragon named elliot. >> oh, yeah, elliot and i are very good friends, yeah. we have really good chemistry. >> reporter: here on the set of the new film "pete's dragon," the adult cast willfully suspends disbelief. >> dragon isn't always there because he can only work a certain amount of hours per day. >> he really only likes pete. really only lets pete see him for the most part. >> reporter: in the same way as their much younger costars.

>> have you met elliot? >> yes. >> yes. >> he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet. >> really? >> nicest dragon i've ever met, yeah. >> reporter: maybe it's the whimsical story of a friendship between a boy and his dragon. or perhaps it's the mythical location. because if dragons were real, this is where you'd expect to find them. we've come to the remote redwood forest film set in new zealand. i think they're shooting right now. so come on. for an exclusive behind the scenes peek at the newest summer movie from disney, abc's parent company. >> follow that dragon! >> reporter: "pete's dragon" was shot entirely on location in new zealand. the pristine natural landscape and award-winning film industry making it one of the most desirable filming location in the world. known for "the hobbit" and "lord of the rings" trilogies and james cameron's "avatar." the cast includes robert redford

and bryce dallas howard. >> i have never seen a dragon. >> reporter: the real stars are oaks begley as pete. and his best friend elliot, who happens to be a giant green magical dragon. oaks went through weeks of specialized training with a movement coach to convincingly portray an orphan who grows up in the woods. is that your animal look? that was impressive. you look like my chihuahua. you had to learn to stay low to the ground? >> action! >> yeah, it was a little hard to learn like how exactly pete moves. compared to how i move. because it's -- there's definitely a difference. but i haven't been out in the forest for six years. >> are you guys excited to finally see this movie? you're only shooting in pieces. so excited. very much. >> is elliot a good actor? >> yeah, i think he's probably

the best actor i've ever met. >> is he cute? >> i think he looks cute. if you get him angry -- i don't think so. >> if he starts breathing fire, it's not very cute. >> yeah. >> it's all fun and games until the dragon breathes fire. >> yeah. >> reporter: elliot is the cgi creation of new zealand's own visual effects powerhouse weda digital. i heard there were times where they put a tennis ball on the end of a stick for an actor. >> that's what's so cool. because the technology in film has just become beyond our wildest dreams, honestly. and this dragon is like nothing anyone has ever seen before. it's a unique dragon. he's so awesome. >> hi, elliot! >> reporter: you may remember the 1977 movie by the same name. the original, a sing-along musical that combined live action with an unmistakably cute animated dragon. ♪ i look in your eyes and you

whisper sweetly ♪ >> do you remember the original "pete's dragon"? >> of course, yeah. it's one of those early films parents allowed their children to watch. it was definitely something that i watched a ton when i was a kid. >> reporter: david lowery directs the new film. >> all you do here is run up the bank and disappear. >> wait! >> reporter: and set out to completely reimagine the story. >> we've got this title. the title says that the character is named pete and he has a dragon. we'll take those facts and run with them and tell a different story. >> he's bleended realism with magic which is another value i think we've kind of lost in our culture. >> just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there. >> that's where she walks through -- >> reporter: this is lowery's first big-budget studio film. having made a name for himself directing independent features are you made small films, this is a big-budget, big

opportunity -- >> yeah, it's weird. the nuts and bolts of it are still like -- you know, you get a camera and couple of actors and figure out how to shoot a scene and what angles work the best and what the emotion of it is. and then you call action and watch it happen. >> action! >> what are you going to be shooting today? >> wait! >> today is a really fun scene. this is the scene that leads up to us all seeing and meeting pete for the first time in the forest. >> kind avenue pivotal scene. >> it's a pivotal scene for sure. >> cut. that was great. >> i am determined to find him. >> reporter: even though i couldn't spot elliot as i explored the forest set, i did find myself swept up in the imaginative fairy tale world the cast and crew worked so hard to deposit tour. i'm sarah haines for "nightline" in new zealand. up next, "baby one more

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>> jimmy: and finally tonight, it was a serenade of sorts. britney spears surprising jimmy kimmel. she's back with a new album and going for glory. >> okay, so we have a surprise for jimmy. >> reporter: tonight the princess of pop. yeah i'm talking about britney. who took to the bedroom. ♪ >> reporter: jimmy kimmel's bedroom, that is. punking the late-night host with a performance of her latest hit "make me." >> bye, jimmy! >> thanks for coming by! >> reporter: the prank all a part of the hoopla surrounding the release of "glory" later this month, her first album since 2013. perhaps it will make fans on social media forget what happened on this radio show earlier this week. >> who would you rather sit next to on a 24-hour flight to

sydney, taylor swift or katy perry? >> maybe because i've met katy perry i would say taylor swift because i've never met her before. >> reporter: she has met taylor at the 2008 vmas. whoops. memory lapse aside, the much-beloved britney is back. ♪ hit me baby one more time >> reporter: just to make us feel old, consider this. "baby one more time" was released almost two decades ago. ♪ >> reporter: since then she's been a slave for you, and a doting mom of two. and oh, yeah, she has that other job on the vegas strip. her "piece of me" show scoring her a reported $35 million contract. ♪ but now i'm stronger >> reporter: she just seems to keep getting stronger. she did it again. thanks for watching abc news. join us for "good morning america" tomorrow.

and as always, we are online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. good night, america.

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