i'm chris jansing coming to you live from lakewood, ohio, where things have gotten very interesting on the republican side of this presidential race. a sign that donald trump's attempt to create an air of inevitability may be headed to a road block. a new nbc news poll has john kasich with a 6-point lead over donald trump. trump still holds the commanding lead in florida and is also on top in illinois. and while things have been relatively calm at trump's events today, this video shows protesters being kicked out of the bloomington, illinois, one, welcomed by other protesters outside the building. >> they treated me like i was some kind of, you know, some kind of bad person. they told me racist things. they called me a parasite. they told me get a job and then they basically kicked me out. >> and the controversy continues over a command performance from

the front-runner in kansas city last night. >> hello, darling. go home to mom. go home to mommy. get them out. get them out. >> well, no backing down from trump today on whether he contributes to that chaotic and sometimes violent atmosphere at his rallies while his rivals continue to pounce. >> he has turned the most important election in a generation into a circus, into a complete fiasco and a carnival. >> protesters are behaving abusively and wrong, but at the end of the day in any campaign responsibility starts at the top and it is not beneficial when you have a presidential candidate like donald trump telling his supporters, punch that guy in the face. >> you think i'm going to wallow in the mud with donald trump? are you kidding me? i'm not interested in what he says. i'm interested in appealing to his voters. >> and now let's check out the democratic side. our new nbc news poll shows

hillary clinton leading bernie sanders big in both ohio and florida. there's a much tighter race in illinois. and as both candidates prepare to make their case on national television again tonight, "saturday night live" knows how to hit them both where it hurts. >> no, not true. i have the voters. my message is resonating with a very diverse group of white people. >> i'm whoever you want me to be, and i apov this message. i'm trying here guys. >> but let's talk about the republicans. donald trump has thrived on the energy at his rallies. in fact, he has said that protesters make it fun. didn't sound like fun last night in kansas city though when he threatened protesters. >> i hope they get put -- i hope these guys get thrown into a jail. they'll never do it again. it will destroy their record. they'll have to explain to mom and dad why they have a police record and why they can't get a

job, and you know what? i'm going to start pressing charges against all these people. >> there's also this, trump claimed that the kansas city police suggested he call off the rally, although it went on. the city's police chief said he's not aware of any such discussion ever taking place with anyone from the city. this was on the heels of that violent clash in chicago where a scheduled rally there was called off in advance. joining me now, nbc's kerry sanders who is in boca raton, florida, where there will be a rally a little later on and tony is in westchester, ohio, where one is just wrapping up. and, tony, let me start with you. tell us a little bit about the mix of the crowd, were there protesters, there were any problems? >> reporter: thanks, chris. i think i heard you toss to me. chris, it was a low key event from a protester point of view

of only one individual tossed out in the first five minutes but it was a dynamic event. facing difficult questions from audience members. one woman stood up, identified herself as a native american and said if you win office will you apologize to my people. donald trump said it's a bum question and donald trump does not apologize. another man, a veteran, identified himself as a veteran of world war two and asked donald trump to clarify his comments about john mccain, senator john mccain from arizona. recall that donald trump said mccain was maybe not a real war hero because he had been captured or was only a hero because he was captured. trump said he didn't mean it that way. he does, indeed, think john mccain is a real war hero. so a low-key event in terms of active protesting but a dynamic and interesting event in terms of the content and trump proving he's a very dynamic and instinct actual politician. he left the stage by endorsing

pete rose saying he deserves to be in the hall of fame. on that point, i have to say, i do agree with him. chris? >> suburban cincinnati, westchester we should say. thank you so much, tony, who how managed to deliver that report with blasting music in the back. let me go to kerry because a couple hours by now at least by the schedule trump is going to be holding a rally there. i see people lining up. he's been running behind pretty much all day but give us a sense of what the crowd look like there. do there seem to be a lot of protesters? >> reporter: there are from what i can see no protesters so far, but, of course, as you noted we're several hours away. you can see the folks who have gathered here and i will give you an idea of how the line wraps around all the way there, all the way back over there. this is going to be an outdoor event. it's a beautiful day in south florida here in boca. temperatures just around 80 degrees, but super low humidity, and we're in boca raton.

this is a community that is a population of about 77,000, but interestingly 61% of the folks here are registered as democrats, 38% as republicans, and we've got scott over here. scott registered as a -- >> democrat. i was democrat. now we're republican. >> reporter: okay. and this is a predominantly jewish area. are you jewish? >> yes. >> tell us why you decided to change parties. in florida, of course, this is a closed primary state. if you want to participate in the primary you have to be in one party or the other. >> we changed parties only for donald trump. >> reporter: what is it about donald trump that has wooed you over? traditionally because you're also jewish that has been something that's -- the democrats have been more drawn -- the jews have been more drawn to the democratic party than the republican party. >> in the past, in the past. a lot of family and friends now have been republicans, and, you know, and finally we came over. >> reporter: what are you hearing? >> well, they don't want more of

the same. you know, a change. we need the police to have respect again, and we need to build up the military, and, you know, people are only hearing part of what donald says. just the part of it. if you listen to the complete sentences and the paragraph and the full speeches, they'll understand what he wants to do for america again. >> reporter: okay. last question. and this is just asking you to be a predictor, okay? marco rubio is from south florida. >> yes. >> reporter: people know him. i don't know whether you have ever met him but you've heard him. do you believe marco rubio survives after this based on your belief that donald trump is going to carry the state. >> donald trump will carry the state. i think he'll carry ohio also. rubio will be out after tuesday. >> reporter: okay. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> reporter: that's one prediction. as you can see, chris, a large crowd here, and it looks like we might have some rain clouds later today. it's an outdoor event at the amphitheater but this is really not too far from where donald

trump's residence is also here in palm beach county. chris? >> you've been to a number of these events now. are you saying a difference in terms of security after what we've seen over the last 72 hours or so, kerry? >> reporter: i was in cleveland yesterday and here in palm beach county. the settings are so different. yes, i did see a tremendous difference in security yesterday in cleveland inside a facility where people were bunched up tighter. this is outdoors. clearly the palm beach county sheriff's office has the number of officers that they believe they need to have here, but i'm not seeing a tremendous am of security. although about a mile from here they do have one of their command post vehicles which is tucked away that can be called in if there were to be problems. again, protesting happens at political events on a regular basis. donald trump is now calling some of those protesters disrupters. those who come in and try to break up what he calls a private event, and so it's really the

issue of those who tried to break the flow of what's happening when he's speaking. we've heard him use some harsh words telling people that, you know, in the old days they'd be taken out on a stretcher. i don't think there's going to be anything that happens here just based on the environment but, you know, it's been very hard to predict. the most important thing to remember here is su can't look at somebody and know how they believe. now, if somebody is wearing a shirt or has a sign, then you know, but very often these people who go in and decide to break the flow of a donald trump speech, they take a short off and they have something else underneath or they hold a sign up that's been tucked into their shorts and they pull them out. and so all of that is kind of like a spur of the moment event and that's really a challenge for police to try to determine, okay, is somebody coming in here going to be a troublemaker. chris? >> nbc's kerry sanders in boca raton. thank you very much. and here in ohio, just turn on the tv and you see them. more than $15 million have been spent in the last two weeks on

anti-trump ads ahead of tuesday's winner-take-all primaries in ohio as well as in florida. this is a critical weekend because if trump pulls off wins in both states, the chances of someone else getting the nominatino nomination drop precipitously. there are 165 delegates at stake in these two states alone. the question becomes will these ads actually work. here to talk about the evident to stop trump is the communications adviser to our principles pact, tim miller. >> thanks for having me. >> let me just start with the new ad your group has released taking aim at some of the chaos at trump events we've seen over the past couple days. let's take a look. >> donald trump campaign violence. >> like to punch him in the face. knock the crap out of him. they'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks. i promise you, i will pay for the legal fees. >> donald trump's too reckless and dangerous to be president. >> clearly you think that what

has happened over the last two or three days will turn voters away from trump, but he's defied everything in the past. what makes you think that this is money well spent, tim? >> thanks, chris. look, just listening to the intro to this interview, i just have to say this country deserves a presidential candidate that appeals to the best in us and not one that brings out the worst. what we've seen from donald trump over the past few days is really a sign of more trouble to come i think if this is to move forward. he's playing with fire. when he says things like i'm going to pay the legal fees for a man who sucker punched a protester that wasn't doing anything, he punched him from behind, an african-american protester and trump said, you know, i'm going to look into paying that guy's legal fees, that is really on the edge of inciting more violence of this nature. when you look at the general election and i notice you interviewed a democrat that likes trump earlier, that's really an anomaly because donald

trump has historically high negative ratings among the general electorate. he's less popular than bill cosby among the general electorate. he's turning off a lot of women, minorities at unprecedented levels. if the republican party is going to win the white house, we need to attract women and attract minorities and you're not doing it with the behavior we've seen in the past few days. >> and yet look at the polls, tim. except for here in ohio where john kasich is a popular governor and he has been gaining and now at least in our nbc/"wall street journal" poll is ahead, trump is ahead everywhere else. do you have any way of knowing if your ads have been working up until this point? are you going to find out on tuesday when the results come in. >> well, yes. we go through rigorous data testing of all the ads we're doing and we've added specific markets in ohio, illinois, and missouri where we feel particularly cruz and kasich can take delegates from donald trump, and, look, i have to

reject this notion that he is overwhelmingly popular even in the republican party. right now if you look at the polls in illinois and ohio and missouri, he's getting about a third of the vote. 33%, 34%. that's not a majority. historically our nominee has appealed to well over half the party. at this point last time mitt romney was getting 60%, 70% of the vote. donald trump is not expanding beyond his base and i think on tuesday we'll see how it goes and then potentially the race will narrow and i think he's really going to struggle to get to 50% in future primaries and caucuses as the field continues to winnow. >> have you and the other groups pretty much given up on florida? look, you know florida, you spent a lot of time there. you used to work for jeb bush's campaign. is there any way at all that anybody gets even close to donald trump on tuesday? >> look, we haven't given up on florida. donald trump is historically underperformed in closed primary states because, you know, republican rank and file voters,

he's not as popular with. and so florida is a closed primary, as you guys just reported, so we do think he's going to underperform his polls. we have a new ad up that really highlights another trend with donald trump, that he takes advantage of regular joes to help himself. he's selling himself as somebody who is looking out for the little guy, but here in florida he opened two buildings, trump tampa and not too far from boca raton where he got the licensing fees. the apartment complexes went under, and regular people lost $50,000 or more dollars. but trump paid himself. you know, so i think these ads are resonating with folks. we'll see if somebody is able to eclipse him here in florida, but i do think he'll underperform his poll numbers here. >> your old boss jeb bush met with the three other candidates as you well know but has not endorsed anybody. do you think he should or do you think that this year endorsements don't really matter that much? >> look, i think jeb needs to do what's right for him. any voter in florida who is a fan of jeb bush who watched this

campaign knows where he stands on donald trump. he was abundantly clear in debate after debate that somebody who insults hispanics, insults disabled has no business representing our party or being in the white house. if you're a jeb bush fan you know the right vote for you is not for donald trump. i think as he looks forward to what he has next, he's going to make the decision on his own. >> i just was handed something, tim. so i want to read this and just get your reaction but you mentioned it before. this is from bernie sanders. obviously not somebody you support, but he said this about donald trump, said he would look into paying the legal expenses for that man who was accused of the sucker punch at that rally. donald trump should not be condoning violence by paying the legal fees of a supporter who vishlly attacked a protester at one of his rallies. he should tone down the rhetoric and condemn the violence of some of his supporters.

obviously you agree with that, you just stated something similar. while two of the remaining candidates have sort of suggested they might not support donald trump if he was the nominee and ted cruz wouldn't do that outright, do you think that the republicans need to step up and say unequivocally this is not what our party stands for and it's not someone i could support if he's the republican nominee or are you surprised they haven't gone that far? >> this is the first time in memory i have agreed with bernie sanders on something, chris. so there's a first time for everything. by the way, this guy wasn't accused of sucker punching. it's on video. he very clearly sucker punched this protester who was peacefully walking up the stairs. but, you know, when it comes to the never trump side of things, as far as i'm concerned, i'd absolutely never vote for donald trump in the general election. he would be a disaster as our general election nominee. hillary clinton would beat him in a landslide. but if for whatever reason he ended up being the president, he'd have no respect for the constitution and he'd be just a complete nightmare as the

president of the united states. and so, you know, i do kind of wish more republicans in d.c. and around the country were standing up and saying that. i'm encouraged that you see conservatives. we have people like erick erickson, ken blackwell from ohio where you are who have joined us in this. and, you know, obviously we always want more people to come out and say that, and i think as far as the candidates themselves, you know, they need to do what's best for their campaign. >> tim miller of our principles. good to see you again. thank you. >> thanks, chris. and joining me now to talk about the republican race, jay newton small, washington correspondent for "time" and jonathan capehart, opinion writing for "the washington post." jay, i haven't seen you in a while. give me your take after this volatile weekend of the republican raise for president. >> hi, chris. great to see you sort of, at least on camera. but it's been interesting to see, i mean, i think short term a lot of this protest actually really helps donald trump with his base, and, again, as tim was

saying, it's not a base that's a majority of the republican party but with a base of sort of trump true believers who are, you know, about 35 to maybe 40% maximum of the party because republicans typically love law and order issues. they love somebody standing up and being a commander in chief and saying, do not do this, and sort of enforcing order and those kinds of things. and so to some degree this is helping him, and he's certainly courting it. you see him even tomorrow night he just canceled rally in miami -- or in florida and is now doing a quote, unquote massive rally in youngstown, ohio, tomorrow night and that's a town that's 45% african-american. a lot of these protesters are actually african-american. and so in the short term it could help him, but in the long term as tim was saying, it really has a lot of problems with the general election electorates. you have women who are very turned off by this. you have obviously african-americans and minorities who are very turned off by this, and it makes putting together a

winning coalition very, very difficult. in fact, if anything i would say this shows that you're going to have a lot of democrats and a lot of the democratic base, minorities and women, turned out by donald trump to vote against him on the other side, and so this really does help with an enthusiasm gap on the democratic side where they have seen a lot less voters come out in the primaries. this could help them drive out a ton of voters in the general election if he does end up being the nominee. so it's a dangerous game he's playing. >> on "meet the press" chuck todd gave donald trump a chance to accept some responsibility for the chaos and violence at his rallies that were spurred on my comments like this. >> there's a guy totally disruptive, throwing punches. i love the old days. you know what they used to do with guys like that in a place like this? they'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks. i'd like to punch him in the face, i'll tell you. >> mr. trump, 17 days later, this actually happened. one of your supporters decided

to sucker punch a protester. do you accept any responsibility for creating this atmosphere? >> i don't accept responsibility. i do not condone violence in any shape -- >> you will not call for ratcheting back the rhetoric? you will not call for it? >> well, i haven't said anything that -- i'm just expressing my opinion. what have i said that's wrong? i talk about illegal immigration, i talk about building a wall, i say mexico is going to pay for the wall which they will, and all of these things. i mean, what have i said that's wrong? you tell me. the fact is they're really upset with the way our country is being run. it's a disgrace. >> jonathan, we saw by a lot of measures a kinder, gentler donald trump, some would say more presidential, at the last debate. when you see that exchange today, did donald trump miss a real opportunity here to sort of turn a corner? to sound and act presidential? >> yeah, he missed that corner starting friday night when he was interviewed by our own chris

matthews who gave him ample opportunity to show leadership, to show that he was, indeed, presidential, and he refused to take it. in fact, completely absolved himself of any kind of responsibility for what's been happening at his rallies before friday night and all the way through. in that clip you showed again, chuck todd gave him an opportunity to take responsibility for the rhetoric he's shown, even after playing the clip, those several clips of donald trump saying all of those incendiary things, he still has the nerve to say that he doesn't condone violence, that he has no responsibility whatsoever for the environment that he is fostering, and chuck was right, several days later after saying he would like to punch someone in the face, a supporter of his punches someone in the face and donald trump doesn't, you know, criticize the supporter. he goes on to say that he's having his team look into paying for that person's legal fees.

this is not the stuff of a presidential candidate. i have to tell you, chris, i'm an opinion writer. my political views are very well known. i am left of center, but as an american, turning on the television friday night and seeing what was happening as a result of a presidential candidate of a major american political party was at once frightening and sad. i cannot believe that we are watching this happen and that we're looking at a person who could potentially become the nominee of a major american political party who won't take responsibility, won't show leadership, and, in fact, as we have seen and as jay said, this will only help donald trump with the people who like him and they like him because even when he's caught in the wrong, caught in a lie, caught on the wrong side of responsibility, he doesn't apologize, and they like him for it. >> so let me ask you about the question, and we don't have a lot of time left but it's kind

of what i was talking to tim miller about. other candidates, are they missing a chance to by alluding to in the couple of cases but not saying right out that they wouldn't support him, what do you make of the way that republicans have responded to this and have they missed a chance maybe to tap into those voters who you say, jay, are out there who might be on the fence or might be deciding between others who are not donald trump by not being more forceful about this? >> you do see a moment right now with the republican party where you could stand up and have a fair amount of courage and say, look, i disagree with that. i do not support donald trump. i don't think that his rhetoric represents me as a republican or represents me as a voter, and, therefore -- and try to sort of consolidate the ante trump support around one person. the problem is they still have three -- they still have three presidential candidates who are not willing to drop out and consolidate all of their support behind one candidate, and the

anti-trump vote has always been larger than the trump vote. they just cannot seem to find a way to coalesce around one person to do that, and that's really damaging them, and it's as much a problem with the establishment as it is a problem with donald trump. >> and, jonathan, really quickly, could this help democrats, including bernie sanders who has been a target of donald trump on all of this? energizing their voters to get out? >> oh, sure. absolutely, absolutely. i mean, i think the democratic -- the race from the democratic side is already energized in that you have bernie sanders who has got a lot of support from younger folks and you've got african-americans and other voters, older voters who are excited about hillary clinton, women voters who are excited about hillary clinton, but if we get to the general election and donald trump is the nominee, i agree with jay, they will be incredibly energized and when you get president obama out there on the campaign trail campaigning for the democratic

nominee saying vote for the democrat in order to safeguard and protect my legacy, i do believe that the energy will be there for the democrats. >> jonathan capehart, jay newton-small, good to see both of you on a sunday afternoon. >> thanks, chris. time for a quick break, but next can bernie sanders maintain his midwest momentum? tuesday's contest just hours away. whether the vermont senator stands against the former secretary of state next. can a business have a mind? a subconscious. a knack for predicting the future. reflexes faster than the speed of thought. can a business have a spirit? can a business have a soul? can a business be...alive?

(bear growls) (burke) smash and grub. seen it. covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ] woman: [laughs] no way! that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro, you just don't know. cfp -- work with the highest standard. it's a really big deal. and with fever, aches, and chills, mom knows it needs a big solution: an antiviral. don't kid around with the flu, call your doctor within the first 48 hours of symptoms and ask about prescription tamiflu. attack the flu virus at its source with tamiflu, an antiviral that helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu in liquid form is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor

if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu.

welcome back to ohio. after bernie sanders' surprising victory in michigan, his complain believes it has momentum going into tuesday's primaries but is that enough to cut into hillary clinton's massive lead in the polls and to beef up his delegate count? joining me is brian fallon, national press secretary for hillary clinton's campaign. good to see you, brian. good afternoon. >> thanks for having me.

>> the two big states on tuesday as you know here in ohio and florida. hillary clinton leads by double digits, and yet people here on the ground who support your candidate have told me it's probably a lot closer than the polls show right now and i want to play for you what bernie sanders said this morning. >> well, i think that, you know, secretary clinton is getting a little bit nervous. she lost last week in michigan. i think she understands that the momentum in this campaign and the energy is with us and that we have a good chance to win a number of states on tuesday. >> so, brian, given what happened in michigan and we see the polls closing, for example, a little tighter in illinois, are you nervous? >> no, chris. here's why. we enter tuesday with a very clear strategy, which is we're going to contest all five states that are voting, and we're going to try to maximize the number of delegates we can get across all five of those states, and if you look actually at what happened

last tuesday, it is true senator sanders won a tough-fought victory in pi but because we had a strong showing not just in michigan where the margin was only two points but also in mississippi where we had an overwhelming victory there, we ended up winning 20-plus delegates over senator sanders that day and only added to sour lead. so really for senator sanders the task is not just to win individual states, and i agree that he's well positioned in the midwest and could potentially win one or more states on tuesday. the test is can he start winning these states by enough of a margin where he actually starts to erode hillary clinton's commanding delegate lead? there's no sign that he's going to be able to do that, chris, and that's why we're confident that on tuesday regardless of the individual outcomes in each of the states, that overall by virtue of the fact that we're going to be so strong across the board in all five states, that we're going to come away with even more delegates on tuesday and add to that lead and get closer to the nomination. >> but if he wins a major state

here, defies the odds, if he wins illinois or ohio or florida, probably more likely ohio or illinois, doesn't that give him the momentum again? doesn't it raise questions about your candidate and doesn't it extend the process in a way that hurts her chances in the long run? >> well, look, i think senator sanders has been quite clear he doesn't intend to exit the race regardless of the results on tuesday, so it's not as if it's make or break in that sense, chris. he's going to continue to contest that for the next couple months regardless, but i think we have what we think is a very solid message to bring to those midwestern states and you're hearing hillary clinton talk about it over the last couple days. what do i mean by that? on manufacturing, we think she is the one who is actually putting out affirmative plans or fou she's going to create more good-paying jobs in the deindustrialized parts of this country whereas bernie sanders talks a lot about what he's against but doesn't talk about what he's for and what he's going to affirmatively do as

president to help lift wages. just yesterday you had hnt in youngstown, ohio, with sherrod brown who is a strong progressive member of the u.s. senate representing ohio, and she talked about how she wants to improve our trade roles so we are not helping car manufacturers from asia that are using keep parts from china and undercutting u.s. automakers here at home. and she's got proposals to give tax credits to regions who have seen factory closures. proposals to include more workers in profits we see these fortune 500 companies racking up. so she's actually the one putting forward detailed plans to help people in their everyday lives. we think that will make for a successful message across the midwest. >> bernie sanders has made the point that if he gets a strong turnout, he thinks then he wins, and he has been a part of the dominant story line of the last 72 hours, which is the disruption at the trump rallies and trump saying that his supporters are responsible and today, in fact, trump called him a communist.

do you think this could actually energize sanders' voters, help his turnout, and make it tougher for hillary clinton to win on tuesday? >> i don't know that the divisive rhetoric you're hearing from donald trump helps one candidate over another. i think, quite frankly, it should be a call to all democrats, all independent voters, everyone who rejects and would con tem the sodemn the so for violence from donald trump. it's been despicable what you've seen from donald trump. he's stoking violence at his campaign events and now suggesting that he would help defray legal costs for individuals that are participating in that violence. he has tried to turn the tables on the protesters acting like they're to blame. it's clearly he who has been stoking it. hillary clinton was one of the first people to speak out literally in the days after he

first announced his run for office and made such hateful remarks about mexican immigrants, and she hasn't pulled a punch yet. so -- including yesterday talking about the rhetoric that you're seeing from him being the equivalent of political arson. he's lighting fires he can't contain, and i think that donald trump if he can't unite his own party, i know you just had tim miller on a few minutes ago, if he can't unite his own party, how is he going to unite his country? i think it may well be he's the front-runner right now but i think it will have a huge galvanizing effect on regular voters across the quhoucountry reject the despicable conduct by donald trump and his campaign. >> i want to get in the "saturday night live" skit that seems to be getting the most attention today. here it is. >> so thank you millennials for lending your support to the biggest outsider jew in the race. hillary rodham clinton. there is a lot of work to be done, and that is why i am sick and tired of hearing about my

own damn e-mails. >> this message was paid for by hillary clinton. feel the bern for her. >> i'm whoever you want me to be and i approve this message. i'm trying here, guys. >> it's funny, and she says but whoever you want me to be. you know, the thing about "saturday night live" is they do go after sort of the heart of vulnerabilities, and one of hers as we know because she's admitted it, you know, are the way sometimes people look at her and you could read that as a question about her authenticity. is watching that funny for you or is it a lull bit frustrating? >> no, it's funny. kate mckinnon does a great job with that portrayal and nobody gets more of a kick out of it than hillary clinton. that's why she went on "saturday night live" a few months ago and appeared with kate and that was a great moment in our campaign. if you look back -- >> so who in the cast would play you? >> i don't know. i don't know. jimmy fallon and i share a

surname so maybe he could come back and make a cameo. but, look, in the debate the other night, you heard hillary clinton speak quite honestly and forth rightly about the fact she doesn't consider herself a natural politician, and, you know, she really got into this for the right reasons and from early on right out of law school went to work for the children's defense fund. she's always been animated by doing good work, and so she felt over time that the way that you could do that was elective office after serving as first lady and having appeals made to run for senate. but she thought long and hard about it. it wasn't something that came naturally to her to go out and actually campaign for herself as opposed to campaigning on behalf of others. so she's been first one to admit that. but i don't think that anyone can question her motives or that she's in this for the right reasons. these have been the causes of her life for her wholg career. that said she more than anyone else is able to watch something like that and see the humor in it and have a laugh over it. >> hillary for america national

press secretary brian fallon. good to talk to you again, brian. thanks for coming. >> thanks a lot. >> after another break, the mission to become the clear alternative to trump. new polling showing ted cruz behind the front-runner heading into tuesday's contest. so what's the texas senator doing to close that gap? we'll be right back. ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ feel like this. look like this. feel like this. with dreamwalk insoles, turn shoes that can be a pain into comfortable ones. their soft cushioning support means you can look like this.

and feel like this. dreamwalk. for crash survival, subaru has developed ours most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not toyota. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. it's more than it's multi-layered security and flexibility. with centurylink you get advancedechnology solutions. including cloud and hosting services - all from a trusted it partner. centurylink. your link to what's next. ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms.

breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com.

we're back live at the root cafe. ted cruz will end his day here in ohio coming off a rally in concord, north carolina. those are two of six states with primaries on tuesday. hallie jackson is in bloomington. our poll shows cruz in second where you are, third in florida. so what's the campaign strategy with a day and a half before people go to the polls? >> reporter: i can tell you today it really is making that turn into this state, into illinois. ted cruz coming out now with five rallies tomorrow. a jam-packed day here in the state. we're here in bloomington because this is where donald trump was earlier today. this hangar looks quite a bit different than it did when it was packed full of thousands of

people with trump and his plane right up front. but when you talk about trump, ted cruz said today that he believes this will ultimately on wednesday be a two-man race. he does not believe that marco rubio and john kasich will be in this race after this. that is a questionable assertion just given that kasich has promised if he wins ohio to stay in this race through a contested convention. marco rubio also talking about depending on his performance in florida staying in this race too. that said, cruz is touting his performances in recent primaries and caucuses, including interestingly, chris, the one in washington, d.c., in which cruz got zero delegates but he's pointing to that and said, look, i told you was anti-establishment, now i really am. he also took aim at donald trump this morning on "meet the press." >> i have been troubled. i mentioned at the debate this week, i'm troubled by the rally that is donald holds where he asks all the people there to raise their hand and pledge their support to him. this is america. we don't pledge alee yens to a man. we pledge allegiance to a flag.

we pledge our support for the constitution. but that is something that you see kings and queens doing of their subjects, and all of this is part and parcel of the same thing. we need a president who understands he works for the people. listen, i am running to pledge my support to you, not the other way around. >> reporter: and, chris, that's a line we heard ted cruz roll out maybe a week and a half ago. he's been refining it on the campaign trail ever since. clearly he believes it may be an effective talking pointed for him moving forward as he tries to take on donald trump head to head. i can tell you north carolina, the campaign is feeling confident about its chances there. same thing with missouri and i think that's why you're seeing them really start to push in illinois to try to do something to get some momentum in this state. >> we just lost hallie jackson, but we got most of it, so hallie, thank you very much. up next, we're going to dissect the ohio race with our panel of insiders so stay with us.

at safelite, we know how busy your life can be. oh no this mom didn't have time to worry about a cracked windshield. so she scheduled at safelite.com and with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" she knew exactly when i'd be there. so she didn't miss a single shot. (cheering crowd) i replaced her windshield... giving her more time for what matters most... how'd ya do? we won! nice! that's another safelite advantage. thank you so much! (team sing) ♪safelite repair, safelite replace.♪ i can't believe i got it. that's my boy. woah! look! that's my boy. you're proud to give each other your best every day. and at banquet, we want to give you our best. that's why we're adding 20% more chicken to our chicken pot pies with golden, flaky crusts. that's my mom. now serving... a better banquet.

for a limited time, great deal on this passat. wow, it looks really good... volkswagen believes safety is very important... so all eleven models come standard with an intelligent crash response system... hmm. ...seven stability-enhancing systems... hmmm... ...and equipment for two child seats. hmmm... for those who take safety seriously. like we do. the volkswagen safety in numbers event... is happening now! get a $1,250 volkswagen reward card and 0% apr on new 2016 passat models. it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks at chase atms. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank.

when you're on hold, your business is on hold. that's why comcast business doesn't leave you there. when you call, a small business expert will answer you in about 30 seconds. no annoying hold music. just a real person, real fast. whenever you need them. great, that's what i said. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business.

i'm chris jansing back live in lakewood, ohio. our latest poll shows governor john kasich leading the race here. joining me from columbus, state representative kathleen vie, a supporter of hillary clinton. here in lakewood, rob frost, chair of the cuyahoga county republican party who supports governor kasich as most of the republican leadership does and thomas sutton is a professor of political science at baldwin university. let's start with governor kasich. he's been the candidate determined to run a positive campaign in the midst of what most people would describe as one of the ugliest campaigns we've ever seen. now it's escalated over the last 72 hours with some of the violence at the trump rallies. let me play for you what kasich said just a few minutes ago in strongsville. >> but you know who else is

watching us? did you see the pictures of the fighting at that rally? okay, let me tell you something about that, do you know how much the world looks and sees these videos? our enemies are going to take advantage of them. our friends are scratching their heads saying, what the heck is happening in america? so we on tuesday here, i'm not asking for something that i don't think i can ask for. ohio is on the rise, and ohio is on the mend. and i'd like to take exactly what happened here to washington. >> the contrast between john kasich and donald trump has never been more pointed, professor. have we reached the point and in ohio in particular where people are going over to the other side?

>> well, i would say that the trump support is solidifying and it's strong in a certain part of the state and we have crossover voters, we're an open primary going into tuesday but really what you are seeing is that rethinking of not just electability but leadership and i think some of what we've seen particularly with the incidents of the last few days at the trump rallies speaks to that question of do i really want this person to be a leader? by the same token, there is that outsider status that trump has, the more you try to control him, the more he says i'm my own man and that appeals to a lot of people. >> are you a little bit nervous, rob, given that donald trump has this history of defying the odds and given the fact that, frankly, the polls have been a little sketchy recently? >> right. the polls have been mixed, but the latest two polls out on this race in ohio have the governor up by five or six points. >> he has been steadily gaining. what do you think is behind that? >> well, he's got a strong team behind him here in ohio. we know how to run statewide

elections here. we have a great record of winning. he won election resoundingly in 2014 carrying 86 of 88 of ohio's counties, including right here in democrat-heavy cuyahoga county where i'm the chairman. we're proud of that. we're ready to turn out that vote for him on tuesday. and even as donald trump's message has been a bit erratic, he had chosen until now not to go negative on governor kasich but now is running negative ads. i think he too sees governor kasich pulling away, taking over in ohio. we heard also down at that rally in strongsville, governor kasich say a line he has said before, he's not going to take the low road to the highest office in the land. >> the columbus dispatch actually being the third manjor newspaper today to endorse john kasich. it sounded more like an anti-trump endorsement. while the dispatch typically does not endorse candidates in a primary this one is you a nek given the alarming ascent of

trump whose demeanor and reckless policy prescriptions make him unisuitable as a presidential nominee, much les a president. i have spoken to voters in columbus and cleveland talking about that crossover effect. some of them anti-trump but some of them going over to the trump side. how does that play into all this do you think come tuesday? >> well, i think again this is talking about some underlying issues, really the bottom line issue that we're looking at is the fact that voters in many sectors of our state and others are fed up with what they see as the establishment, and they're reaching out for somebody like a donald trump and forgiving a lot of what we've seen, the incidents of violence, the rhetoric, the off the cuff, the he's not a conservative or liberal or anything else. so i think that's where that support is coming from. people are sending a clear message saying we want something different, and from a party perspective the gop really has a struggle because their first job is to find someone that's electable, get that person elected and govern and that's the crisis that they're facing right now with the trump

candidacy. >> representative, i have been in cleveland and columbus over the last couple days. i was born and raised here, talking to a lot of people on the ground. you probably just heard me talk to hillary clinton's -- one of her top aides about this. there is a sengs that thse that be closer than the polls indicate. that there is a little bit of worry about what happened in michigan and could that happen here, could it happen in illinois and certainly the polls in illinois are closing a little bit. where do you see the race right now and are you concerned that there could be a surprise on tuesday? >> i'm feeling very energetic about where we are in ohio as a democratic party. we have our big state dinner tonight with 3,200 democrats from around the country and here in ohio gathering to see the candidates speak. i feel great about where hillary is. i committed to her early. i feel strongly that ohio is behind hillary.

it's been, you know -- ohio is clinton country, and hillary i think will do well here, and i'm looking forward to seeing ohio go her way on tuesday, and i think our democrats are very energized heading into a major primary election. >> kathleen clyde, rob frost, and thomas sutton, thanks to all of you for joining us today. and we'll be right back. is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student? is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves? is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the natural world? whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. t-i-a-a.

and i quit smoking with i'm chantix. i decided to take chantix to shut everybody else up about me quitting smoking. i was going to give it a try, but i didn't really think it was going to really happen. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic

or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side-affect is nausea. being a non-smoker feels great. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. hey how's it going, hotcakes? hotcakes. this place has hotcakes. so why aren't they selling like hotcakes?

with comcast business internet and wifi pro, they could be. just add a customized message to your wifi pro splash page and you'll reach your customers where their eyes are already - on their devices. order up. it's more than just wifi, it can help grow your business. you don't see that every day. introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. comcast business. built for business. from lakewood, ohio, let's go right to msnbc's cal perry who is along the i-4 corridor in florida where he's been looking at the vote for pruerto rican voters in the day. hey, cal. >> reporter: hey, chris. we're talking about roughly 5,000 people every month coming here to central florida. that's 700,000 votes, and it's

something that marco rubio has missed. that's what the community here is telling us. it's leverage that he could be using, and he simply doesn't have, and we're looking at now a 20-point difference between donald trump and marco rubio here in the polls, which is partly why trump is starting to cancel some of the rallies in florida and stick to ohio. but again, this is about leverage. this is a community that's getting organized, that certainly will be organized we're told by the general election. it seems as though they're almost going to skip this primary. they do not like the message trump is putting out there and we've met a lot of hillary clinton supporters in here enjoying their dinner. chris? >> all right. thanks so much. msnbc's cal perry. and that's going to do it for this hour. i'm chris jansing come to you live again from the root cafe in lakewood, ohio. we'll continue to follow the latest developments in the 2016 race and bring you updates throughout the night on msnbc and i'll see you from right here, from cleveland ohio, again tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern time.

our town hall event with john kasich starts after this break. at safelite, we know how busy your life can be. oh no this mom didn't have time to worry about a cracked windshield. so she scheduled at safelite.com and with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" she knew exactly when i'd be there. so she didn't miss a single shot. (cheering crowd) i replaced her windshield... giving her more time for what matters most... how'd ya do? we won! nice! that's another safelite advantage. thank you so much! (team sing) ♪safelite repair, safelite replace.♪ it's a really big deal. and with fever, aches, and chills, mom knows it needs a big solution: an antiviral. don't kid around with the flu, call your doctor within the first 48 hours of symptoms and ask about prescription tamiflu. attack the flu virus at its source with tamiflu, an antiviral that helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu in liquid form is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older

whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours.

breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not impve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com. ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake rse, "day to feel alive"♪

>> we know that limited government and free enterprise and a strong national defense is a better way forward for you, for me, for us,