>> paul ryan. reince priebus. and the rest. and donald trump. behind closed doors. the donald visits d.c. >> mr. trump goes to washington. >> mr. trump goes to washington. >> mr. trump goes to washington. >> mr. trump goes to washington. >> why didn't we think of that? mr. trump goes to washington. >> somebody listen to me. >> an event so big it requires not one box, not two, not three, not four, not five. holy ----

mark: the whole big political world gorged itself on a nice big juicy trump steak extravaganza in washington, d.c. we of course have our own team of reporters standing by to covers all of the angles on this special report edition of "with all due respect." team coverage throughout this all-new episode. it was "a great day in d.c." that is how donald j. trump , billionaire described his , huddle with paul ryan and reinecerevious -- preibus and other republican leaders on capitol hill in a series of meetings. just in case you have not been glued to the tube, let me give you a recap. the press got there early before trump's meetings. first trump met with ryan and bus. he afterwards spoke with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and republicans in the upper chambers. afterwards, ryan and trump released a joint statement saying "while we recognize there are differences, we recognize

that they are also important. there are many important areas of common ground. this is a great opportunity to unify our party and win this fall. and we are totally committed to working together to achieve that goal." "great day tweeted in d.c. with paul ryan. things really working out well. trump 2016." this afternoon, donald trump met with james a. baker and lindsey graham, the senator from south carolina who has been very anti-trump who had a "cordial phone call with trump today." graham did repeat today that he's not planning to vote for trump. republican strategist of long-standing, what if anything? what, if anything, was accomplished today with trump's visit? particularly with paul ryan? nicole: i know we are going to

spend a lot of time talking about the speaker. he's a rising star, revered by establishment figures but viewed as having a bright future by the grassroots of our party. by them intrigued political opportunity of donald trump beginning to get his toe hold on matters of national security with meetings like the one he had with secretary baker who is revered and does hew closer to the trump world of view of less is more. the phone call with lindsey graham is very significant. they talkedct that at length, the focus on the ryan meeting, that is important. the fact that he had that meeting. and another meeting he had he , met with senate strategists. to talk about what he could do to help them win. he met with rob portman, one of the biggest high-stakes things on the table this year. the fact that he sat at meetings, he listened a lot. paul ryan said that trump was very gracious and personal.

i think he did himself a lot of good. with these men and women in the party, they want someone they can trust. so this leads to the next part of the conversation. nicole: what is this political motivation? why is ryan so accommodating? mark: you know, i think that ryan -- i'm surprised at how far he went today. he really was, try to accentuate the positive in every moment in that press conference he had in the joint statement. you know a bunch of republicans , endorsed trump in the last couple days. kevin mccarthy, the number two republican. greg walden, who is the house campaign committee. a bunch of committee chairs. i don't think those endorsements gave ryan any choice. he cannot be anti-trump. he has got to move towards consolidating. i think ryan realizes that now trump can win. he realizes trump can win. he wants to have trump if he ends up as a speaker with -- working with a republican president.

different onare as policy as ryan and hillary clinton might be, maybe more. they are diametrically opposed on policy, on trade, on foreign policy, title reform. you could go on and on. sort of when you look back, when you look back when things have gotten done in washington, it is when people reach across the policy divide. people can be doing a greater grab. mark: but they do agree on some stuff, including the bare bones. nicolle: talking about life in the supreme court. those are like [speaking simultaneously] mark: they agree on the politics. they want hillary clinton to lose. that is the big unifying thing. so, both donald trump and paul ryan admit that despite the common ground that have found, they still, as nicole said have , differences. so, you mentioned some of them. which of the big differences you named will matter in the context of this election? not if trump wins and ryan remains speaker, which of those differences cannot be papered

over in the context of the campaign? nicole: working in the white house, covering campaigns, and you have covered more than i have, it is the economy. finding some economic message some progress message that does , not make paul ryan cringe every time he has to talk about donald trump's appetite for trade wars and his protectionism and his sort of isolationism on the economic front, i think those are the differences that are so fundamental if you go back and look at the public paul ryan record. and so far -- mark: why couldn't trump rewrite his tax plan? nicolle: trump can. paul ryan can't. paul ryan is sort of an ideological, economic free-market guy. he does not have a lot of room to -- trump is not wed to any of his policies. mark: i think they will have to agree to disagree on immigration. on entitlement reform, i think trump can move. if ryan can get trump to say, we are going to preserve these programs for current beneficiaries and save them for future generations. i think trump can make that

switch. trump, but i think for we will be able to know more about his appetite for doing something that is very unpopular. his sort of comfort zone is doing what he thinks his popular base wants to hear. they do not want to hear that they will get less when it comes to entitlement. mark: it is not going to be less. it is just going to be different. the big thing is tax reform. that is what ryan wants to do. andp template -- change it ryan will be happy. nicolle: so, all this said, do you think that ryan endorsement is either imminent or probable? or? mark: i do not know exactly how he is going to do it. my hunch and talking to one of his advisors they do not want to , make this a big deal. nicole: too bad. mark: he can sort of ease into it. easing into the hot water of the cold water. he went a long way today. it is inevitable. i cannot imagine he can back down, particularly because so many of his colleagues are getting on board with trump.

he will find a way to say, i have watched donald trump, they will meet again. and now i am comfortable that he is not a better president than hillary clinton but someone we can work with as conservatives to change the country. trump was running against not just washington before today, but against the republican party. bill clinton did the same thing in 1992, but after he got the nomination, he turned a little bit and ran more against both parties and the washington culture. i think once he reaches that point, i think ryan will endorse them. nicolle: i think it is likely. i do not think it is imminent. ryan is such an intellectual force in the conservative movement. i think there is sort of an element of therapy on his side. you can see him hashing it out in full view of the cameras. issues like life and conservative principles, which is what we always say when we disagree with each other. i think this is going to be harder than ryan will make it look. it speaks to his talent and some flexibility we did not know he had. mark: i agree with all of that. coming up, we'll talk about trump's trip to washington in

detail. we have reporters, members of congress, advisors, and more after these words from our sponsors. ♪

♪ mark: joining us now, the great kelly o'donnell nbc news to talk about the big ryan-trump trump's trip there. ryan and mitch mcconnell have been studies in contrast since trump set up the nomination. ryan holding out. mcconnell getting on board. sort of. talk about the personal styles and achievements -- and decisions that went into this. kelly: mitch mcconnell is the ultimate pragmatist and he is

also someone who can see around the corner politically. he can see two or three steps down the line. paul ryan is in a different position as really the head of the party the chairman of the , convention, much more visible. some of mcconnell's strengths are really kind of backroom strengths. knowing where things are heading. they had kind of different responsibilities and different challenges. so, when you see the public reluctance of paul ryan, when we know of him as being this policy guy, a policy wonk, did not even want to be speaker -- embracing that position now and wanting to , defend conservatism of this modern time and move it in a way that is more appealing to a broader base. now mcconnell is playing a , tactical game. he is kind of the new majority leader and does not want to see that go away with the election. they have got 24 seats on the ballot. democrats only have 10. so he does not want to lose his majority. the message he is sending and , he's getting definite feedback

from other senate republicans, is that the people have chosen trump. and the faster those in washington get on board with that, the better it will be. it is not as if their resistance to trump is going to change his place as the nominee. after all the talk of the convention. so, mcconnell, more quietly, more slowly getting to that end point faster. and so, kind of who even noticed , endorsement from mcconnell? where there is all this pressure about will ryan endorse and when? it is a study in contrasts. they have different roles and different responsibilities and messages to the republican party. on the senate side, senators want to be able to be their own people, to be defining their own race, not to be linked to trump. but you know the democrats, both individual campaigns and the organizations will try to link each one of those on the ballot to donald trump in the ways that are the most controversial. that is a challenge. but there is always a desire to

make sure there is fundraising power with the nominee who we do not yet know, will he worked with those on the ballot in the fall to raise money for the party? they have got to pay for the convention this time. not federally financed. all of those issues come to a head today, beginning towards a new direction. mcconnell giving people a path to get on board. ryan trying to keep the soul of the new party intact, to say we want policy, we want ideas, but we are not closing the door. that is my take. what a whirlwind of a day. i cannot wait to exhale when it is all over and take it all in. nicolle: i have been watch you all day. i hope you have taken a breather. i want to know how hands-on mcconnell is with the senators who really, i think eye trump , with a lot of trepidation. kelly: one thing mcconnell does is he lets an individual senator run their race. there are some very vulnerable seats. and he knows those senators will have to move away from trump on key issues.

will have to be voices of criticism to trump, whether it is about the muslim ban issue. which trump is sort of backing away from. whether it is about his relationship to women voters and how well he is performing or not performing there. and so, you will see mcconnell do a couple of things. he will use the senate floor and the policies that may be advanced in the normal work is a -- normal workings of capitol hill. expect no dangerous vote for republicans, no walking off the plank. he will give them room to run their own races. and i think there is a next -- there is an expectation that trump probably will not care if some of those republican candidates distance themselves. he has been running against washington. i think where paul ryan is looking for unity, and we are certainly hearing from members of the republican conference that they do not want to be in a rock and a hard place between their speaker and their party nominee, when many voters at home, not all, but many voters at home are sending a signal about trump. we are hearing that there are some members of the senate who

can kind of feel the changes in the electorate over a number of years now. and that has taken this party to trump for good or bad or the unknown. and so expect mcconnell to want , to protect that majority first and foremost. and of course he wants to see a , republican president, but his job is to protect that majority. mark: kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. kelly, thank you very much. i will say these meetings coming with some state polls and national polls showing trump in position to win made a big difference. republicans are happy to see someone who can actually take back the white house. coming up two republican , congressmen talk about trump 's d.c. trip and what it means for party unification efforts. ♪

♪

mark: joining us now to talk more about donald trump's the dating session on capitol hill today, two republican members of the house. who have said donald trump will be the nominee but has not endorsed him yet. and the other one who has, they both join us from the canon rotunda on capitol hill. gentlemen, welcome. let me start with you, congressman marino. tell me what you think donald trump accomplished today with the meetings that he held on the hill? donald and paul ryan accomplished a great deal. for the sake of getting together and not so much airing out differences, because i think they came to realize they have a great deal in common. mark: and congressman labrador is there something that would , make you get wildly enthusiastic about donald trump? if so, what is that? >> i want to clarify, i am supporting donald trump because

he is the nominee of the party. i have always said it would support anyone who is the nominee. i would have to sit down and talk with him and really understand some of the things he has been saying. he has been sort of attacking some of the things conservatives believe in. i want to know exactly what he believes. i'm not sure the press has gotten everything right. so i need to get to know him. i need to be excited about what he is doing. for now, i think he has 100% better than hillary clinton. i have no problem supporting him in the presidential race. nicolle: congressman labrador, it is nicolle wallace. do you worry where the polls are with trump and women? as you know, winning the white house requires the gop nominee to narrow, not overcome, but to narrow the gender gap. are you worried about those comments? >> obviously i worry about the comments and the gap. you look at the polls vis-a-vis donald trump, he has been a master of actually doing better

than the polls say. if you look at the polls from maybe a year ago, no one suspected that he was going to be the nominee. no one suspected he would win women in the republican party. and he did pretty well with women in the republican party. he did pretty well with independent women. i think he is going to narrow that gap. i think he is going to do better. i think he needs to explain better to the american people what his positions are, because he is going to have $500 billion worth of money to used against -- being used against him. he really needs to get his house in order and figure out how exactly he is going to explain some of those positions he has taken. mark: congressman marino, as summative that was on, i am wondering even today, your colleagues are coming up to you about donald trump, asking to , set up meetings with donald trump or his senior staff, how much has the excitement built in this last week? congressman marino: it has increased substantially. more and more individuals coming

up saying, what can i do? how can i get involved? love the idea that paul and donald got together. i tell them i speak with paul on , a regular basis and donald. there will be more of these meetings and putting the planks together for the platform. and i just think this is going to be a dynamic combination. a businessman as president the , finesse and experience that paul has on the hill in numbers game. and these two, along with a republican house and republican senate, can make america great again. mark: to use the phrase. congressman labrador in a normal cycle at this point all the republican members of the house would be publicly, wildly enthusiastic about the nominee. now we have gradations going from people saying they will not vote for donald trump to people saying enthusiastic about it. will that be true by the time we get to cleveland? or by the time we get to

cleveland, it will be a largely united party, everybody enthusiastic? congressman labrador: i think it will be enthusiastic by the time we get to cleveland. there is one common enemy and that is hillary clinton. i know who hillary clinton, the kind of people she will pick as her vice president. i know the kind of people she will pay gets her judicial nominees. i know the people she will pick for her administration. all these people are different than what i want for america, what i want for the future of america. so i think we will come behind, at least we would get excited about never hillary. and i think little by little, we will get more excited about donald trump. i think what he did today, he came to congress, he talked to the speaker, talked to the leadership. i think he was able to go all long way to unify the party, but i think it really is up to both donald trump and paul ryan to unify the party. i think we can do that. i think if you look at previous elections, you had some trepidation about john mccain. you had some trepidation about mitt romney. this always happens after a bruising primary.

but i think we are going to come together and actually win this time. nicolle: is there anything about the pre-trump republican party that you would miss? such is the standing for free and fair trade, the party standing for more intervention with foreign policy? are there anything we have lost with donald trump as the party standardbearer? congressman marino: quite the opposite. i think we have gained things. in speaking to paul and the conservatives in the house we , want to make sure that the article 1 issue is in fact congress's authority, not the president. in my discussions with donald, he has no problem with that. and that we are pro-life, and donald is pro-life. on the other hand, paul has that shared with me that the people have overwhelmingly voted to have donald trump as their candidate.

number the issue among others two, that he is concerned with our -- are trade and border security. paul's made that very clear that donald will be the nominee because of those two issues. and they will get together. we will get together as a party to come up with solutions. so, just about everybody is on board. i am sure -- nicolle: can i challenge you? i'm sorry the republican party , stood for more issues than just life and the constitution. we used to stand for free and fair trade around the world. republicans are obama's biggest allies and trying to get the -- in trying to get the current trade -- are there any policies -- go ahead. congressman marino: let me address that. because it is not fair trade. it is not fair trade. i want fair trade. not free trade. we are always taking the short end of the stick here. these other countries need us more than we need them. they are manipulating their currency. they are subsidizing their manufacturing, flooding the market.

and donald trump and paul ryan and the republicans in the house and senate, we have to make changes, meaning that lower the taxes for middle-class people, lower the corporate tax . that will bring industry back to this country so we can manufacture steel and products that we cannot only sell in america, quality products that will create high-paying jobs, but around the world as well. mark: gentlemen, we have less than a minute. go for a rapid round. one word answer. congressman, who is the favorite to win the white house clinton , or trump? who's the favorite? congressman marino: trump. overwhelmingly. mark: trump or clinton? >> trump. mark: ok landslide. congress and reynaud who should , donald trump pick as his running mate? one word. congressman marino: i would say one of the female governors. mark: give me two names you would be happy with. >> i think one of the female

governors. mark: and congressman labrador who would you be delighted with if he picked him? congressman labrador: i think ted cruz will be wonderful and i think governor perry would be wonderful, as well. mark: great. congressman and congressman thomas thank you both. one last thing getting a lot of talk a federal judge in , washington has struck down a part of the affordable care act, a.k.a. obamacare concluding the , president overstepped by funding insurance subsidies without congressional approval. the case will be appealed. up next, a trump advisor and a ryan advisor will be here to talk about the big meetings meet in washington today. ♪

show me top new artist. ah, ha ha. show me top male artist. my whole belieber fan group. it's not a competition, but if it was i won. xfinity x1 lets you access the greatest library of billboard music awards moments,

simply by using your voice. the billboard music awards, live sunday may 22nd, 8/5 pacific, only on abc. ♪ >> to expand -- to what extent

can you see him committed to reducing -- what did you think of his personality? speaker ryan: i think it was a very good personality and he is a very warm and genuine person. there are things we really believe as conservatives. we believe in limited government, we believe in the constitution, we believe in the proper role of the differences of the separation of powers. we believe in things like life. i think we are off to an encouraging start. it is important to get ourselves to full strength so we can win in the fall, because the stakes could not be higher. it takes more than 45 minutes. mark: that was speaker paul ryan at his press conference this morning, answering a question i asked about his meeting with donald trump. here now in the studio trump , campaign senior adviser barry bennett. and a longtime friend, dan seymour. gentlemen, welcome. barry, it seemed as best i can tell, a series of successful meetings today. what do you know about the meeting with secretary of state baker? what was the purpose of that?

barry: i don't know a bunch about it. i know they were talking about transition and transition teams. mark: besides the fact that everybody has talked it up, what do you say was concrete that was accomplished today? barry: i think a lot of people got to meet donald trump for the first time. what they will find as he has a -- is he has a very engaging, big personality. so, some of their preconceived notions start to erode away. mark: anything happen today that causes you to say, you know what? i am not going to stand with the bushes and mitt romney. >> no. first of all because, there were , three outcomes that could've occurred today. outcome one would've been, it was such a great meeting that paul ryan would have endorsed donald trump. outcome two would've been him basically saying there is no way in hell i'm endorsing donald trump. and outcome number three is what occurred, which is we have to keep the channel of communication open. effectively, donald trump is on trial, and i am going to work with him and see if i can get to

endorsing him. hold on. for the most senior elected republican in the country to come out with a meeting with the presumptive republican nominee guy has it locked up and say i'm still not ready to endorse -- is not inconsequential. mark: what is the implication of it? >> i do not know if you will eventually endorse. he wants to create space to see if they can work together. whether or not he can get trump educated to the point that he feels comfortable that trump is actually conservative. i do not believe that he is. i do not believe a lot of people, some that are supporting him, believe that he is. what would have been dangerous for paul is that he endorsed him and have trump revert back to is schoolyard antics, or to another revision to one of his positions on tax reform, entitlement reform, foreign policy, one of these issues that

he goes back and forth with and his assurances are meaningless. and paul out there completely embarrassed because he is endorsing a guy who is bouncing around. mark: pretend you are not here for a second. you were a trump skeptic when you're working for ben carson. when you look at this, what is the psychological profile you see? which stage? barry: he's nearing the final stage. mark: do you think he will be a trump endorser by cleveland? >> i've been in dan's shoes. when john mccain was running. i was never mccain, no way, no how. the guy is not a republican. i wrote him a check. mark: you are comparing trump to mccain? barry: i'm comparing -- we walked in the same shoes. we do not like the nominee, but eventually we came arod. mark: if you call yourself a conservative, there is not a single issue, come on, that donald trump has embraced that as a self-respecting conservative can say i have confidence he actually believes that, because there are real

principles and convictions. he will govern with. >> that is your opinion. nicolle: can i jump in? you and i worked for a lot of the same people, we championed the same policies on behalf of those people, and i believe the people we worked for believe them at the time? where did we lose the base of our party? because they believe in donald trump. dan: there is a complete crack up going on in economies in western europe and the united states. every western democracy is experiencing this intense socioeconomic stratification that is manifesting all over. it in the u.k. you see the president elected in austria. poland, hungary. this transcends the republican party. it is happening with bernie sanders. it transcends sovereign boundaries. it's happening all over the place. so, we are experiencing the symptoms of an electorate across the board that just wants to blow the system up. i respect that.

so i do think there is a lot to , learn from this process over the last few months that we lost some of our party as the democrats have. the idea that the vessel for that outrage, for that frustration, for the loss, to repair it all is a guy who does not believe anything. mark: what is the cost to the trump campaign to not have paul ryan right now, to not have the ,ushes, to not have mitt romney is there a cost to winning? barry: if you look at the last three national polls, frankly not much. 42%, 41%, 43%. the republicans are coming home. it should not be a surprise to anyone that washington is the last place to understand that. mark: the bushes don't live in washington. >> the establishment is the last place it will happen.

nicolle: i think his supporters you going to washington and trying to make up to the establishment as a potential landmine. barry: i would agree. it is not entirely positive. dan: in 2008, after mccain had the nomination locked up. you mentioned him. pointspolls, he was 10 ahead of obama. obama was in the middle of a primary. taking a snapshot of these polls and over interpreting them is a mistake. if obama, if trump came out today and said i'm for expanding obamacare, not shrinking it. not constraining it. i am for expanding obamacare. take the position hillary clinton has. if trump did that, would you be ok with that? barry: no. dan: how do you reconcile his complete flip on his tax reform plan? or the fact that he says we will not do -- barry: because i do not believe it is a complete flip. dan: he literally said that a few days ago. it is a starting point. barry: all you hear is what you want to hear.

what he said was, i have to negotiate with congress. as you and i both know, that is what you have to do. you are not going to get everything you want. dan: no, that is not what he said. he said, you are not going to get the tax cuts that i want. >> what about entitlement reform? when he said, i do not think that we should deal with the national debt issue. i do not want to deal with entitlements area >> -- entitlements. >> i feel like i'm wasting my time. i do not want to waste my time. all he wants to do is make sure nobody gets hurt. and we can do that. dan: but that is not what he has said. barry: i'm telling you -- dan: is what he said publicly different from what you think he wants to do? barry: i think you interpret everything he says word for word and you attach the meaning to it. what he does not want to do is hurt seniors. he's not going to do that. dan: when you run for office, words matter. and he has uttered a lot of

words. you are asking me to discard his words. mark: hold on. i understand, we understand, you have been here before talking about your reservations. what are your feelings about whether trump has a good chance to win this election. dan: it's about probability 10 , so you have to assign a probability. do i think that trump has a 35% of winning. a 40% chance? yes. in most most races he would say he does. i think the idea of donald trump being commander-in-chief and having the potential to reach -- wreak havoc on the country in the world, i think he has the potential to do, in the -- suddenly that 30% scarce me. i think, wow, 30% that is actually high. mark: what if he picks as his running mate someone with foreign-policy experience?

dan: i am not a close advisor. i am an observer. people in positions and agendas are pieces on a chessboard for him. he embraces someone because he needs them. look at the way he treated chris christie over the last eight weeks is stunning. whether it is issues are people, -- or people, he picks them up and drops them. at the end of the day, he is the commander in chief, and he hath to reassure voters, the country, -- and he has to reassure voters, the country, that he has the chops, the credentials, the judgment, the temperament to be commander in chief. i do not believe a running mate -- mark: it does not change your view at all. i don't believe you. with all due respect, if bob gates was his running mate, it would have to affect your view. i want to ask -- nicolle: i want to ask you both a question. was there any part of paul ryan that was dying on the

inside, crying on the inside? and was there any part of donald trump that was dying on the inside and having to kowtow to these people he has had so much success lampooning for the last nine months? was there any part of either of these men that was dying on the inside today? barry: i don't think so. dan: paul ryan is a political leader of ideas. he has been involved with the ideas debate for a long time. and i think watching the conservative movement fold, or parts of the conservative movement fold to this guy who's just using it, i think is difficult. he is also the leader of a party, and he is trying to strike this balance. it is not an easy process. nicolle: i agree with you. mark: donald trump on the stump has used paul ryan as a laugh line at events. will he continue to do that? or no more? barry: -- he's not going to do that. mark: a guy he just hung out with? barry: i mean, you know. i do not think so.

thesely, there are all brand-new conservatives who i have not seen for decades. they are very concerned about the conservative legacy. it's laughable. dan: i agree with you that it is laughable. i think it is a fair critique that washington republicans have not been serious about developing a real conservative governing agenda. the idea that donald trump is the antidote to that, who's never been embraced or engaged in or advocated for conservative ideas in his life? barry: let me tell you something. policy is important. how we talk about them, they are far more important. that is where we really have failed. the reason we get 45% in a presidential race is because nobody thinks we even care let , alone listen. mark: great discussion. thank you. when we come back, our rapidfire rendition of mr. trump goes to washington.

if you are in washington you can listen to this program on bloomberg 99.1 fm. we will be right back. ♪

♪ mark: it was a really big day in the nation's capital. if you are just joining us here , is what happened with donald trump in the beltway. >> trump-ryan meetings. here is what happened. >> it is not your average meet and greet. >> donald trump will kick off his day four hours from now. >> wheels down. >> trump force one. >> there is donald trump. >> meeting number one begins. right, donald trump, all

-- paul ryan, and reince priebus is the couple's therapist. >> there are some bagpipers playing. >> we have one update from meeting number one, now that meeting number two is underway. still anticipating meeting number three. the chair of the rnc says the first meeting was in his words "great." >> the meeting was great. >> then he does interviews. >> do you feel like a couple's therapist? >> a great first step. it was great. >> 11:00 a.m., trump arrives for senate meeting. 11:04, trump-ryan joint statement. >> it was a very positive step toward unification. >> 11:32, trump takes the podium. ready to address the news. no, the other news. >> i think we had a very encouraging meeting. i am very encouraged with this meeting. very encouraged. >> reporters got the message. >> this was an encouraging step. >> no endorsement. 1:00 p.m., more meetings for trump. >> it will not go to one of the

most prestigious law firms in washington. >> 2:12, trump tweets -- >> things working out really well. >> 2:31, wheels up. mark: got a lot of work done. face-to-face. it is harder to attack people if you sit face-to-face with them. right? nicolle: maybe, but donald trump is, you know, a guy that is breaking all convention. i think that what is interesting about today is i am not sure this had anything to do with what his supporters wanted him to do. i reached out to a few of the trump supporters, and they were appalled he was going to try to kind of suck to people who disparaged him and disrespected what he has done. i think what trump wanted most today was respect and some sort of a claim for what is undeniably a massive political accomplishment. i'm not sure he accomplished that. is verye that paul ryan

much a part of that. mark: i miscalculated it. i did not think he would get nearly as much as he got today. it was a very successful day. even though he alienated some people. that is the balancing act any outsider has to engage in. coming up, a man who is actually -- has actually seen donald j. trump's tax returns. we will be right back. ♪

♪ mark: joining us now is tim o'brien. he wrote the book "trump nation, the art of being the donald." and in a bloomberg column today, he says he wants saw donald trump's tax returns as part of a lawsuit, in which donald trump sued him for libel.

>> good to be here. mark: you are not at liberty to say what you saw in the returns but explain theoretically, big picture, one of the kinds of things you think the country will learn if they saw donald trump three turns? tim: i broke up the column into four categories. i think one easy one is income. we will see whether or not the money he earns from his businesses comports with the statements he has made publicly about it. it does not get to his net worth. but it does give you a reflection of some of the foundations of his wealth, as well as the scope of his business operations. you know he has made a point in , his campaign of saying the u.s. businesses are mistaken for operating their corporations overseas. and that comes at the expense of the american worker. we know that trump sources some of the things for his businesses overseas. does he have investments of his own overseas? that would come out in the personal and corporate tax returns he would turn over.

i think his charitable contributions are big area of interest. he has made things like his support for war veterans the focus of many of his campaign appearances. but there doesn't appear to be any real credible evidence that he has been a generous donor to veterans despite saying so. and then i think lastly and really importantly is, he's running for the most important office in the land. and i think it is important for anyone on the side of the aisle who occupies that office, to demonstrate to voters what the possible financial or business influences that are that might come to bear on them sitting in the white house. mark: who he has partnered with or invested with? >> correct. i think all of that is important. nicolle: did mitt romney or mark halperin agree with you on the public interest in seeing this? i'm not sure i do. tim: why don't you?

nicolle: i think we are in a political environment where the market is required -- that voters are not clamoring to have the same sort of transparency of donald trump that they are from anyone else. they accepted his political branch as an outsider. they are not demanding normal things that they demand of normal candidates. i do not think that there will be the kind of pressure that there was on like mitt romney. i wonder if you think that not turning over the tax return is potentially more damaging to him, or because you have seen what is in it, if you think the return itself is more damaging to him. tim: that is a really interesting question. i think with trump we have seen in his candidacy a guy who basically nothing has really clung to him. now, from a year from statements people have made about him. he has made about people running against him, to policy statements, to his own business record. he has sort of at least in the primary season moved past that with some ease. so, whether or not his release

of his tax returns is going to matter to the primary voters who supported him, i'd speculate not . i think what has not been tested though, is what does that support look like in a general election? we are going to see that next. and i think some of these issues that did not cling to him will be much more thorny and the -- in the general election. there is this big body of middle american voters who i think will want more answers than the primary voters did. mark: ok. thank you. up next, what donald trump has just said about his big day in washington, after this. ♪

♪ mark: one last bit o'news. donald trump in an interview with sean hannity about his

, weings today, he says agreed on a lot of different items and we are getting there. there is more about what trump did and said today at our story at bloomberg politics.com. i will say again i did not , expect the day to be successful. i hear about the backlash from supporters. i hear about dan senor, about how ryan did not go all the way, he leaves with personal ties. will sendg with baker a signal to a lot of people. nicolle: we keep watching the ryan dynamic but the thing that has political consequences are whether trump can get his legs under him on serious questions of national security. the biggest group that he needs to win over, are the women. he seems to shoot from the hip on matters of national security and that finds some of them. i think he has the most to gain from the conversations with lindsey graham and baker. mark: if he reigns in his rhetoric and convinces

republicans, and he can raise money and keep his outsider edge while making personal ties, that makes him a much more potential candidate than the democrats are thinking he is. nicolle: republicans have gone from the nile and grief, to talking -- denial and grief, to talking privately about how we and likely win. except dan. mark: he's a japanese soldier. coming up next on "bloomberg west," the winklevoss twins. thank you. tomorrow, we will be back here on the same channel. sayonara. ♪

♪ the 13th ofday, may. this is "trending business." ♪ >> we are going to be live in tokyo and singapore at this hour. it is the apple effect, a new report says that iphone fails have fallen to a fraction of what they were four years ago. suppliers are starting to feel the chill of the reduced demand. anthony's on -- and nissan today, welcoming -- it