mark: welcome to cleveland where the republican party is beginning to gather for the national convention. hundreds of delegates are in town already for the committee meetings that kicked off earlier today. just behind me is the quicken loans arena where the delegates are expected to make donald trump their official nominee for president next week. this week, the nation's attention is mostly focused elsewhere. it was a weekend of more conflict between protesters and police officers across the country. on friday, there were calls for unity from hillary clinton and

donald trump in the wake of the shootings in louisiana, minnesota, and dallas. today brought a shift in town from the present of republican nominee at a campaign event in virginia beach where he read an extended statement from teleprompter about his candidacy in the week of these tragedies. donald trump: i am the law and order candidate. [applause] trump: every kid in america should be able to securely walk the streets in their own neighborhood without harm. everyone will be protected equally and treated justly without prejudice. we will be tough. we will be smart. we will be fair. and we will protect all americans. words were barely out of his mouth and people were already comparing what he said to the remarks richard nixon made using comparable rhetoric when he won the white house in

1968 are in his comeback. richard nixon: let us have order in america, not the order that discourages change but the order that guarantees the right to dissent and provides the basis for peaceful change. tonight, it is time for honest talk about the problem of order in the united states. mark: john, as the nation grieve,s to leave -- how are both entered its dealing with them and what is the potency of this new message from trump about being the law and order candidate? we have notday, heard hillary clinton's message and have not seen donald trump's video. there was surprising synergy in a lot of ways. trump spoke about the tragedy in dallas and also of the tragedies in louisiana and minnesota with equal weight.

you could have expected him to play the law and order card and just focus on the police officers in dallas. he did not. you could have matched either one of them saying the same things. nixoniannald trump is in what he is doing. this comes on the back of rudy giuliani staking out and aggressive argument against black lives matter saying they are putting targets on the backs of police officers. that seems to be where the republican party rhetoric is drifting. unmistakable drift of where we are heading if trump keeps going in this direction. joe: trump did mention the victims of the police shootings last week. this is a change. it is a change that republicans have used effectively. david axelrod talks about how the public looks for the opposite of what they have in an incumbent president. critics of president obama would say he has not done enough to

bring the country together. trump will say he is a unifier and tough and strong. it's going to be fascinating. hillary clinton has not commented since friday. it will be fascinating to see if she tries to compete with trump on this notion of being for law and order. john: it is hard to imagine she would, given the politics of where she wants to be and where her base is. mark: except when you think about the clintons in arkansas. john: they have moved to the left in hillary clinton's candidacy. she is no longer a new democrat trying to fend off sanders in this campaign. the 1968 and allergies are sometimes overdone. we are still in the middle of the summer. there is a long way to go. there could be demonstrations and worse on the streets below where we are sitting. this could look a lot like 1968 soon. trump has not gone full george wallace on this issue yet. there have been comparisons to wallace and nixon.

is hillary clinton the hubert humphrey? as you pointed out at the beginning, richard nixon won that race. the key was he won when there was a scared, white, silent majority as he called it. whereat we have now demographics have changed a lot. we said is there anything trump has done that put you on the defensive and made your job harder? the crafting of that speech today puts them in a position where they have to figure out how to respond. they may figure it out. but trump saying he is the law and order candidate is something they will have to look at and say how will we respond. we have not heard from hillary clinton yet on that. one doesn't want to make these things too schematic or two black and white. the criticism that the remedy

trump is providing to obama, you also hear that from those on the left who criticize obama for trying to strike a balance when he andeir point of view hillary clinton should be staking out a strong argument on the opposite side, sympathizing mainly with african americans and not at all with the white officers. mark: these are tough issues for the country and politicians. we are not trying to overly politicize it. there is no doubt trump has put a different inferences on his position today that puts this into play and makes the events and how they handle them key to what is going on in the race. john: yes. i'm going to move on but we will talk about this more. tomorrow, president obama and former president bush are going to speak at a memorial service for the five officers killed in dallas last week. they will be in that city with vice president biden who is also expected to attend funerals for philando castile shot on

thursday. in any other election year the week before a national convention would be dominated by news of committee meetings and the speaker lineup. we have not gotten much of that yet. how will the focus and coverage thingse tragedies impact trump has got to do, pick a running mate and rollout his convention? mark: in the last two republican conventions, there were national disasters that cost the campaign to have to react. this is a big story. i don't envy the trump campaign. running matepick a and announced the schedule. on any given day, a single violent action involving a police officer threatens to put them off the proverbial front pages. they have a challenge because they are running out of time. they have to announce the keynote speaker and who is

taking as his running mate. ,ohn: the biggest difference those were natural disasters in 2008 and 2012. they were not what this is, which is now the political climate that envelops all of us. the reason why this is a hot moment is the things that led to the shootings in dallas and in minneapolis in baton rouge where the umpteenth in a string of things. this has been building. whether we are ready to explode fully, we don't know yet. mark: where might the explosion occur? right here. there is going to be -- and you just know i don't care how many offices are here, there will be moments of tension. even if everyone is on their best behavior, it is still going to be problematic. the trump campaign has a lot of choices to make. they have to make them without knowing what the future holds in the next seven days. john: in 1968, the convention in chicago, the democratic one is

the one where there were rights in the streets with a democratic mayor. we know cleveland was going to try to keep demonstrators far away. that has been overruled. the judge said that is not ok. there is a lot of reporting lately about protesters on both sides say they are planning to march everywhere and are expecting things to get out of control. that was before any of the things that happened in the last week. irk: on the trump campaign, have a feeling they did not have the schedule ironed out. now people are not expecting it because there is other stuff going on. when we come back, the latest on the stakes on both sides after these words from our sponsors. ♪

john: one of the biggest questions in politics even with everything going on is still who donald trump will pick as his running mate. he has been floating a new potential sidekick. retired lieutenant general michael flynn who has been advising on foreign policy. trump has also been appearing on the campaign trail with allegedly leading contenders on his short list, giving them all a chance to audition for the job. today in virginia beach, it was chris christie stern to describe what kind of president the donald would be. >> we need a president that will put law and order at the top of the priority of the presidency in this country. our police officers, the men and

women who stand each day to protect us, need to understand the president of the united states and his administration will give them the benefit of the doubt. not always believe that what they have done is somehow wrong. i know he will be the type of president who will put the rule of law first, who will make sure the law is enforced aggressively and appropriately, and it will put people in his administration who understand the rules and laws of this country apply to the leastnot just powerful but also the most powerful. we need someone has always demanded the best from everyone who has worked for and with him and who will place the interests of the american people first and foremost. he absolutely gives you the confidence every night when you put your head on the pillow that his number one priority will be the safety and security of your family. john: tomorrow, trump hits the trail with another top, perhaps

the top contender, indiana governor mike pence who is also practicing his audition today, speaking to reporters in indianapolis. >> i think we need strong leadership supporting our troops, strong leadership to get this economy moving again, and we need clear minded leadership to make common sense, conservative appointments to the supreme court. i am prepared to make that case anywhere across indiana and this country that donald trump would want me to. prefer to asklly you questions i have not asked you before because they yield more interesting answers. think trump's veep stakes stand? mark: i'm downgrading the possibility of a surprise pick. i believe trump wants to pick christie but his head is telling him to pick pence.

i believe there are people who think newt gingrich or chris christie have risks associated that are not worth taking on. my parents -- mike pence is qualified. he will be seen as qualified. i think he is headed towards picking pence, but he could change his mind. how is that? john: not bad. i have always thought pence makes a lot of sense on paper. i don't know what the chemistry is like between them. i can't imagine it will not matter to trump. mark: that is why i say he would rather have christie. gut: i think trump is a guy. i think he goes with his instincts. i still think christie has got to be in the race. i do not think newt gingrich will be on the ticket for a million reasons. the general who backtracked and changed his decision on abortion in the last 24 hours illustrated how difficult it is to put

somebody on the ticket who has never had a political career. i continue to think a surprise pick is still conceivable. and theyll head fakery are just lying about the numbers on the short list, that there is a fully vetted other ready to pop. mark: mike pence is all upside and the downside is limited and he is qualified. john: you are right. people will attack him for being too conservative. everybody loves attacking trump. trump is such a big target that pence will be small by comparison. mark: at last, bernie sanders is ready to endorse hillary clinton. it is expected to happen tomorrow at a joint rally in new hampshire. while he is not under consideration to be on the ticket, sanders' long anticipated backing might influence who clinton can and should choose. she has bernie sanders in hand. where does that leave her search

for a running mate? big event is thursday when she will be in virginia and suburban washington, d.c., with tim kaine. we saw her do an audition with elizabeth warren. now we see tim kaine. i think there's a good reason why tim kate has been at the front of her list. i think he continues to be at the front of her list. if she believes the only thing standing in her way to the presidency is getting bernie sanders' voters over, that makes the case for warren. endorsement will limit her worry about that and leave her more likely to kaine. mark: i don't think there is any chance clinton will pick before trump. "out and had dinner with tim kaine and mike pence and were asked to choose which one was more exciting, you might have trouble picking. they are similar in their resumes and backgrounds. john: you could have a bilingual conversation.

that is sort of exciting. mark: there is no reason to worry about picking a guy who is not the most exciting. most of the clinton people who have an opinion are enthusiastic about kaine or fine with him. i don't think she is getting pushback about picking tim kaine. go with somebody vetted by barack obama, the safe choice. i will say if trump makes a surprise pick, i could see her making a surprise pick. john: do not count out the person popped up recently. do not count out tom vilsack. also a vanilla pick and someone she likes a lot. delegates have been busy in the rock 'n roll capital of the world. we will check in on what they have been up to after this. ♪

mark: welcome back. we are in cleveland. republican convention committee meetings are underway. here is a quick scene setter to get you started. >> cleveland republican convention, here is what will happen. first, let's go back to 1796. general cleveland frowns cleveland. that is not a typo. they dropped the a. things are invented. the river catches on fire several times. rock 'n roll, movies, tv, and politics. 1934, cleveland holds its first republican convention. 1936, republicans returned to cleveland. they choose this guy.

americans choose the other guy. americans choose other convention cities for 80 years. now they are back. see us nbc says expect fireworks. debate onith the trade agreements and other stuff. then comes the rules committee. the goal is to unbind delegates and force an open convention. the likelihood of success low. the backup plan is to make it harder for him to choose his v.p. the backup backup plan is to later. easier mark: joining us to update us on the commission -- convention committee debates is a conservative, pro-life group that has been recruiting delegates to shake the party platform for decades, including this time. what is the worst that could happen from donald trump's point of view in the realm of possibility?

>> it is very easy. if there becomes a fight on the platform, the theme becomes fight amongst yourselves. everybody is talking about what will be outside. you've got about three steps going before you get to the delegates getting here. mark: which fights are most likely to occur? >> there is the gay marriage fight. today they dodged the trade one. there was a question of whether some free traders would push back on trunks language. that went away. on the rules, there's the unbinding fight. i think the more likely fight is closing the primaries. getting -- gutt ing the r.n.c., taking the party power away from the r.n.c. there is a move to do that. i think there is a real sense of a lot of conservatives that they will not unbind. they will want to get their pound of flash. that may be one way they get it. john: we saw the reports that

some people were giving hard counts that were lower than a lot of people thought. what is your sense of how strong this is? >> perception was in the last couple of days the pros that write the platform have been impressed by what trump arrived with. they arrived with a bunch of staffers and started whipping. they solidified the trump people. we had a dinner last night with trump delegates. they were getting more direction. there's nothing worse than being for somebody and not knowing what you are doing. the perception is they are on the ground and making more progress. the perception a lot of people thought is they were not. the reality is these were very uneventful subcommittee meetings. you vote on pro-life and marriage, they were 15-3, 16-to. there is a sense they have their ducks lined up. the question is what else is out there. mark: are the trump forces trying to have peace order they

care about the outcome? 2012, he said in i will take the platform as conservative as you want it. i don't want to debate my past on abortion. the trump people are clear. is thing that has been good brooke said we have had a lot of people venting. we have not put the phone -- thu mb on the scale. i was there for some things they are talking about. they wanted to put in protection for the prairie chicken. there is a sense people are being heard. on the rules committee especially, you're getting a sense where listening to what is going on. the party is really behind trump. glove.e now hand in the guys that were treading, managing the time a -- primary

are working it hard. these guys are working in one direction. john: i don't know what you've got against the prairie chicken. >> i'm not anti-chicken. i don't want that to be the headline coming out of here. john: people are talking about 20/20, open-door closed primaries. what is the state of the debate about the party may change the way it nominates? >> i think that is the one reform almost 100% likely to get far. maybe it does not pass. i advocated then. conservatives want that. i think you will see that. it will probably be in the form of a reward. if you close your primary, he will get extra delegates as opposed to knocking them out. i don't think nevada stays as a carveout state no matter what they do. mark: be replaced by another western state. you don't think mike pence will

be picked. you refused to say who. >> he is a well-known conservative guy who has succeeded and led. i talked to some trump guys. he had not decided by friday. he scheduled a meeting in indiana last wednesday. trump has not ruled it out. john: give us a name. >> i want mattis. sanders'ing up, bernie campaign manager previews the event with hillary clinton tomorrow in the granite state. we will be right back with him after this. ♪ . . get ready for the rio olympic games

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nbcuniversal's coverage of the rio olympic games. call or go online today to switch to x1. with us now from washington to talk about what is going to happen between bernie sanders and hillary clinton tomorrow in new hampshire is

jeff weaver. sanders'esteemed campaign manager. we know there is an event in new hampshire. bernie sanders and hillary clinton are going to be there. everyone assumes this is the endorsement. is that the case question mark jeff: i don't want to preview too much. they will be in new hampshire talking about the need to go forward to when the white house for john: all the reporting suggests an endorsement is forthcoming is incorrect? jeff: i am not confirming an endorsement tomorrow. john: if there was an endorsement, explain what the ark of that is and what rot bernie sanders to the point that he is willing to do a unity event and more likely to confer her with his endorsement. has been ank there

tremendous amount of communication about the primary caucus -- primary and system. i think you saw the secretary coming out with a very old plan on college financing wherein she included free college tuition at public college and university that the senator was advocating about the campaign. saturdayou saw this that the secretary came out with a bold plan to double the amount of money to support a public option so all consumers have the option to buy insurance from the government and not private health insurers. if you look at what we went through, you saw the inclusion of a $15 minimum wage, putting a ofce on carbon and a host issues, ending the death penalty, dealing with the

criminal justice reform and the need for comprehensive immigration reform. a host of issues where there has been a coming together of the party around a very progressive form. i have seen lots of people who run hard as your friend bernie sanders did who come up short and take a while emotionally and psychologically to be ready to say it is over. has bernie sanders come to that point where he has given up the notion he is going to be president? jeff: i think the math is pretty clear. the secretary has the requisite delegates needed to win. but bernie sanders, as he said on the first day, was in this campaign to advance the progressive agenda. he believes that and i believe having him as president would move that agenda forward fastest. the truth of the matter is the secretary has more delegates and over the past weeks has made it a strong point that she is open

to listening to the concerns of the people who voted for bernie sanders. is a place at the table for them in her campaign and ultimately in her administration. that is very strong outreach on her part and is to be applauded. i think this is a response to that. mark: you and bernie sanders argued for a long time that bernie sanders was a stronger general election candidate dan donald trump. do you believe that? jeff: i have not seen any recent polling on that but that is besides the point. it is going to be hillary clinton and donald trump in the general election and donald trump, let's be clear, would be disastrous for this country. all of the things people who voted for bernie sanders would not only not move forward, they would move backward. hillary clinton will move those issues forward. john: we spent a little time

today talking about the vice presidential speak -- vice presidential sweepstakes. when people talk about who hillary clinton might put on the ticket, almost no one talks about bernie sanders. does that concern him that he is not a shortlist are? jeff: bernie sanders is not in this for ego. on aabout moving forward progressive agenda. he's a senator from vermont and will continue as the senator from vermont where he will work hopefully with a new administration to advance these like freenda items college, reforming health care, ending the death penalty. he can do that most effectively from his senate. john: you are saying given the choice he thinks he can do more good or the agenda by staying in the senate? if you was asked to be hillary clinton's running mate, he would say no?

jeff: that is a hypothetical no one has presented yet. i think he would be effective as a senator going forward given the millions who have supported him. the political revolution he called for does not and in philadelphia. it does not and in november. we hope to keep these people activated and fighting from the out side while we helped to elect people on the inside to advance this agenda. senator sanders will be one of the people on the inside but still on the outs tied to push this agenda forward. john: one element of this was opposition to tpp. you one a lot in terms of the plus about lost on that. are you going to take that fight to the floor of the convention? we did not get express reference to the tpp but laid s thatlist of standard

trade agreements have to meet to pass muster in the senate -- in the democratic party. he will continue to fight the tpp in the senate. the secretary has also said that she is opposed to the tpp and he is set to fight with her to stop it. john: are you going to fight over tpp on the floor in philadelphia? jeff: i do not anticipate that there will be a floor fight on tpp. thank you very much. appreciate it. always happy to see you. we will what happens up there in new hampshire tomorrow. coming up, we have some reporters with us. they will open their notebooks on prep, planning and more. you are watching us in washington dc and listening to us on the radio radio. we will be right back. ♪

ms. clinton: i have been following the news of the past few days with horror and grief. deaths in the makesota and louisiana

clear how much more work we have to do. ms. clinton: they are the latest in a long and painful litany of african-americans killed in police incidents. forget gunfire broke out yesterday night and everyone ran to safety. the police officers ran the other way into the gunfire. justrump: they are not police officers, their mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters will top ms. clinton: we need to try as best we can to walk in one another's shoes. mr. trump: now is the time for prayers, love, unity and leadership. ms. clinton: no one has all the answers. we need to find them together. we are back in cleveland.

"thewas an episode of circus in conjunction with bloomberg politics. joining us is jennifer jacobs and andrew tobias. thank you both for coming. reporting on this. what is the latest there? jennifer: i think it's happening hot and heavy. clue whoump has no he's going to choose yet and i know there's a lot of chatter about indiana governor mike pence and new jersey governor, chris christie. those are the two i hear the most about what it could be a surprise candidate. knowing trump, he will come out with something amazing and while all of us. matchdoes your reporting mind that there is some pushback on christie and people see the downside? i have not had anybody who sees a downside twopence.

peopler: we had heard within the inner circle were worried that he had not enough of a filter when he is speaking. no one has ever said that about chris christie. they are concerned about that in trump world? donald trumphink likes chris christie, but i don't hear as much complains about mike pence. is cleveland excited about hosting donald trump? andrew: i think it's not what people thought they were signing and, but ite front has made it a lot more interesting than it would have an otherwise. there was a theory the attention it would bring wood increase the money that got spent and it's not clear if that's the case with corporations being reluctant to invest, but it's a memorable convention.

are peopleuch worried right now? we -- the energy in the country is amped up to a higher degree and a lot of the lands to continue protest cap and not doubt. but do people think is going to happen? tellingi thought it was when the city of cleveland up their protest insurance from the $10 million liability they are required to get up to 50. they said their insurance consultant was telling them there was a risk of something happening. between that and the events in peoplerecently, i think are more apprehensive than they were maybe even a month ago. john: talk to us about what you have heard about trump's trip to the hamptons. : they are trying to

make sure everything is prepared in cleveland. there is a push to allow the delegates to vote for whomever they want on the first ballot. my coworker who covers the trump campaign has heard that even though reince priebus is a headliner was not at the event and that was because trump had asked the rnc chief to come to cleveland and make sure everything was button-down so he is not walking into any sort of mess. a lot of interesting people at that event that trump sentiment had to make sure everything was good here. one week out, we do not have the schedule. trump said it was delayed because of news and all of that. you have a sense of who is going to be on the schedule besides the trump kids and paul ryan and ted cruz? walkerr: ted cruz, scott --

andrew: george washington is the only speaker. there have been no announcements. : trump was trying to get these sports heroes. he made it clear he wanted those winners to come. mark: how prepared is law enforcement at this point to deal with the crowds outside the hall? andrew: i heard a former secret service agent -- i forget exactly what the words were but he said that things are likely to just fall into place. no matter to happen what it is they do. i think recently, they have managed to recruit a lot of state troopers so a lot of specific numerical concerns have been resolved, but who knows? thinkdo you [indiscernible] : we had heard a little

rumbling about the idea of some sort of national security job. he auditioned with trump in ohio last week and very carefully said i'm not telling anybody anything, but he will be part of my government somehow, so that was interpreted as a hint that even if he is not wise president, he would be something in the administration and we are hearing national security related. mark: he would be trump's bad cop if trump wins. thank you both. when we come back, a preview of president obama's speech tomorrow in dallas at that memorial service. ♪

mr. trump: not only am i the law and order candidate, but i'm also the candidate of compassion , believe it. the candidate of compassion. but you cannot have true compassion without inviting tasty to the citizens of our country. without safety, we have nothing. it is the job of the next president to make america safe again for everyone. everyone. john: that was more from donald trump's remarks today in virginia beach where he spoke about the horrific attacks that killed five officers in dallas. joining us more to talk about that is our friend, al hunt, column out today

entitled "oldest and youngest may determine the outcome. it sounds a lot like nixon to me. does it sound like nixon to you? nixon, but also george wallace. he has always been comfortable playing the race card. if racial tensions get inflamed, he will no doubt do it again and perhaps to his advantage. john: talk about that a little bit. the nixon context, the country was very different. i'm talking about the way the country has changed and the way that rhetoric may be less potent given a browner america than it was when richard x and did it. how: it's a more diverse america and in some ways a more tolerant america. the context of the eight was a vietnam war. it's not a perceived write-down of law and order at home, it was

the sense that country was out of control and far more so than is the case today. i think it was a more appealing issue back then and to an extent, nixon split vote. i don't think it will be as big. mark: last week was a bewildering and up setting series of events for the country. i wonder what kind of context it is for what needs to happen tomorrow? al: i think it's a terrific things that they will be there together. this is a time that calls for unity. this is the sort of location where barack obama really rises to the occasion. he certainly did in south carolina a year ago and my guess bute will strike a delicate important balance in addressing these tensions today.

i think the fact he's there with the former president bush will send a very good signal. the speculation about trump's running mate, first among equals in my mind is mike pence. what do you think about him not as a choice for trump but as a political figure? al: he's not a heavyweight. he's on a light weight either and does not have a lot of baggage. but compared to mitch daniels, he's a heavyweight and you could say look for a john kasich or marco rubio -- that's not possible. to the christie or gingrich choices, he's a lot safer. he pleases most. he's not going to win any charisma contests. interestingly, he is in real

trouble in his reelection race this year. so the vice presidential nod might be a nice escape well. the column of yours that i referenced earlier, you talk about how the old and young may be decisive in this election for top it used to be older people were the core. talk about what that means. al: just to look at 2012, barack obama's margin was provided by voters 18 to 29. havetrump and clinton challenges with those groups. for the older people, the challenges trump, they tend to be very risk averse. donald trump does not radiate risk aversion. he has to prove he is steady and reliable. for hillary clinton, young people are just not turned on by

her. she does not have the same magic that obama did. and people say they don't like trump, true, but will they vote in the numbers they did last time mark i think both candidates have challenges in those groups. john: can either of those candidates challenges be adjusted by vice presidential selections or do they have to do it on their own? out: i think they have to do it on their own. warren wouldzabeth induce the bernie people in that group that i don't think it would translate that much. vice presidential choices ever help a whole lot as far as slices of the electorate are concerned. they help with the macro. it was a good thing with dick cheney. maybe it happened with al gore but i think you have to go back to lyndon johnson to find a candidate that delivered states

or important slices of the electorate. thank you for doing the show and congratulations on your national. we will be right back from cleveland after this. ♪

mark: next up on bloomberg radio, bloomberg asia. emily speaks with an astrophysicist about the discovery of a new planet. our thanks to lender law for letting us use of activists. we will see tomorrow from cleveland. sayonara. ♪

mark: i'm mark crumpton. let's begin with a check of your first word news. home secretary theresa may will have a new title -- prime minister. her rival for the conservative party leadership with drew from

the race today. she told reporters that she is honored and humbled. david cameron says he will offer his resignation to the queen after a final ashen of questions and house comments. fears fighting continues in syria with a massive rebel of aleppoin the city where a cease-fire is supposedly in effect. eight ybor killed and dozens wounded after rockets and shells pounded syria largest city and former capital. officials say micah johnson taunted lee says they tried to negotiate with him during an hours long and off. they are poring through 170 hours of video and statements taken from as many as 300 witnesses. johnson killed five officers. his parents said the veteran returned from afghanistan a changed man. president obama will attend an interfaith memorial service tomorrow in dallas