>> i am donnie deutsch. >> and i am mark halperin. with all due respect to donald trump, next time, you might want to put the safety on. ♪ mark: on the show tonight, we break down ads, polls, and hope that donny deutsch does not have a breakdown over the election. let us get started. we have a brand-new bloomberg politics survey out today that shows hillary clinton beating donald trump, 50% to 44% in a two-way race. the margin drops slightly when the two leading third-party

candidates are added. we will talk more about those in a minute. but first, donald trump and his campaign are still dealing with the fallout from his remarks about second amendment people yesterday. news reports now that the secret service has had conversations today with the donald trump campaign about that comment out of concern that the remark could incite violence against hillary clinton. trump and his campaign are still saying that he was talking about voter mobilization, while some republicans, including corey lewandowski and paul ryan, are going with a different talking point, that the whole thing was just a joke gone bad. a lot of people in the press are thinking that. here is what donald trump had to say about this matter at his rally this afternoon in virginia. mr. trump: a big part of the rigged system is the press itself, because they can take a little story and make it into a big deal. it happens so much. happens so much.

and speaking of that, remember this, we have so many things that we have protect in this country. we have to protect our second amendment, which is under siege. remember that, under siege. [applause] mark: it happens so much. it is under siege. hillary clinton weighed in during her own campaign event. in des moines, iowa. ms. clinton: words matter, my friends. and if you are running to be president or you are president of the united states, words can have tremendous consequences. yesterday, we witnessed the latest in a long line of casual comments from donald trump that cross the line. his casual cruelty to a gold star family, his casual suggestion that more countries should have nuclear weapons, and

now, his casual inciting of violence. every single one of these incidents shows us that donald trump simply does not have the temperament to be president and commander in chief of the united states. >> two reasons this story is dominating is because many reporters are explicitly dismissing the trump position as an outright lie. and because they are coming from conservative twitter and the usually friendly fox news channel. both the clinton and donald trump campaigns are trying to raise money off of this. has it done any permanent damage to donald trump? mark: i think not as big as i thought it would have, in part because the campaign stuck to its guns, pardon the pun.

if the investigation leads somewhere, it will do more. i basically think this is yet another thing in the public imagination in the fall win the republicans, both voters and elites, wanting to abandon donald trump, will all be choosing from a menu. it is something i think people could seize on. i don't think this is major --age yet, even the donnie: i agree with you. i will put it in a brand frame. the negative brand positioning for donald trump is unstable. we also have a term called brand support points. on the negative side. it is saying that it is in the list with the other issues. kahn, russians hacking into hillary's e-mails, john mccain not being a war hero. now, it is probably support point number seven. it does not change the math and gives you one more tool to play

with. mark: the press should not be biased, covering everything in the public interest. but the reality is the press plays favorites at time. donald trump used to be the press favorite, now the clinton campaign is getting better coverage. they normally do not. i think one reason this is bad for donald trump is that he has another big fight with the press. the press thinks he is a liar. he is mad at the press for the way they are covering it. the more there is tensions between donald trump and the press, the lower his chances of winning. donnie: i think the press does not need him anymore. i think this was basically the story of a generation, 90 days away from the election, and the press by nature does lean more democratic. we know that. just to they are as human beings. and i think there is kind of a part of their voice where their conscious or subconscious is coming up saying we played the game and carried you to that point, but a little pious might be coming out. mark: we should say that donald trump just tweeted there was no

meeting where conversation never happened between the secret service and the donald trump campaign regarding what he said yesterday, but we do know that the secret service tweeted about it, that they are concerned about it. all right, let's talk about our new bloomberg politics national poll. hillary clinton has maintained some of her post-convention bounce. she is besting donald trump by six points in a head-to-head race. 50% to 44%. clinton is leading with independents, women, white women, nonwhite women, young and unmarried voters, as well as the college-educated. donald trump is still up among men, married voters, and voters without college degrees. voters, ins, married a four-way race, trump's deficit is only four, much closer than other recent national polls as we get further away from the dnc convention. supporters of donald trump and hillary clinton have vastly different motivations for backing their favorite choice. 56% of clinton supporters say

they are more pro-clinton than anti-trump. trump supporters differ. they are more anti-clinton than for the republican candidate. donnie, on these topline numbers, what is your biggest take away? donnie: the biggest take away is that things have not changed much since the post-convention bounce. it is interesting. if you aggregate all the polls, the margin is about 7.3. the bloomberg side is on the lower side. when i do some of the cross tabs, there's one thing i found interesting. i will quote the great mark halperin. you said a while ago that if donald trump does not win business, he does not win. 51% of people in that poll think he is doing worse, their perception of him as a businessman has gotten worse. that is a very telling number. so, if i bow to the church of mark halperin, which i certainly do -- mark: obviously, he has to sell his business credentials, and there has been stories pushed by the clinton campaign and the press looking at donald trump's business record.

and it is clear the republican convention did not rebuild that, although there were efforts to try and build that out. donnie: ok, bloomberg politics asked people about their opinions of president obama and the direction of the country. half of the country said they approved of the job the president is doing, yet 68% said the country is headed in the wrong direction. an almost half of those likely voters said democrats were to blame, compared to 22% who said it was the republicans' fall. 32% said they are not sure who to blame. mark, should democrats worry about that? it flies in the face of perception of the republican party in general, the numbers that much lower. mark: it is a very strange mix, even as the poll blames the democrats. even if it has been overwhelmingly the case, they still think president obama is doing a good job, getting close to his highest numbers, since the beginning of his presidency. i cannot really explain it. donnie: i think the economy is

not in terrible shape. and that being said, and he gave a great speech, the numbers are the tell, temperament for president. hillary clinton, 56%. donald trump, 31%. how does a guy get elected if two out of three people do not think he has to the makeup for that office? mark: i mean, look, the president, even at his worst moment, his approval rating never went below 40%. he has gone from low 40's to mid 50's, recovering some people who voted for him. maybe had lost a believe in him. and he has had success in foreign policy and at home, but it is a problem for the donald trump campaign. they can cite wrong track all they want, but when a guy who has more than half of the country of proving of the job he is doing, out there hitting the pavement for hillary clinton, it is a problem. donnie: same number as ronald reagan. mark: finally, after donald

trump come paint that some -- donald trump complained that some debates are scheduled on nights with nfl games, we asked likely voters which they would be more likely to watch, football against the debates. 69% said the debate. only 26% said they would choose the game. i would be professionally obligated to watch the debates. donnie, which would you watch? football versus the debates? donnie: depends on whether the jets are playing. they have all of this technology. mark: which would you watch live? donnie: to all my fans in queens, i would watch the debate. mark: picture in picture with the game? with the audio. donnie: those debates will be the biggest number since the moon landing. mark: i have said they will be the highly watched shows of all time, but i'm not sure of that. we will see. they will be big, but i literally thought they would be the biggest tv event of all time. i am not sure. donnie: the numbers are not --

people do not consume tv that way over all. mark: alright, when we come back, some clinton news that donald trump's behavior buried and some new clinton controversies, after these words from our sponsors. ♪

♪ mark: over the past 24 hours, at least two headlines that in almost any other election year at any other time would have dominated the news cycle. and in this case, put hillary clinton's campaign on the defensive. those stories have gotten some notice. once again, donald trump has said something controversial that has crowded out the anti-clinton plot line. this is not a new phenomenon. as you know, it is one particularly on display during

the. period since the conventions. here is a recap of the last week and a half. >> clinton, trump, here is what happened. weekend after the convention, clinton goes on fox. the washington post says that is not what happened. >> that is not true. >> hillary clinton is lying through her teeth. >> it could have been the lead of the weekend. august 1, clinton's work on a russian technology initiative may have undermined national security. >> this has bad national security implications for the united states. >> but that was not the lead. trump said this and this. august 2, dnc resignations. after those leaked e-mail. trump did this, this, and this. august 3, clinton repeats claim about fbi. the one that was debunked. trump said this. mr. trump: they have a perfect tape. >> his campaign says not really. august 5, trump admits he is wrong. media says roughly.

it all overshadows clinton. and the next week, reports senator clinton did not create as many jobs as promised. trump tweets conspiracy theory. the parents of the benghazi victim are suing clinton. trump says, well, you know. mark: that brings us to today and at some new news stories about e-mails from hillary clinton's time as secretary of state. these e-mails were obtained and released by judicial watch as part of an investigation against clinton entities. the former president's advisers seem to be seeking special access and a special treatment for at least one case for a major foundation donor. voters continue to say they have questions about hillary clinton's ethics. there is a new report out tonight from cnn suggesting the fbi wanted the justice department to look into the clinton foundation, and the justice department declined. i am sure that will be getting

more attention in the days ahead. look at the e-mails. do the e-mails suggest clinton, inc. operated in a way that voters will be suspicious of? donny: once again, one more support point for hillary clinton not being truthful. all of the support points, it is very easy and sexy to say, clinton made a joke -- i mean, trump made a joke about assassinating hillary clinton. notus this is all too -- sound bitey enough. it is all on brand for her. on of the untruthful category, one more support. not as good of tv. mark: there is a level on which this is business as usual. every administration i have covered, there are allies on the outside and the profit business who work to get special treatment. that is not new. what is different here is that when hillary clinton accepted

the job of secretary of state, it was clear from the obama white house's point of view, wallshere needed to be put up so the foundation her husband was running did not cause problems. you had people raising money for the foundation, getting rich on their own, allies and friends in the administration, and these e-mails show a pattern of clinton doing what the critics suggest, moving stuff along so that everybody wins, except for , in some cases, critics would argue, the american people. donny: more of the same. but as you are telling the story, i was thinking about my dry cleaning. people are not talking -- mark: they will need to break through. donny: the average person already says hillary clinton thinks she plays above, can't trust her. not a clear, interesting, sexy. mark: i agree. i agree. they are going to need, i believe, defined as somebody getting a favor from the state department they should not have gotten that helped enrich the

foundation or a clinton ally. this does not do that, but shows the way clinton incorporated operates. donny: something to read while i am eating my lucky charms in the morning. another controversy that the trump campaign believes should be a big deal. yesterday, there was a not so welcome person spotted over clinton shoulder at a rally, the father of the gunman who killed 39 people in an orlando nightclub. the father suggested he was invited by a mass e-mail and that he supports the democratic candidate. the clinton campaign says it was an open event, they did not know he was there, and that she disavows his support. is the trump campaign going to have something to play with here? mark: i said there should be more work done on the foundation and ties to the state department. this one, i don't know why the republicans are pushing. they have disavowed the guy. bad optics, but nobody has demonstrated they invited him. he showed up. they disavowed his support.

yeah, i just do not see what the story is. donny: the only clearance for an event like this with 3000 people is that you go through a metal detector. they are not doing background checks. my initial instinct was that donald trump's people sent him there. how is this guy there? they had a list of signs, like talking points. i did not go to some major conspiracy, but my instinct was that it was clever. mark: if the campaign invited him, although it would have been a mistake, because they would not have invited him on purpose, or if the donald trump campaign sent him, that deserves more scrutiny. but in the absence of evidence, i would just say again, republicans are hurting themselves because they party already have a candidate who gives them few windows to breakthrough. they had a window and tell donald trump said the thing he said yesterday. push the clinton foundation and explain to people or push this nonstory? it seems pretty obvious to me.

they cannot waste their time on things that are not going anywhere. and i don't see this one going anywhere once they repudiated the guy. donny: i am a guide is that my life telling a story, the foundation story, i spent my life communicating, tough story to tell. it is funky, and there is some nasty quid pro quo there. hillary clinton is not a believable, trustworthy person. there is to be something cleaner. mark: particularly because this one involves her people. it involves aides. there is no evidence that the tax payers lost out or someone got a job or contract improperly, but it does show the way her empire operated. coming up, more on what is up with donald trump from a reporter who covers him pretty much around the clock, when we come back. ♪

♪ mark: the trump campaign has still not made an ad buy for the general election. hillary clinton is spending aggressively on the airways. she has ads on in several battleground states, as well as olympics and national primetime purchases come all to the tune of $4.2 million in the past month alone. both candidates of course have super pacs and interest groups helping them out. and we are beginning to season pretty interesting down ballot ads from campaign. we thought we would show you some of the most interesting and potentially affected spots. starting with this new anti-clinton ad, run by the nra. it starts today in nevada, pennsylvania, ohio, and north carolina, national cable and broadcast, part of a $3 million ad buy. >> she is one of the wealthiest

women in politics, combined income $30 million, tours the world on private jets, protected by armed guards for 30 years, but she does not believe in your right to keep a gun at home for self-defense. ms. clinton: i fully appreciate how hard life is for americans today. >> and out of touch hypocrite, she would leave you defenseless. mark: all right, so the nra is stepping up big with that ad, and that seems to go to the theme we talked about before, clinton being out of touch. i think it is a pretty good spot. donny: two issues. it seemed like donald trump more. it is interesting, political ads go under less scrutiny than an ad if you are selling cheerios. if that was a regular ad, you have to say this is a dramatization. that this was not hillary clinton. which it wasn't, but artfully done. the most important thing, less

regulation for talcum powder or anything else. mark: i remember when bill clinton was in third place in 1992, behind ross perot and george h w bush, the clinton campaign research showed people thought he was born rich. he wasn't. this clinton campaign has done the same thing, a lot of the democratic convention was telling a sad and tough story of her mother's life and her life, and yet, a lot of people will buy into the imagery of this nra ad. because the fact is, the clintons, since the white house and beyond, have lived a pretty highflying life since the white house and beyond. donny: multibillionaire pointing to how detached she is as he's sitting on an airplane eating kentucky fried chicken. from another candidate, i get it. from donald trump? i would not go there. mark: george bush did it against michael dukakis in 1988 when he convinced people he was more in

touch with people. i believe that, you know, often these advertising groups often do not make good ads. my guess is, i have not asked the trump campaign, my guess is they are happy with that because it dovetails with their message and is a well produced to spot. donny: i actually think that the clinton ads with a little kids about the conservative people saying donald trump is unfit. they have done artfully some of the best political ads i have seen. mark: the early political ads against sanders did not get great reviews. one of them did, her hugging the young kid, but most of them did not. and i think you are going to see people say what you said, that the general elections but so far -- donny: you want to take a break.

take a look at kelly and conway, with the trump campaign.

♪ so, with all of this news about donald and polls today, we decided to call in someone who knows about those topics,

joining us now is kellyanne conway. a veteran and always useful gop pollster and senior adviser to donald trump's campaign. thank you for coming. you have been talking about what he said yesterday, which we are continuing to talk about. do you think people are willfully misinterpreting what he said? you think that people are doing it on purpose? or why do so may people interpret it as joking that my supporters could rise up? why are so may people getting it from your point of view wrong? kellyanne: well, people tend to look at the news through their own political ends already. if you are for hillary clinton, you see them a different way. youou're for donald trump, see them a fundamentally different way. go to any social media feed and you'll see that. i don't think this is different from anything going on. but that said, people are not playing the entire clip.

he was already talking about the second amendment. and maybe the second amendment people can do something about that -- i interpreted it the way the people at the rally interpreted it because i saw a bunch of them interviewed on cnn today in a bunch of print pieces. where they said he's mobilizing 90 million gun owners across the country and today, the nra , where their media buy they are trying to mobilize gun owners. donny: the first part of that statement where he says hillary clinton wants to abolish the second amendment, it not true. kellyanne: he never said that. donny: it's just not true. let me finish -- hillary clinton you are saying has come out and said i'd don't think anyone in america has the right to their arms? kellyanne: i would never say that. she has been asked about her position on the second amendment and has done her usual thing -- she has said she again -- is she ison, she has said

against the heller decision. the u.s. supreme court decision for an individual's right to bear arms. that decision came from a majority of the supreme court. including many different president's appointees. she said very clearly that she disagrees with that decision and wishes it would go another way. she would have the opportunity as president, donny, to execute executive orders the way this president has done. the idea that she is not hostile to gun owners, that's her obama,ssor, then senator said people cling to their god and their guns and religion, making fun of all of the unwashed. mark: do you see the difference between wanting to pass a n additional restriction, as opposed to saying you want to get rid of the second amendment? kellyanne: there is a difference. but what is her position? mark: she says i'm a supporter of the second amendment. kellyanne: what does that mean? let's be honest here.

does that mean people hunt? in the last 24 hours, as of this objective source content analysis, this morning, there was five times more coverage on what donald trump said about mobilizing gun owners across this country, versus covering the fact that omar mateen's father sat behind her at a rally. i'm sorry. wait a second. where would you feel more safe? at a rally where the speaker who is running for president says you have a right to protect your self under your constitutional right for 250 years, or would you feel more safe at a rally where the man who perpetrated the worst mass murder since 9/11, was standing behind the candidate? mark: he was the father. we talked about that earlier. but i want to go back to the first point that you made which is if you support hillary clinton, one would have a different interpretation. look at what some people on fox

said about what donald trump said yesterday. >> even donald trump's most rabid supporters may be shaking their heads tonight. >> what was he talking about? was he talking about what i think he was talking about? >> he didn't mean he wants someone to kill her. >> that was the clarification rum the trump campaign. >> many different clarifications. >> but you can't do it with a straight face. >> it's a matter of character. i don't think a man of that age one year in a few months into the campaign is going to become responsible. you don't say stuff like that that can be seen otherwise. and it is not the press, not the democrats. this is a self-inflicted wound. >> imagine if she or somebody had said that about donald trump, and maybe someone should assassinate him, we would all be going crazy. mark: so many of them are not supporters of donald trump, but that is on fox news. this is not something. i will just say, i

trying to understand. amkellyanne: that would never be funny. mark: that is what corey lewandowski said he was doing. donny: i would challenge you. 10 focus groups of apolitical youa pureom if communicative point of view would take it that way. i do a for living. i want to ask you a personal question. i'm going to talk to you as a guy who knows donald and as a voter. i'm going to tell you my story and it's a lot of americans 's tory. when he started out, i was like this could be really good. he call me after i predicted he was going to win the iowa caucuses and i said to him what can i do for you? i said this is really cool. i don't love hillary clinton. i know a lot of people like that. wow, maybe this is ronald reagan, guy who will be a

statesman and surround himself with the right people. yes, he is a political novice. then over the last month, a string of things and we don't to review. whether it's the mexican judge or the muslims. myself as a person who knows them and as an educated person said what a lot of the polls are saying -- i just don't think this guy has the temperament. i used to get unsatisfactory in self-control in elementary school, and this is a word. kellyanne: you did very well for yourself. i know are this is going. donny: this is a man, i'm talking like i was talking to a guy at the bar, he scares the hell out of me. kellyanne: and yet, hillary clinton -- donny: i want you to answer this. kellyanne: the media only wants to cover one candidate. donny: convince me i am wrong. kellyanne: you're going to the

ballot box and the ballot boxes going to say the following -- donald j. trump, hillary rodham clinton, gary johnson, jill stein and evan mcmullen. is that his name? great. you are going to have to choose. no one is saying yes or no. this whole thing as covered as donald trump, yes or no. it's not a referendum on donald trump. it's a referendum on hillary clinton, and they find her to be someone who lies for a living. donny: which is why people are going someplace. kellyanne: why doesn't anyone care today that her e-mails show the state department was for sale when she was there? go read the news reports -- this is relevant to americans. donny: you are right. but to my point -- kellyanne: listen, i don't blame you. i don't blame the coverage at all. here is why. he's much more fun to cover. she's a boring she lies for a living and are trustworthy and honesty numbers have only gotten worse. she has not worn well at all. i can argue why is this woman at 65% of the female vote? why isn't she at 52% in these swing states that president

obama carried? she simply is not. so, she is fundamentally flawed in the eyes of voters and the idea we are not covering what's shaping up to be a pretty bad week for hillary clinton, if you looked at it objectively with omar mateen's father cheering her on. hey, i am part of her democratic party. she could be great for national security. donny: you are right -- we are not covering it because -- mark: to get talk about mateen and her e-mails. but i did want to clear about one thing. it has been reported the secret service has reached out to the campaign. do you know anything about that? i can't comment on it. mark: what do you think about the service looking into it ? kellyanne: i think that's typical. the secret service is an incredible group that is very discreet and i don't think we should look at that through a political lens. mark: so we should not read into that because they take

everything seriously? kellyanne: i will not read anything into it because it is the secret service. i will say this. the idea people have been parading around on cable and network tv suggesting donald trump was calling for any kind of nefarious action or joking about it i think is very disturbing to me. i mean, it just goes on and on. donny: i think it's accurate. it was a bad joke. you could read it any other way. kellyanne: can i ask you a question as a woman? not in a bar. but you are welcome to come over, anytime. donny: thank you. kellyanne: what in the world is elizabeth warren thinking? why do certain people get away with saying things? this is a senator who after mike pence was nominated, saying they deserve each other, that they are both small and insecure man. manhood, donald trump is a pathetic coward. donny: donald trump has called

women fat pigs. kellyanne: she is a united states senator. donny: how are you comparing -- kellyanne: everyone thinks that's fine and when he tries to fight back against people like elizabeth warren -- donny: no one has talked about all the names he has called everyone. kellyanne: they do every day. donny, the clinton people are spending zillions of dollars -- mark: i think you're making a fair about elizabeth warren. pointi do. just explain to people who are not following the latest of developments closely, what did she do wrong, in conjunction with people asking for favors ? kellyanne: a couple of things. first of all, she said she would do things like communicate with her daughter and exchange recipes and yoga moves. it turns out there is also classified information. and also people asking for favors, while she is secretary

of state that were not secured. she's not responsible for what the people below her do? cheryl mills? mark: she is responsible for her staff doing what every administration i have ever covered has ever done. kellyanne: which is help to give minimal rights to countries -- mark: outside favors. kellyanne: ok, according to the movie and book, her husband speaking fees went like this. maybe a coincidence. he had been the president eight years before, a pretty noteworthy guy. why did that happen? why after he visited the country did some of these friends get these waivers? i think these are legitimate questions that actually affect people. but we will not get coverage. donny: it's because your candidate can't stay on message. mark: we are a little bit over. but i understand the accusations -- kellyanne: people already believe mrs. clinton cannot be

trusted. including the bloomberg poll. but this matters because the way one comported herself as secretary of state and united state senator, which is an unremarkable record, is the best view into how she would operate as president and this administration promised to be the most transparent administration ever. that is a complete joke at this point. she was part of this administration. people want accountability and people should care because everything they hate about the rigged and corrupt system that is not transparent and not accountable or they think the insider benefit and there is a special set of rules applies to hillary clinton. mark: i almost never want to correct you on hold. you said her honest and trustworthy numbers have gotten worse compared to donald trump. but she is now roughly even. fox and other polls. kellyanne: but is why they don't like that is different. the question in this election will come down to distrust of her versus distaste for him.

that's the question. donny: i would say untruthful versus unstable. kellyanne: that's not right. it your opinion. correct. but people out there are really struggling. donny, we are blessed around the table but people out there are struggling. they want to hear economic plans like the ones mr. trump introduced on monday. this election will come down to economic security, job creation , but also just you can have every day affordability, national security. it will come down to ethics and a lot of people out there are tired of clinical correctness. donny: it should come down to that. unfortunately, a referendum. mark: come back more often. donny: if he had 20 people like you, he would have better numbers. mark: when we come back, a look at hate media and the so-called liberal media, right after this. ♪

mr. trump: i've never been a big fan of john mccain. i just hate the way our veterans are treated by john. i like people who have not been captured, ok? >> he graduated last his class at annapolis, dummy. mr. trump: hello, i said i support the nominee. if she gets to pick her judges -- nothing you can do, folks. although the second amendment people, maybe there is. i don't know. >> 50 times. >> are you comfortable with donald trump possibly having control of the nuclear arsenal? mccain: if i change my mind, i will let you know. >> the only thing that has changed is john mccain. mark: that's a new ad going on

the air today. it is being run by the united states senate, against john mccain in arizona. here to talk about the state of the ad wars is our polling august analyst and professor of politics. at the university of san francisco. and in our washington bureau. it's not very common for candidates who think they are on offense, to link the top of the ticket. in arizona, you think it is a republican state. but is this a good move? what is the effort based on? guest: i always like to say advertising is also a tell. and everyone has been saying that arizona is going to become a purple state or perhaps even a blue state. and when we are starting to see national numbers in the double digits, that means arizona is going to be competitive in the presidential race, and that means that's going to make that senate race more competitive.

and i think that's what the ad is saying. the message in general is a great message for kilpatrick, the challenger to mccain, but i think it's also our first initial sign that some states we might not expect to be in play in the presidential race are coming into play and if they are in play, they will make those down ballot races in play. donny: ken, i want to talk to you little bit about spending. we are watching hillary. she spent $58 million, trump has spent zero. outside the super pac. you know that you just cannot push the button and start this spigot. and i'm stunned there has been no spending. he gets past labor day, i know that i do not know what he is waiting for, basically? guest: i'm speechless.

you said you were stunned? i'm speechless. trump only spent $20 million in the primary. he has not spent a sent on paid -- a cent on paid advertising since mid april and this is completely unprecedented. mark said the guns of august. it is really only been the gun of august. we are in completely uncharted waters when one side has up and one side has been up that fairly heavy levels. not of the other side has been up heavily, the other side has not then up at all. mark: does it make sense to start in august, the olympics, people on vacation, or save until september? guest: that's a good question. and i think i am of two minds. not to be a flip flopper, but i would typically agree with what you are saying that with the olympics going on in august, the

dog days of summer and not the time to go up with a message or new message. that said, given the fact he has not been up at all and this race is starting to feel baked to me. and we have all gone through races and we say that was a week or two when things started to take in, this race is starting to feel that way to me. now, i think there will be another bite at the apple when we see the debates in september. but even with the caveat of be careful of going up in the dog days of august, you've got to get up in some way. mark: ken goldstein, thank you very much. enjoy talking to you. when we come back, we are going to talk about donald trump doing the foxtrot. right after this. and if you are listening to us in washington, d.c., you can listen to us on the radio radio. bloomberg 99.1 fm. we will be right back. ♪

♪ mark: so, last night, when donald trump wanted to defend his controversial remarks about hillary clinton in north carolina, not surprisingly, he went on fox news. like most republican presidential candidates, trump has favored fox. but since the kahn family controversy, he's only done one interview with a non-fox national network. it was with abc news with george stephanopoulos. on the this week program. the only five interviews trump has done this month, they've been on fox news. this pattern has been going on for months. where donald trump has done more fox than anything else. so, not atypical for republicans to favor fox. but at this point in the general election, is it smart for him to keep his appearances to fox? donny: of course not. because you are speaking to the converted. he is in a tough position. the media, i believe, and i do believe the media is usually biased left.

because they are educated. and some of the issues, i think the media has brought him along and been co-conspirators. you know, we need him, we need him, we need him. at this point, we can bash him. we don't have to play up to him anymore. everyone was beholden to him, up until recently. what do we do if he don't have donald? him down. we brought him along and have carried him along. we don't need him anymore. and i think that's what is happening. mark: i think you get easier questions on fox if you are a republican. they are nice if you do an interview with hannity. it was particularly softball. where no one gets picked up whatsoever, because it doesn't make any news, because the questions are so easy. trump needs the multiplier effect. he needs to go on morning joe. you do come on the show. he needs to make news, stand up to a tough interviewer and have that message radiate out. across the land. donny: but all of them have had their hands tied. because he did not want to be banned from covering trump because he is rating.

now, they realize they get the ratings without him by simply going at him. not co-conspirators anymore. mark: romney made this a mistake. to the tougher places, not just to fox if you are a republican. we will be right back. ♪

mark: there's more on our latest bloombergpolitics national poll online. coming up on "bloomberg west," venture capitalist brian o'malley. donny will be back tomorrow, as will i. thanks for watching. we will see you tomorrow. same bat time, same bat channel. sayonara. ♪

♪ it is the 11th of augustgust, thursday. this is "trending business". i am rishaad salamat. ♪ rishaad: right. beijing, singapore, and san diego this hour. australia leading the region down, oil weighing on the market, crew down, an increase in u.s. inventories. kiwi surging as new zealand cuts rates, graham wilson