we have our divisions and they are not new. >> we have our divisions and they are not new. around the clock news social sometimes amplify these decisions. we are about to enter a couple weeks where our political rhetoric tends to be more overheated than usual. that is why it is so important that everyone, regardless of race or political party or profession, regardless of what organizations you are a part of. everyone right now focus on words and actions that can unite this country rather than divide it further. we don't need inflammatory rhetoric. we don't need careiloless accusations to advance an

agenda. we need to temper our words and open our hearts, all of us. >> president obama yesterday after what happened in baton rouge. good morning, it's monday, july 18. we're live at flattery's irish pub in a very rainy cleveland, ohio, the site of the republican national convention. >> the next five days they belong to donald trump. the first-time politician is going to formally accept his party's nomination for president of the united states. mika is going to get a new truck. >> do you guys have a garage? going to be a good show. it all comes on the backdrop of some serious issues for the nation. a three police officers this time in baton rouge. another three officers were injured in what the city's mayor is calling an ambush-style

attack. we'll get into that straight ahead given that is the backdrop of everything we're talking about. so, the 2016 republican national convention officially gets under way today. you know what the theme is tonight, guys? make america safe again. and the headliners include melania trump, the wife of donald trump. general michael flynn and joni ernst of iowa. acceptance speech is thursday. still many of the top spots are going to employees of the trump organization and not the party top officials. paul explains the theme. >> it's going to be a very personal convention. have his family speaking and friends who have known him speaking and people who worked with him inside of the company and outside of the company. so, you're going to see how he built his successful empire.

how he has taken care of people, he just meets them through newspaper stories he reads about and has that sense of community and sense of philanthropy. you're going to get a full perspective on the man. >> joining me, joe and willie and msnbc contributor mike barnicle. former chairman of the republican national committee, michael steele. managing editor of bloomberg politics, mark halperin. good tahave you all on board. >> you look at the speaker list and it is not traditional. >> something you would expect from an unconventional and when you think about the people that aren't here at this convention, it's remarkable. you compare it to the past. mitt romney and john mccain and the sitting governor, the sitting republican governor of

the state hosting the convention john kasich will not be here. this is a different kind of convention. >> they wanted celebrities. >> as you look around, mark, and you start talking to party insiders, they talk about how ohio is at the back of the room. california and new york is at the front. they talk about the lack of organization. they go on and on and on about what's wrong with this convention before the convention even begins. what's been your take and what have you been hearing since in cleveland? >> not doing things that a convention would do. that's the way donald trump won the nomination. can he do that kind of thing? he's not run a single tv ad. in a normal campaign, one side is running a lot of tv ads, the other isn't. we are in striking distance to win and we'll be fine. a million things like that. they're doing it differently. political professionals look at

how they're doing it and says, you can't win that way. >> that sounds like a real strategy. michael steele, they can't get people and they're bringing in people. that's how it looks like to me. and a bunch of clebelebrity tha are not that well known. can we just say it? not the unconventional convention, but they can't get anybody. >> this is what's different. mark said -- >> they can't get anybody. >> but he doesn't care. >> it's about him. >> it's about him. as paul metaphor said, a personal story. the family is going to be out front and center where they can't get anybody. you focus on that and this is something different than americans haven't seen before. a different feel, a different vibe for a lot of people watching. some for the first time. they're going to see this convention and hear a very personal side about donald trump and hear directly from the people who know him best.

the last night they roll out the story of the nominee. you're going to have each night as making america safe, making america strong, again. all these themes are going to have a family undertone to it and it's going to be very different and they can't get anybody. >> yeah, exactly. >> look, it is what it is and it is what it has been since donald trump announced for the presidency. all him, all the time. he's running the campaign where there are very few bundlers to raise money in state by state. very few states organized along campaign lines. >> speaking of untraditional. that roll out of mike pence, we haven't had a chance to talk about donald trump. >> mike, how are you doing? no. let me tell you what i've done. >> i wouldn't be surprised if donald trump's favorite caddy introduced him thursday night. but, i mean, we should not be surprised. this is what -- >> again, it's about him. >> it's all him.

>> by the way, mika and willie when he ran, i mean, we were always talking about his campaign. you go into his campaign headquarters, there was donald trump, six people, wires coming down. a couple of stray dogs roaming the hallway and tumble weed, that was it. he blew the doors of 16 republican opponents. >> he did. >> i think as we start this week, it's a good time to stop, pause, take note of how remarkable it is that we're sitting here with donald trump as the nominee. >> unbelievable. >> we have to do this every four years where we flirted with it and he's never going to run. he ran and he started winning and he's going to go away in the fall and on and on he went winning and winning and winning against the odds. i think, yes, this is a little strange, the convention. you have to stop and tip your cap to a guy who has never won for office. >> it's nothing short of

amazing. what i want to hear what you're looking for. we'll hear from all these family members from who we heard from before. every time they get to family and even donald trump has done this himself at town halls, they have said nothing. they have said nothing. he's the greatest. and i want to hear something. if they're going to be about family and this is going to be about donald trump, tell us something we don't know. put us over the edge. >> you know what is going to be interesting. how much the family stuff sticks, but the interesting thing to me is how long are voters going to go along with the way trump has campaigned thus far. an amusement for a lot of people, a diversion for a lot of people. an excitement for a lot of people. but now it's for the presidency of the united states. do they switch. do they start thinking, oh, i don't know. >> what are you looking for?

>> to what mike said. that's what everybody said in october, september, october, they're just flirting. this is a summer romance, this is a fall romance and then they get in the voting booth and they voted for him. they voted for him more than people expected to vote for him. i think, actually, you can't underestimate what happened to hillary clinton over the past several weeks. the fbi political indictment. devastating. unlike any other presidential candidate has had to endure in the middle of the campaign and that's why you see people in the low, the low 40s and see their disapproval so high. i mean, you know, i think everybody's looking to see whether donald trump can pull this off. whether he can run a convention over the next four days. whether it can be organized. his roll out for the vice presidency was absolute chaos. the most important decision he had to make. he ended up selecting somebody he did not want to select. questions of him going back and

forth the night before trying to change his mind. whether that's true or not, i do not know. i do know he ended up picking up somebody that he is politically uncomfortable with and then he introduced him and he could tell that and talked about himself for 40% of the time and mike pence for 3% of the time and i'm not even being snarky. if you can't pull that off because you have everybody close to you like yammering at you, then how are you going to pull off a convention? a lot of personal feelings get involved in there. they did not pick the guy that was best for donald trump. >> not going to get women. not going to give them anything new. >> in fact, it's going to make, marx halperin, the mike pence selection is going to make things even more difficult for the republican party in attracting women to vote. >> i think that is definitely a factor. i think of the people he left himself with in the end he did help his chances of winning

compared to gingrich or christie. he needs to reunite the republican party. he's trashed the republican party, as recently as over the weekend. i think mike pence will help unite the party and help with some donors but will never be atrump's running mate. it will be about trump. whether he can spend four days showing people there is a side he hasn't seen. there is a side that most people haven't seen. >> there is. i guess that at the end, mika and willie, especially. we've known donald for a long time and the donald that we've seen in front of the microphone is not the donald that we have known for a decade. i wonder if he dare shows -- show who he really is and stop with the bluster. >> it's a serious time. so, it would be good. willie. >> they've seen one version. >> where they buy the real donald trump. which is the donald trump we know and like. not the donald trump we see on stage. >> will he be willing to show that? >> i think he will thursday

night. let's move to some other news now. new developments another instance of deadly violence against police. three officers in baton rouge, louisiana, are dead. another three injured in what the city's mayor is calling an ambush-style attack. responding to a call of shots fired when they were gunned down. gavin long of kansas city, missouri. he was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire. yesterday's shooting came five days after president obama traveled to dallas to speak at the memorial service of another five officers. he found himself traeaddressing nation, again, yesterday. >> that killer would not be the last person to try to make us turn on each other nor will today's killer. it remains up to us to make sure that they fail. that decision is all of ours.

>> joining us from baton rouge, louisiana, chris jansing. what more do we know about the gunman and the status of the other three officers wounded? >> we know actually quite a lot about him from online postings. online presence. it shows an interest in the sovereign nation movement where people believe that there are no laws that apply to them and they make their own laws and don't have to pay taxes. that a direct contraaddiction to other things that show about gavin long. he was a marine that served honorably achieving the rank of sergeant. served in iraq for eight months getting a good conduct medal. he was married very briefly, according to public records for about two years. but recently online has shown these extremist views. he was a data information specialist in the military. obviously, carried that over. not only with a blog, but

podcasts. one of those podcasts he was expressing his anger with the shootings of black men by police officers posting very recently 100% of revolutions have been successful through fighting back through abloodshed. yesterday he came here along airline highway in baton rouge. the crime scene has been cleared, but they have also investigated in kansas city where he is from. they went to the door of his house. someone came to the door with a gun and taken into custody. he is being questioned. so, while we wait for a news conference this afternoon to get the very latest, three men remain hospitalized. three police officers, as you said. one remaining in critical condition. willie? >> nbc chris jansing in baton rouge, thank you so much. the three officers killed, one of them had two young children and veteran of the united states military, another had a 4-month-old child and

another had four children and this was his last shift before he was headed out on vacation with his family. >> another unspeakable tragedy for law enforcement officers in america. michael steele, as the republican on the panel, i want to talk about president obama and the way he reacted. he has been attacked from the left and from the right. no matter what he said. i have thought in speaking to americans, i thought his tone over these last two tragedies, especially, i think it's been pitch perfect. i think especially -- and this is, i say this is someone who has been very critical of him post paris and after a lot of other tragedies. i thought he was pitch perfect yesterday. >> i thought he was, too. it's hard because you're trying to deal with a lot of emotions. the range of emotions from extreme anger that's now really beginning to surface within the black community. i got a text message from a friend of mine out of baltimore

and he said, he said people just don't get it. these young people are angry. they are frustrated. they feel isolated and now the only thing they can do is lash back. you've got that dynamic. you've got the political dynamic at the president noted where you ahave a lot of hot rhetoric. for him to try to find that sweet spot where he can bring the country into that space to think about where we are as a nation. you know, after the first round of shootings, i hate taput it that way. i'm thinking to myself, why are we so angry with each other? why do we seem to hate each other so much? i think the president in the last few weeks have been trying to get to that question in a way that makes us think about as american citizens, not as a black man or a white woman or as a gay person or republican or democrat, but as an american, what are we doing to ourselves. what are we doing to ourselves that we treat communities of color a certain way who are now treating the police or responding to them a certain way. all of it in anger.

>> all trying to deal with the backdrop of isis. donald trump reacted to news of the baton rouge attack yesterday tweeting this. we're trying to fight isis and now our own people are killing police. our country is divided and out of control. the world is watching. trump also wrote, we grieve for the officers killed in baton rouge today. how many law enforcement and people have to die because of lack of leadership in this country. >> that's ridiculous. >> we demand law aand order. governor of louisiana, john bel edwards joins us live on "morning joe." >> mike, whose lack of leadership led to somebody, crazy, hateful person going out and shooting three people yesterday. three police officers. >> childish. >> that's a very legit question, joe. we saw a clip from the president of the united states, no matter whether you're a democrat or a republican and no matter you voted for them or didn't. you should be glad he is the president of the united states

because he sets the right tone each time he appears in a situation like that. >> he certainly has lately. he's not set the right tone on isis, let's say, in my opinion. if you are looking at what happened in baton rouge, go back to see what he said in dallas. well again yesterday. >> but now athe danger you mentioned, isis. they can isis with the police shootings. this was a deranged human being who set out yesterday to do what he ended up doing. and i don't know how you control that. i don't know how you police that. >> willie, let's talk about conflating things now. you had somebody deranged yesterday that went out and tried to attach a political motive to what happened. you had the same thing happening on great britain on the eve of the eu vote. you had a deranged man that

everybody had known in town for years who just said he is a crazy guy going up and killing a member of parliament. orlando, you had a deranged man a loaner. a guy that everybody had known for a while and then suddenly it gets attached to something bigger. the tragedy in nice. you know, that didn't come out of mosul. that came out of a deranged man's mind. a man that everybody had known as a crack pot in that community. what's happening and i think we in the media really have to start asking ourselves, how much attention do we give to these deranged people who commit acts of terror. you have the same thing happening in nice. so, i wonder whether we're trying to attach a universal meaning to an individual derangement. and i think whether you're

talking about orlando, nice, baton rouge, whatever, i think that's what a lot of us are trying to do to fill up time on cable news and i think we're not only doing our viewers a great disservice, but we're doing america and the world a great disservice. >> the mo has been and we saw in orlando, in particular, for an individual person to be inspired, perhaps, by what they read or heard from isis. in the process, in the case of oorlando, the shooter calling 911. there doesn't have to be any previous connection. trained on a battlefield. they can retroactively attach to what they're doing and think they're going to be rewarded in the afterlife for it. donald trump in his statement talked about a world out of control and that's a theme we've been hearing from him and mike pence, again, in the "60 minutes" interview. law and order. the world is spinning out of control and we're going to tamp all this down and bring order to a world that you're watching.

look at nice and san bernardino and look at all these things happening on your tv. the world is in chaos because of hillary clinton and here we come to set orders straight. a big show ahead here in cleveland at the pub. paul manafort joins us live. later, two of the finalists for donald trump's running mate. newt gingrich and jeff sessions join the conversation. you're watching "morning joe" we'll be right back live from cleveland. trolling for a gig with braindrone? can't blame you. it's a drone you control with your brain, which controls your thumbs, which control this joystick. no, i'm actually over at the ge booth. we're creating the operating system for industry. it's called predix. it's gonna change the way the world works. ok, i'm telling my brain to tell the drone to get you a copy of my resume. umm, maybe keep your hands on the controller.

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>> clearly this man isn't a politician. he doesn't speak like a politician. >> he's done pretty well. >> he speaks from his heart. he speaks from his heart and -- >> speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand. oh, my goodness. >> just makes me uncomfortable. i'm sorry. come on. we have to show more.

>> those plump chairs in the lobby. >> who said, boy, those two have chemistry. did they go to the same school together? >> like a buddy picture. >> seriously. for older people watching, i mean, seriously, crosby and hope have nothing on those two guys. >> a set of new national polls shows hillary clinton leading donald trump, but not by much. in an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll she's up four. and in the cnn orc poll she's up seven. with his favorability at 27%, donald trump remains the most unpopular presumptive presidential nominee in the history of the "wall street journal" poll. >> let's stop right there, though. you kind of laugh. we all laugh. 27.

oh, my god. that's awful. that's the worst ever. there's no way he could ever win in a million -- oh, wait, hillary clinton is like within the margin of error. >> only slightly better across those polls. >> fred yang said, "summarize the poll for you in four little words. they hate them both." think about that. they hate them both. they hate them both. >> they really, mark halperin, they do not like them. >> what do we do with this? >> the favorabilities are staggerly low for both of them. >> the winner is probably the one who is hated less. just the reality. part of what this week is about is trying to repair some of that to give people a more favorable view of donald trump. the country is looking for a leader who can unify and, instead, we have two people whose path to victory involves dividing. not a great situation. hard to fulfill president

obama's request to talk positively and lower the rhetor rhetoric. >> what do we think about hillary clinton up by five, six points in these polls. what do we think? >> obviously, he's doing a little bit better in the battleground states. not just that he's behind. you look at the polls and he's at around 40. you know, 41. he's going to need to get a lot more support to pass her and to win, even if it's a three-way. >> let's put up those battleground states, again. the battleground tracking polls that we showed a second ago. look at that. you're right. he's at 40 in ohio. 39 in michigan. 40 in iowa. hillary clinton up by four there in ohio. three in michigan. actually down one in iowa. but both of these candidates, willie, hovering around 40%. you know, we used to have a rule, if your re-elect was below 50, you were in trouble. i mean, their reelects are

tumbling. like they're tumbling down the stairs. they may end up being 38/38 pretty soon. >> florida is another one battleground states. she has an edge. if you're betting, you put a couple bucks on hillary clinton. it's closer than she would like it to be. probably because of that unfavorable and you'll hear it all week long. even people who don't love donald trump are here to remind you why he is better than hillary clinton. not even a full throated endorsement of the nominee here. we cannot afford to have hillary clinton in the white house. >> we heard paul rian couple weeks ago. is he a racist? sure he's a racist, but he's not hillary clinton. put that on a bumper sticker. i'm serious, this is as close as it any political race has gotten to the david duke race where the bumper sticker was, vote for the crook. it is important. sure he's a racist, but he's not

hillary. >> all of oour lifetimes, perhaps the first time in history for the race for the president of the united states is distinctly a unpopularity contest to see which candidate emerges with the president. >> we're in cleveland. the site of the national republican convention. >> also the site of the world champs. >> how many people here love donald trump? just love him? >> yeah. >> there you go. >> we got one guy. >> how many people -- how many people absolutely adore hillary clinton? love her. >> how many people love the cleveland indians. >> so, that's what it is supposed to sound like when they ask how many people love you. >> by the way, let's stop for a second. we have never been to a convention and we've been doing this for a very long time. >> just way too long.

>> every convention since '96, i know you've been to '92. you never had asked that question and never had a room erupt. they are ready to go out in the fall and you just don't have it right now. >> the process. the process has exhausted the country. >> well, the process is broken. >> more than the process. >> the process is so broken because you have the two candidates. the least likely to win. i could name you five democrats that would beat donald trump by 20 points and name you five republicans that would beat hillary clinton by 20 points. somehow, john kasich, starting with john kasich. somehow we have started with two candidates who are struggling getting above 40%. >> absolutely right. coming up, is pennsylvania in play? what about connecticut and even new jersey? we're going to be joined live by paul manafort campaign chairman for donald trump who says the

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>> do you think john mccain is not a hero because he was captured? >> i have a great deal of respect for john mccain.

>> do you think he went too far? >> you could say yes. you could say yes. look, i like john mccain, but we have to take care of others. >> i promise you that when the circumstances arise where i have a difference on policy or on presentation, i can tell you in my heart, i would have no hesitation to walk into the president's office, close the door and share my heart. and i also know this good man would listen and has the leadership qualities to draw from the people around him. oh, my. tonight the republican national convention will kick off right here in cleveland and joining us now is donald trump's campaign chairman, paul manafort. very good to have you on the show. >> good to be here. paul, let's talk about. i live in connecticut. you're from connecticut. we were just talking about the governor's problems and how low

the numbers are for democrats in connecticut right now. you said you're looking at connecticut and some other states just because you have to because your internal polling shows it's pretty close across some of the northeast state. >> one of the bigger problems coming out of the convention is narrowing the number of states to be focusing on. in the last couple weeks, the states have narrowed. not just connecticut. i have polling data that shows in oregon, that is a possibility. under five points. washington state. i mean, states that i don't expect to hold out as we get into the general. but the demographics of what's pushing it right now are demographics that make sense. >> again, whether you're looking at oregon or looking at connecticut or even maine, those states all have something in common. they have a working class electorate. you get three miles off the coast and, you know, suddenly, it's a lot of working class trump-like voters. i've seen it it driving across connecticut. >> they're angry. they don't like hillary clinton. they don't believe she tells the

truth. she's not a messenger to them. they want change. they're not sold yet on donald trump. but they're open to donald trump and they don't appear to be open to hillary clinton. >> what's the dwogoal of this convention lineup. my very critical kind of take away this morning is that they couldn't get anybody to speak. but, i mean, well, the celebrities are kind of a strange hodgepodge, unless i'm missing something. and then it's family and not a lot of major republicans coming to town. >> actually, wrong, wrong, wrong. >> go ahead. tell me why. >> except for one or two celebrities. you call them republicans not coming to town, the city is going to have mostly republican -- >> where is john kasich, is he coming and speaking? >> except for one or two. >> he's the governor of the state. >> kasich is the -- >> you know what, he's making a big mistake. he's looking at something that is not going to happen. he's hurting his state and embarrassing his state, frankly.

but most of the republicans who aren't coming are people who have been part of the past. and people who are part of the future of the republican party are, frankly, going to be here participating in the program. what we're trying to accomplish is not to have a heavily ladened program of politicians, but the goal of this convention for donald trump is to show the rest of the story of who donald trump is. you know who he is, but you only see him out there on the campaign trail and that's a part of him, but that's not all of him. not like we're trying to redo donald trump, just trying taexpand the focus of who he is. you don't want politicians and frankly he's the outsider. you want people who do know. the people who do know him, yes, family. also people whawoo worked with or for him and by virtue of their merit and not because of anything other than that and part of the story is going to be how the failed policies of the

clinton/obama administration have impacted ordinary citizens. >> we have been looking at some of the statements since donald trump yesterday in response to what happened. police officers in baton rouge and police officers in dallas and what happened in nice and other places and he and mike pence have been talking about a world spinning out of control and bring law and order back. they're the people who can step in and fix that. how specifically in the case of say the baton rouge shooting would donald trump be able to stop something like that from happening? >> one of the things you have been seeing before the current crisis in the cities is a world out of control because of failed american leadership. and terrorism, the rise of isis all because of decisions made by clinton when she was secretary of state and obama. shows they didn't know how to deal with problems of the world. >> give us an example of that. >> well, libya. the rise of isis. as a result of the iraq removal of troops without any plan.

egypt, the crisis in egypt. what is going on in turkey. we had no intel in turkey. diddant know that was coming. in the problems of turkey because of leadership failures of not having a policy knowing how to deal with the kurds and what is going on in syria. we're all seeing that now and sort of gotten used to it. what has been happening quietly in the country is the cities have fallen apart. you go into the inner cities, obama was supposed to be the guy who was going to come in and fix the problems. crime is rampant and no improvement in education and no improvement in social services. the cities are a mess. it was a ticking time bomb. when you have a president who seem to understand only one side of the equation so that whenever there was a crisis and a knee-jerk reaction for gun control or blaming the police or something was wrong with the first responders and law enforcement. an attorney general meets at a meeting on a tarmac showing

justice for all doesn't exist and people say there is no solution here. >> how does donald trump change that trajectory in the city? >> have a consistent foreign policy to show that justice is going to be for all. we'll support our first responders and police in ways that are correct. show some compassion for what is going on in the inner cities. we haven't built it out because we weren't expecting this to happen. they have been taken for granted by the obama administration. they think that is their vote base and they don't have to do anything but go back there every two years. we're finding that the black cities, there is just as much frustration there as there are in the suburbs of america. so, that's why a number of these states are going to come into play and that's why not just come into play but they'll have a turn out problem in november. >> is this going to be a close election? >> not if i can do anything about it. >> what capacity --

>> this election has a reagan type of quality to it. you remember reagan in 1980. jimmy carter was a very unpopular president but ronald reagan had the same arguments against him that donald trump does. and what had happened in that campaign is we were behind by three or four points most of the election. one debate about ten days out. the only debate thatration 00 to do in that debate is prove that he could be president. went from three down to five up in two days and a blow out election. >> i want to pick up on that point. reagan had to show he could be president. how does donald trump show he can be president because for a lot of folks there you are talking about folks in connecticut and else where, they just haven't warmed up to them yet. the reason they haven't and they don't know if he can be and demonstrated that side. what does that look like? do we see it this week and do we

it by a time we get to a debate because between now and the first debate is a long time. >> that is certainly one of the challenges of this convention. the whole point of the convention to show the rest of him because he hasn't been seen. he's been involved in a battle that required all his energy and putting him in environments where his personality can come out in different ways hasn't existed. the convention, that's what the family, this is unprecedented the convention using the depth of family to promote the candidate. it's because they know him. >> let me ask you really quickly before we go, the vice presidential selection, it had a little hamlet scene to be or not to be late into the night. a lot of back and forth. >> promises were made. >> donald was going to go with pence and then he didn't want to go with pence. you were lobbying on one side. chris christie. >> how did you get him to stay on pence? >> the whole back story is wrong. >> they made that up. >> donald called pence on

wednesday night and wednesday night we agreed we would be making the announcement on friday morning. >> right. >> donald was in california and i got a call as i was going from cleveland to washington to new york because of the storm that he, the nice situation happened. he said, i can't -- >> but it was a done deal all along. >> i cannot announce tomorrow morning. he was emotionally bothered by what he saw on tv. >> but no wavering. >> the only deal discussions and i had it with him. we need to move this thing. so the conversations i had were moving it from friday to saturday. >> paul, thank you for being on the show. this is going to be interesting. still ahead, we pack the political roundtable here in cleveland. chuck todd, chris matthews and nicolle wallace all join the conversation. we're live in cleveland. "morning joe" is coming right back.

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coming up, the first senator to -- >> you know chachi is in town. he's going to be talking. >> i still can't believe it. >> scott bao. when i was 13 and had a crush on, right? >> chris christie not speaking. and one of the last names to scratch off the short list for vp, jeff sessions joins us. those new glasses? they are. do i look smarter? yeah, a little. you're making money now, are you investing? well, i've been doing some research. let me introduce you to our broker. how much does he charge? i don't know. okay. uh, do you get your fees back if you're not happy?

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it is 52 past the hour. live at flanry's pub in cleveland. is it too early for this? >> never. joining us now, senator jeff sessions. he was the first senator to endorse donald trump for president and he will be among tonight's speakers kicking off the republican national convention here in cleveland. i was wrong, there are heavy hitters. >> we are all tied. >> all tied. >> you know, senator, you said something very interesting which was you said something, the republican party is finally getting around to where its base

and rank and file have been for many, many years. explain that. >> no doubt about it. they're working americans that have provided ronald reagan with a victory. big victory of george bush in 2004. just average, good people. they are frustrated about what's happening. things are not working well for them. median income in this country is down $1,486 since 1999. you have this steady decline and people's financial well being. politicians haven't understood it, they haven't talked about it. i believe bad trade deals and excessive flow of labor through immigration and illegal immigration is impacting wages, also. no doubt about it. >> you're saying the republican party has ignored these issues for too long. >> the democratic party has been on the wrong side of those. they advocated those. the republicans their constituency have expected them to be more effective in defending their interests as we go forward. >> mark? >> donald trump needs to be more

specific about policy in order to win, or he can still win. >> i think he does not need to get in the weeds with a whole lot of details. he needs to say he needs to go forward with a plan that would strengthen our immigration system. make sure it serves our inter t interests and he needs to say that the trade deals he's going to fight for every single job. we believe in trade. we are a trading nation, but we're not going to allow our trading partners to cheat, the currency manipulation and other things that take jobs unfairly. we cannot lose jobs in this economy. >> senator, you heard some of the reaction in the room when you said he doesn't believe he has to get into details. don't people voting deserve to know specific policies that that president would enact when he arrives in the white house? >> well, sure, he will dathat. no doubt about it. but i mean to lay out minute details of your foreign policy and how you're going to deal

with iraq and the kurds and so forth, that's not -- >> where would you like to see him more specific on the issue of job creation and incomes? >> i think he can be more specific on trade. how he believes that trade is good for america and how he can show that we've had bad trade deals and how things are not working well. i think he needs to be more specific and articulating the pain that the average american is feeling now. and why that's happening. i mean, instinctive that he's got it. he's talked about it and people are responding to it. but i think more detail could be helpful. >> any concern about his vice presidential pick supporting nafta? having some differences. what do you make of this allian allian alliance? >> i supported most of the trade deals. i supported the korean, the last big one. i supported the china deal. i think they were now mistakes. had data came in. it was not anything close to

what they promised. in korea, they promised when obama signed it and i voted for it that we would increase exports to korea by $10 billion a year. it was $30 million in increase last year, four years later. where as their imports to us were $15 billion increase. a trade deficit is more than double. the china trade deficit was supposed to be the same. it has increased five fold. we need to be, mike was there, at that time, and we were supporting that. but the data is showing it's not working. >> so, how do you square that with what paul ryan believes and what much mcconnell believes and the overwhelming number of americans in congress believe about threat. >> well, i was part of that. but we've got talook ttato look data. >> they're still over there. you and donald trump are sitting, one. >> and the republican party is the republican voters.

and they are on trump's side. >> so does paul ryan need to change? >> absolutely he needs to change. just like i have. >> all right. >> okay. >> that's great. >> i have to ask one important question. >> roll tide. >> crimson tide, how are they going to look this year? >> they're going to be good. pretty good coach and i think will have a good quarterback and they can go a long way. >> senator jeff sessions, thank you very much. coming up next hour, former house speaker newt gingrich previews his role here at the republican national convention in cleveland. plus, an update on the deadly shooting of three police officers in baton rouge. we'll talk to louisiana's governor john bel edwards. "morning joe" is just moments away. ♪ turquoise dresses... so excited. did all her exes get invited?

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>> i think we have more in common. >> tell me what you have in common. >> i think we'll have very good chemistry. i think we can feel that early on. i don't think you need to be with somebody for years to figure that out. i know during the primaries and during many trips to indiana i'd be with him. i think we have a great chemistry. >> clearly, this man is not a politician. he doesn't speak like a politician. >> he's done pretty well. >> he speaks from his heart. he speaks from his heart. and i think -- >> well, i speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand. i don't know what to say. that's where we are, flannery's pub. >> welcome back to "morning

joe." >> mika -- >> what? >> mika. >> what do you make of it? >> the worst chemistry i have seen like in a political team. >> you know -- >> it is just -- >> it's going to gel. >> when? and in 2024? >> this is the site of the national republican convention. maybe it will happen here. can you feel it in the pub? all the trump supporters that have come here to cleveland, where are you? >> he's still there. >> he's still there. >> this is very interesting. >> so, anyway, let's talk about really quickly get some reporting with bob costa here. bob, we had this media narrative. the media just made, it's not that the media made it up, it was being fed to the media. the donald trump had chosen pence and then he had this last-second regret. he wanted to -- from all of my

reporting, none of that was true. he picked pence. he stayed with pence. chris christie was blocked out from the very beginning. >> but maybe promised it. >> i'm not so sure christie was promised it. what i know based on my reporting is that pence was given the signal from senior campaign officials and others close to trump that he was likely to be the running mate. but in typical trump fashion, he's talking to a lot of people until the 11th hour thinking through the decision, but i have never heard yet through my reporting that an offer was made to christie or made to gingrich. these are people who are associates and allies in the conversation. pence was seen as someone who could stabilize the party and bring people together. >> so, is chris christie just sort of freelancing thinking he might be able to get this? >> it is nothing freelancing. he is a confident. given the trust of running the transition project and someone who trump respects and trusts who can give a call to and try

to think through a decision, but that doesn't mean the officer coming christie's way. >> chris christie was disappointed he was not the choice. >> i haven't spoken directly to chris christie about this. but having spoken to friend of his over the last few days, he was disappointed because he was close to trump. >> willie, it would be fair to say that. i, i don't -- he has not been treated well. >> christie? >> chris christie has not been treated well. >> he deserves better. >> chris matthews, welcome. >> "hardball's" chris matthews. >> you think if you're chris christie, i'm the first guy that comes out and supports this guy when no one else in the establishment supports this guy. i get up on stage and i'm out on a limb and i'm loathed by the establishing party doing it. >> yeah. >> this happens, unfortunately, this happens in politics all too often. >> it's the nature of it. i think you pick and try to help

you. i just watch this whole thing. i don't know if there is any evidence at all. he had cold feet at all. >> i don't think so. >> yes. i think it was very similar to what happened with kennedy and johnson. probably the smartest ticket in history. a lot of cold feet there. bobby kennedy, as you know, and jack kennedy spent that whole day trying to get out of it. it turned out to be the one way he could have won against nixon. the only way, however, he gave him texas. he gave it to him. he gave it to the louisiana and georgia overwhelmingly and all that in a cold feet marriage. they could lead to 50-year marriages. they work out sometimes. >> does these days, does the vice presidential selection matter? when is the last time -- >> that was a big one. >> is 1960 the last time a vice presidential pick mattered? >> there are entangables. i thought gore being picked by clinton. >> that was fun. >> it really doubled down and

gave these guys a power. >> nobody expected it either. geographically they were the same. >> they don't pick heavy weights. gore was a presidential candidate in '88. he was a serious guy. again, i think i'm no fan particularly of cheney, but he gave oplot. what pence gives him is strength in the midwest. i think he gives him the religious conservatives, people like hugh hewitt. just gives him a much higher basement, a much higher foundation. he's not going to get wiped out to come out in the 30s. he is going to get in the 40s. a lot of people will come out and vote for pence because they're republicans. this is a party vote. i got to stick with this guy. >> what do you make of the, mika, what do you make of the polls we were showing earlier today that we're going to get back to that show the approval and disapproval of both hillary clinton and donald trump extraordinary. hillary clinton at 31% approval.

how do you build a campaign around that? >> first of all, on both sides, this is an election that the republicans should be able to win. this is an election the democrats should be able to win and yet they're both in the tank. it's vexing. and more and more dinner conversations i just see people kind of -- they don't know who they're going to vote for. >> they don't like the way things are going and hillvy the way things are going. that is the biggest problem. her going into the white house are the way things are going in this country. >> willie look at those numbers. 24% favorable for donald trump. 60 unfavorable. and 31% favorable in "washington post." 64% unfavorable. again, the hillary clinton numbers really not much better. favorable is 34, 56. 42, 54. >> it has that race to the bottom feel to it. 27% for trump. 34% for hillary clinton. and that's why, as i said

earlier here at this convention a lot of people on the record as not supporting donald trump and be against his positions on the wall and all the muslim band and all those things will come here and speak on his behalf, yes, but really more speaking out against hillary clinton saying this is where we are. this is the guy who is going to be our nominee and better than having hillary clinton in the white house. >> i don't get the tone to this convention. usually in pubs like this and people on both sides cheering and people in the streets. >> the dogs are happy. >> a lot of security and a lot of concern and that's really the back drop is the racial tension in this country. the police shootings we're going to be talking to the governor of louisiana live in just a few moments. willie has that. we're going to jump in when he's ready. but mark halperin, this is a very different time and a very different election than i think i've ever seen in my lifetime. >> country is unhap wae the state of affairs and the two candidates. how do you find the candidate to vote for who you're not happy

with. on election day, i think they'll have low favorable and i don't think the winner will be the higher favorable, necessarily. i think such an unusual election that you can see somebody -- somebody say i don't really like that person, but give on the choice, that's who i'm for. >> it's got a little bit of a different tone. you're asking about the tone of the convention. with chris last night at the arena and it was about 9:30 at night and willie robertson from duck dynasty doing his speech. this is a different convention. >> it's very different. >> we need to get to willie. go ahead. >> let's get down to baton rouge. new developments in the latest instance of deadly violence against police. three officers in baton rouge are dead. another three injured in what the city's mayor is calling an ambush-style attack. the officers were responding to a call of shots fired when they were gunned down about a mile away from police headquarters. law enforcement officials have identified the suspect to nbc news as gavin long of kansas city, missouri. he was shot and killed during an

exchange of gunfire. yesterday's shooting came five days after president obama travelled to dales to speak at the memorial service for the five officers slained there in another ambush-style attack. joining us now from baton rouge, the governor of the state of louisiana, john bel eduard. governor, thank you so much for being with us. our condolences go to you, again, this morning for the loss of three of your police officers. do you have any more details this morning, governor, about how this all went down. some reporting that the shooter called 911 to draw the officers there. what more can you tell us today? >> well, first of all, thank you for the condolences. it remains a very tough environment here in louisiana. yesterday, of course, was a gut wrenching day. we can't confirm and have confirmed that it is gavin eugene long, 29-year-old african-american male from kansas city, missouri, who was the gunman. in terms of the shooting situation, at least, he was acting alone. there was no other gunman

yesterday. at this time, the investigation is continuing. i don't believe based on what i've been told that he made a 911 call to draw in police officers. it looks more the other way around where he was actually out targeting police officers as they were going about their daily business. >> do you have details about the circumstances that brought him to baton rouge? was he living in kansas city and traveled there because of what he saw in baton rouge last week? >> well, it's hard to know what his motivations were. the investigation's continuing. we'll have a more complete press conference at 2:00 this afternoon central standard time in order to update everyone as to what we know about the shooter. about the incident. about what we can claim were his motivations and that sort of thing. willie, this morning, we don't know. what we know, we have a situation in louisiana that is very tough. i spent a good part of the day yesterday with family members of

officers who were killed, as well as family members of officers who were injured. one of them is fighting for his life as we speak at a hospital here in baton rouge. so, it's a very tough situation here. an attack on the very fabric of society and i want everyone around the country to know this, obviously, is not who we are or what we are about in louisiana and the baton rouge client really is filled with just wonderful people. and we are going to find a way to come through this and be stronger and better than ever. >> governor, being from the gulf coast and being from pensacola, i know baton rouge pretty well. it's shocking that that town has become the center of these horrors over the past several weeks. what are you doing as governor to provide additional support and stop this pattern of violence? >> well, i want you to know,

joe, first of all, thank you. baton rouge is just a wonderful place. that from the incident, the killing of mr. sterling until yesterday, we had had the vast majority of people who were protesting were doing so legally and peacefully and, in fact, not a significant act of violence between mr. sterling's killing and the incident yesterday. we had gone a week without even making a single arrest related to that. but i will tell you that state and local law enforcement officers partnering with many federal agencies. we are doing all that we can to make sure the people of louisiana and here in the baton rouge community know that the streets are safe. that they can resume their normal activities and we are going to do everything we can to make sure that that is the case going forward. and we're also going to have to have more conversations. i know dialogue itself is not going to be enough. we're going to look at some things through legislative action. we're going to be talking to

folks in the federal government. we have to do more to protect people in louisiana and around the country from the senseless acts of violence. but i will tell you, they are very difficult to stop when you have a lone gunman like this who operating without giving any warning as to what they might do. but we're determined to make things better here in louisiana. >> governor, i know you've got to get back to work. just quickly if you could update us on the condition of the three officers who are wounded. i know you said one is fighting for his life this morning. >> well, one officer had a graze wound to his neck. he was actually released yesterday. another was shot in the shoulder. he had a surgery yesterday. i visited with him and his wife last night. he is doing well. he is going to have to have a couple more surgeries because the bullet actually tore apart a large part of the bone in his left shoulder. and, obviously, the third officer, nick is fighting for his life in the hospital here in

baton rouge today. visited with his family, as well, yesterday. i can tell you they're all wonderful families and a lot of prayers on the way up and i would invite the country to join their prayers to ours for these officers and for the baton rouge community, but also for the nation as a whole. >> you got a lot of people pray prognosis you down there. louisiana governor john bel eduard, appreciate your time this morning, sir. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, willie, mika. >> thank you so much. chris, so glad you're here to try to put perspective on this year. you know, you look at from san bernardino, orlando and then, of course, to nice and paris and belgium. and it seems for a lot of people like this is a country and a world out of control. some comparisons drawn to 1968. but i just don't see us as divided as a country. i do see these random acts of

violent acts from people on the margins of society. but how do you take it all in? how do you explain it? >> well, there's a lot of free floating anger that you can't quite nail. i mean, some of it is illegal immigration. just too much cultural change. a lot of the fact that we are hollowing out all the jobs. there used to be like 13 camera guys working here in the old days. a lot of them. robots are replacing people. you go the airport now and all the fast food places and little screens to order from because they don't want to hire people at minimum wage any more. people getting thrown out of work and replaced by people in their 20s with no package. there's screaming demand for some kind of economic hope in this country. it's being hollowed out. the future of regular people. and they don't like the wars. they are not selling. neocons do not win their argument. we do not want to get involved. a lot of anger.

yet, the candidates are weak. we have weak candidates. >> trump, though, you talk about those two issues. the neocons and the jobs going away. >> he jumped on them. >> people that support trump, so many of them, will talk about those two things almost in the same way that you just did. >> i think they know. i just brought this. this is an important show. a lot of people here in the midwest are going to like it. one of the great newspaper editors back in the 1930s from kansas. he said this about america, which is so true today. he said the most precious gift god has given to this land is not its riches of soil and forest and land, but the divine dissatisfaction planted deeply in the hearts of the american people. the divine dissatisfaction. >> i love that. >> isn't that the greatest? >> we do not like it, generally. we just don't like it. we're ready to change it. we don't want to hear somebody say more of the same. >> you know, it's from hamilton,

you know. when one of the sisters says, he'll never be satisfied. that's the thing that americans are constantly pushing and saying, no, that's not good enough. that leader is not good enough. we demand more, we demand this and there is a constant turn. >> another way of looking at that, americans at this point. the american dream, the definition of the american dream is based on hope. you come here because you hope for a better life and, tell me, how people are feeling across the country about how their kids are going to do. because right now the data shows they're not going to do better. that is a fundamental change. we've witnessed. >> willie, that's one of the great ironies. one of the only groups of people who seem hopeful are immigrants i talk to who are thrilled to be in america. and i've gotten more than one lecture from immigrants saying, you have no idea what you have here in america. come live in my country for a week.

and it's something that somehow i guess you look back, a lot of people looking back at the '50s and the '60s and the jobs started going away in the '70s. we don't, a lot of americans who have lived here for a long time don't have that perception. >> i think that's some of the perspective that president obama has been trying to bring over the last two police shootings. he's saying this is not 1968 and we need context and perspective and we're not as divided as we're made to be as we are on tv. not as divided as when you see some of these shootings. with that said, when you look at these elections, you have two candidates that have divided the country and two candidates who are not popular. this is not an uplifting campaign. this is not been a great year to feel great about the country. >> it is uplifting. >> great for one of the candidates and maybe we can start here this week to start talking about positively to talk about dreams and hopes. >> you spent a lot of time studying trump.

i consider you to be a trumpologist. >> i don't know if that's good or bad. >> right now, very good. there's a market. >> what we're talking about here and do something with it. >> i've been hanging out at the westin hotel lobby and that's where a lot of the trump people are going in and out in dark suits whisperring in corners and they're sensing this convention is not so much about that positive message. partly, but they think they need to introduce trump to the country. they're going tahave his family front and center and his business career front and center and some echoes of 1968. you see on these trump signs around cleveland. the silent majority, just like richard nixon said in '68. you hear trump calling himself the law and order candidate. you should go on youtube and watch nixon '68 convention speech and talking about the unrest. >> chris matthews, thank you. >> tonight from 7:00 until 2:00 in the morning. >> i'm excited. >> you want more of me, 7:00 to

2:00 all week long. >> oh, that's fantastic. >> it's great for us. may not be great for you, but great for you to be able to watch it that much. let me ask you, your favorite. what is the first convention you went to? >> i snuck into the '64 democratic convention and i was a busboy and today's equivalent like a $25,000 ticket and it was made of plastic and she said, oh, yeah, sure, honey, have it. i shook hands with humfry and stevenson and stevenson had small hand, by the way. >> really. >> a great man. and a great man and, well, bobby gave the great speech that year. the one about glendon johnson being the son. that's when atlantic city was great. before gambling. >> do you have a favorite convention? just forget the politics. >> i like '88 in new orleans. i thought the bush speech -- >> it was. >> and i'm sitting there thinking like everybody else,

bush not the most interesting guy in the world. he talked about being awkward and very eloquent guy and i'm sitting way up in the cheap seats and i'm tearing up. such an emotionally acknowledgment of a person's shortcomings and i go, wow, this guy george senior is quite a person. >> i don't think we'll see that tonight. >> i hear when the quiet people speak. you know, so many people talk about so many of the other speeches. that was remarkable because i was watching it at home. i was in law school at the time. i just sat there and gasped going, oh, my they turned his awkwardness around. >> he went from 17 points behind the convention to winning the convention by 8. 25% of the american people which is one-quarter of the electorate changed their minds and also helped out and go around as the rat tearier doing the bad stuff. that was a very eloquent -- >> i don't think we're going to

get self-deprecating vulnerability. chris, thanks a lot. still ahead on "morning joe" former house speaker and finalist for donald trump's running mate newt gingrich will be here. also ahead nbc chuck todd and nicolle wallace will join the discussion. ♪ using 60,000 points from my chase ink card i bought all the framework... wire... and plants needed to give my shop... a face... no one will forget. see what the power of points can do for your business. learn more at chase.com/ink see what the power of points can do for your business. real is touching a ray.

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>> always been a republican. my father is, his father was. the whole family is a republican family. i voted for dwight eisenhower the first time i voted ask i voted for nixon the hast time. but when we come to senator goldwater, now it seems to me we're up against a very different kind of a man. this man scares me. >> a friend of mine said to me, listen, just because a man

sounds irresponsible during a campaign doesn't mean he will act that way. be well, i don't buy that. trump says we need unpredictability when it comes to using nuclear weapons. what is that supposed to mean? when a man says that he sounds a lot like a threat to humanity. >> exactly, right. that was a portion of a 1964 political ad. >> at the end, he has this daisy. >> followed by a hillary clinton web ad released exclusively to "morning joe." both feature the same man entitled confessions of a republican. it sought to highlight gop concerns about their party's nominee. a situation the clinton team is looking to amplify in today's presidential race 50 years later. so, now, joining us on set in cleveland, former communication director nicolle wallace and

moderator of "meet the press" and host of mtp daily. hillary clinton is working this week, right, that doesn't change. they usually take a week off. >> let's talk about that ad and i want to talk to you two about that ad and also the ad i saw last night when i was watching coverage and it was our kids are watching. it's a very powerful ad for people who live where we live. very powerful ad for democrats. i'm wondering, though, trump supporters and people on the margins of supporting trump, they don't really care about those sort of ads. and i was just sitting there wondering, so, who is the target market here and are there enough, enough people that are going to look at this and go, okay, it will make a difference. >> that's when you look, the word's gone out on trump.

there's no new information. >> what word is out there? >> donald trump is -- >> for those that the message of that ad, it's not as if there aren't people who haven't heard that message. that's what i mean by it. i do think when you look, when i was absorbing our nbc "wall street journal" poll. you don't need to raise trump's negatives any more. i don't think, okay, instead of 60% negative rating, 65% negative rating is going to help you. you need to fix your own positives. i think the target right now is controlling trump. one thing the clinton campaign has figured out he gets overly reactive to their ad. look at what happened on saturday morning. saturday morning before the pence roll out, they put out that ad. cnn airs it it, you kind of know what happened with trump, right? he goes on a tweet storm about an hour and a half before rolling out pence upset about

that ad. they ad that poked fun at his indecision on pence. it's in his head and he spends 70% of his intro time on pence getting upset and doing his parentheticals because the ad got under his skin. that's who the clinton are usually targeting. >> i think republican women are very much up for grabs and the women being reminded of the hands chapter, my fingers are so big. i think it's gross and i remember having an exchange with the trump backer and said watching this as a woman, i think he's a littl little icky said, she's icky, too. they are both much more motivated by driving up the other's negatives. i think this is, this is a main line message to swing voters, which are largely women, independent women. women who sort of vote based on events.

>> whaao are the swing voters right now? >> well, there are a lot. >> if they're both sitting at 40% in a lot of these polls, there are a lot of swing voters. >> i looked very closely. 32% in our poll said neither to answer the question, who has the right judgment to be a good president. i want to know who those 32% are. they actually lean republican. they normally would be republican voters. >> they want to vote republican. >> that's right. they're younger. they're 18 to -- a little bit of the younger and, obviously, they lean independent, as well. when you look at them idelogically. they sort of center right. i guess if you -- maybe the suburban republican. it's probably the way to look at it. that's quote/unquote the swing vote. but if that's your swing vote, then if you're a republican, you're already losing. >> why did you pick pence? i agree exactly who the swing vote is, but makes the pence choice inexplicable.

>> let me ask the both of you. how big a wild card is donald trump's reactive nature? what if things don't go well tonight at the convention? what if someone doesn't say what he wants them to say? his reactive nature. >> i've been wondering that myself. what happens if -- there is already. he's upset at the roll out. he's not happy with how the pence thing went. and you do wonder if monday and tuesday don't go well, sort of the nights that he's not as in charge, i could see him going, wait a minute. i got an idea. i think the pressure is on his staff to improve what they've done this last four days with the vp roll out. maybe it's in trump's hands. inexplicable disaster. >> i think he's sort of a rolling critic of his own candidacy. he doesn't like it, he'll just tweet out. >> each day has a theme and a

headliner. michael flynn, joany and u.s. representative ryan zinc. and then tuesday is make america work, again. donald trump, shell shelley moore. >> not excited aboutthat lineup. >> not a "charles in charge" fan. >> where is scott baio. >> if you were working for donald trump and you've watched this campaign from the beginning, what would you hope he could accomplish over these next four nights? what could he do to change the dynamic of this race? >> the dynamic isn't all that terrible for donald trump. he's close enough to hillary clinton in the battleground states to be in this. and on a more stronger note, what is going on in the country matches his new brand for his campaign. he's rolled out this label of the law and order campaign for his campaign about ten days ago in philadelphia.

and, you know, just we get lost in the weeds because it's what we do. but i think that he's going to keep being exactly who he is. i think he should try to designate some more concise messengers but athat's not how he does this. >> let me ask the only person here who has been on the ballot. whose name has been on the ballot about an element that came up in the last segment. having to do with this country. and we call had congress, america's most exclusive club. when, actually, america's most exclusive club is being a citizen of this country. it's not being a member of congress. but, we're talking about why don't either of these candidates speak more about the people of this country? we have a country where people spend more time looking at their phones than they do one another. >> i don't know. because ai will tell you, i say this all the time, but mika and

i through the years have talked to college campuses. we've talked to civic organizations. we've talked on book tours. and people always ask, what's happening in washington? what's wrong with washington? but without fail, every time i say, yeah, but let me just wrap up by telling you in the top ten universities on the planet are right here in america. other people put up walls to keep people out. to keep people in. we have politicians who want to put up walls to keep people out because so many people want to come to america. we're still the last best hope for a dying world. we have created an energy revolution that have changed forever our economy and change forever our foreign policy and did it with absolutely no government help and we did it because some guy said what if i drill sideways instead of drilling down. steve jobs is right. we're crazy. we think differently. when asked why was his company

better than microsoft he said because the guy who ran microsoft didn't drop. but the guy that started microsoft, he got $5,000. his dad's garage and he changed the world. that's what america is. but we don't have politicians that tell that story any more. >> let me grab you while you're on a roll. tonight, having dropped acid. tonight's theme, make america safe, again. what does that mean? >> it's very negative. >> i actually think that is a good, i was just going to say -- >> what does it mean? >> that's their job tonight. to make it connect tonight. make that work. >> how many people here are afraid? >> insecurity, economic insecurity and insecurity at home and insecurity around the world. i would actually, if i were trump, i would make the whole convention that theme because -- >> he might. if he's watching, he might

change. >> we have to wrap, but there is fear out there. >> anxiety. >> but you know what, that message can also go with a hopeful message. we have problems. we've got to beat isis. we have to. we have to address these race issues. we have to address wages. but let me tell you why we can do this. and then you tell the true story of america. who we've been and who we still are and why you believe, like i believe, we are destined to dominate this world economically in the 20th century than we did. they are all negative. >> they might need you. chuck todd, nicolle, stay with us. chuck, thank you very much. coming up, john kasich governs ohio, but won't be on stage in cleveland at all? wait, he's not coming. that doesn't mean he wasn't speaking out. we'll have his message to a group of voters that republicans

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up next former house speaker newt gingrich joins the table.

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nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. donald trump: i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? and you can tell them to go f--- themselves! you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever... you gotta see this guy. ahh, i don't know what i said, ahh. "i don't remember." he's going like "i don't remember!" safety doesn't come in a box. it's not a banner that goes on a wall. it's not something you do now and then. or when it's convenient. it's using state-of-the-art simulators to better prepare for any situation. it's giving offshore teams onshore support.

and it's empowering anyone to stop a job if something doesn't seem right. at bp, safety is never being satisfied. and always working to be better. let's bring in, i don't like the introduction. let's bring out a historic figure. the man that nancy reagan said finished ronald reagan's revolution. newt gingrich. >> he knows i'm mad at him. mr. speaker, would you like a beer? >> no, too early in the morning. why are you mad at me? >> i thought your statements about screening people were really rough. that's why i'm mad at you. >> they were tough. >> they were tough and unrealistic and i think they were divisive. that's all. >> that was said in the form of a question.

>> what do you think? why did you do that? >> let him answer. >> hannity was asking me about immigrants. i believe you should screen every immigrant. look at the tewnition immigrant that just killed 84 people. never described as a tunisian immigrant. look at the degree to which isis openly says we're sending people across the planet. and how often do you have to have people get killed? we're going to have to come up with a strategy and we're going to have to learn from the israelis and the european failure. i mean, the director of intelligence in france the day before nice they released a statement that europe is on the edge of a civil war. that's how bad he thinks it is. let's go down 10 or 15 more years to see if we can't re-create the european chaos. >> the european model has been disastrous and building for 0, 30 years. it's very interesting. you, though, when it comes to america and it comes to race,

you've said some things that we not only does mika criticize, she also applauds. you had a statement talking about how a normal white american could never understand what it's like being black in america. you see what's happening in baton rouge. you see what's happening across the country. how do we move forward, especially on the issue of race? >> well, the risk of once again being divisive. as long as you have barack obama doing what he did over the last few years. you've had 7 1/2 years of a black president. 7 1/2 years of a black attorney general. gallup report race relations are worse than any time in the last 17 years. why? because how often has he hit the police. he hit the police in cambridge and he was wrong. he hit the police in ferguson, he was wrong. at what point does the president have some obligation to say -- there are two parts of this.

we have to understand the black in america and in places like chicago where 3,200 people have been killed during the obama presidency, we better have a strategy that works. we don't. >> what is a strategy that works? >> you start with new york city which has reduced the murder rate by 85% from where it was when giuliani went in. nobody on the left wants to hear that. you look at the number of thousands of people who would be alive today if chicago had new york strategy. >> why don't they? >> i think they think it is too intrusive. requires too many policemen. they don't want to spend the money on cops. you don't spend the money on cops, you spend the money on funerals. >> don't you think he moved in the right direction? >> 7 1/2 years into his presidency, he began to realize now that we had two massacres of policemen that member as president of the united states and leader of law and order in america, he should say something on law and order. that's fairly pathetic. >> how do you address, though,

the real deep rooted concern that emanates in the black community about that tension between police and the community itself? the broader economic impact that they're feeling. the sense of isolation and desperation that the system really doesn't gicare about the. what you're seeing now is a gut wrenching reaction to a system that has over the last seven years, but over the last 15, 20 years. >> well, other than that, look, you were the lieutenant governor and had baltimore -- first let me say the council member in baltimore was 1942. let's be clear. the system doesn't work in baltimore. it doesn't work in detroit. it doesn't work in southside chicago. that means you have to have systemic change, the teacher union oppose it and the liberals oppose it and the result is you don't get any change. i don't blame somebody trapped in the middle of the neighborhood with schools that don't work, no jobs available,

no policing that is effective. worried about my kid getting shot in the drive-by shooting. i think they should feel pretty angry. but a duel challenge. the democrats can't change and you know because you tried to lead the way and i'm trying to get and i'm trying to get trump and pence to do this. we have to go in the middle of south side chicago and offer better solutions, which paul ryan seriously worked on and give people a sense that there's hope. >> and what does it say, though -- and i heard this from a lot of folks. when you made the statement you did the other day about what's happening in the black community and white america doesn't have a clue about that, what's the next step after that? how do we help them get a clue about that? >> it is more important to help them understand they want to change rather than understand it. i think that means, for example,

you have to have laws and rules to that make it easy to create businesses. you have to have laws that make it actually work. people are expressing a reality. it isn't some psychological problem. you can be a very successful black american and you can have a very good college degree and you can still get roused. >> and it's shocking what tim scott said. >> yeah, everyone should go watch that speech on you tube. i want to ask you, mr. speaker, you were one of the final two or three choices. some family members preferred you, in fact. as you watch mike pence sit with donald trump in those beautiful gold-leaf chairs, what percentage of you thought you should be the one sitting there? >> zero.

>> we just did a movie on george washington. we are about to do a movie on the american revolution. >> and she'll be speaking with you right? >> yes. and we are busy and happy. i spent two and a half hours and i really do believe to solve his immediate problem which is how do you bring the paul ryans, how do you get them to enthusiasm, that mike would do a better job than i would have done. as you all know, i have been a national figure now far long, long, long time. he has been a governor in ind happen l indianapolis. i think he is very smart. she worked with him and she thought he is very solid and very stable. as i said, you could run a two-pirate ticket and then trump and i would certainly had a cad

littic energy. i think he made the right decision that having a balanced ticket will serve him well. >> newt beginning rigingrich, h figure, pirate. we'll be right back with live from the republican national convention. >> that was a great way to put it. using 60,000 points from my chase ink card i bought all the fruit... veggies... and herbs needed to create a pop-up pick-your-own juice bar in the middle of the city, so now everyone knows... we have some of the freshest juice in town. see what the power of points can do for your business.

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ahead this morning. >> this is unprecedented using family to promote the candidate. it is because they know him. >> that was donald trump's campaign chairman on "morning joe" last hour. it wasn't too long ago when his loss was talking about throwing a show biz convention. we'll have the line up. morning joe live in cleveland. we are back in just a moment. been trying to prepare for this day... and i'm still not ready.

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i know we are about to enter a couple of weeks where our political rhetoric tends to be more overheated than usual. that is why it is more important that everyone regardless of race, political party, profession, regardless of what organizations you are part of, everyone right now focus on words and actions that can unite this country rather than divide it further.

we don't need inflammatory rhetoric. we don't need careless accusations thrown around or to advance an agenda. we need to temper our words and open our hearts, all of us. >> president obama yesterday after what happened in baton rouge. good morning. it is monday, july 18th. we are live at flirish pub, jus across the street from the republican national convention. >> the next five days belong to the gop and more importantly donald trump. they are accepting his nomination for president of the united states and mika will get a new truck. are we going to drive it into this -- it in?

a deadly shooting of three police officers in baton rouge and another three injured in what the city's mayor is calling an ambush-style attack. and so the 2016 republican national convention officially gets underway today. you know what the theme is tonight? make america safe again. the head liners include melania trump, michael flynn and jon and joni ernst. many are going families and employees of the family's organization. campaign chairman explained the theme. >> we'll have his family

speaking. you'll have people who have worked with him inside the company and outside of the company. you'll see how he built his successful empire. you'll see how he has taken care of people he meets. it has a sense of community. you'll get a broader perspective of the man. >> joining joe we have mike barnacle and former chairman of the republican committee, michael steel and mark halprin. >> you look at that speakers list it does not look -- >> it is on conventional. a lot of family members. the head of the winery will speak. we think about the people that aren't here. none of the bushes will be here. the previous two nominees,

romney and mccain will not be here. this is a different kind of convention. >> there are so many things. >> he wanted celebrities. >> as you start talking to party insiders they talk about how ohio is at the back of the room. california and new york at the front. they talk about the lack of organization. they go on and on and on about what's wrong with this convention before the convention even begins. what's been your take? what have you been hearing? >> they are not doing a million things at a conventional campaign and convention would do. that's the way he won the nomination. the question is can he do a single thing. you would say they are running the ads as a big advantage. the trump campaign says we don't care. we are within striking distance. we'll be fine. there's a million things like

that. they are doing it differently. they look at how they are doing it and say we can't win that way. >> it sounds like a real strategy and it seems to me they can't get people. they are bringing in the family. that's what it looks like to me. and a bunch of celebrities aren't that well known. >> yeah, there's that. >> can we just say it? it's they can't get anybody. >> that may be. but this was different. >> they can't get anybody? >> he doesn't care. it's about him. >> it's about him. paul said it will be a personal story. that's why the family will be out front and center. >> or they can't get anybody. >> you focus on that. this will be something different that americans have never felt before. it will be difficult. there's some for the first time. they will see this convention. they will hear a very personal side. they will hear directly from the

people who know him best. you normally don't get that until like the last night where they roll out the story of the nominee. you'll have each night as, you know, making america safe and making america strong. all of these themes will have a family undertone. it will be very different and they can't get anybody. >> exactly. >> look, it is what it is and it is what it has been since donald trump announced for the presidency. it is all him all of the time. he is running a campaign to raise money in state by state. there are very few states that are organized along traditional campaign lines. he will probably be introduced. >> speaking of untraditional, that roll out of mike pence, we haven't had -- >> yeah, six seconds on the stage. how are you doing? >> yeah. >> and i wouldn't be surprised if donald trump's favorite caddy introduced him thursday night. we should not be surprised.

it is about him. >> it's all him all of the time. >> and when he ran we were always talking about his campaign. you go into his campaign he headquarters there were six people, wires coming down, stray dogs and tumble weed and he blew the doors off. >> he did. i think as we start this week it is a good time to take note of how remarkable it is that we are sitting here with donald trump as the nominee. >> aunbelievable. >> we said it is promotional. she nev he is never going run. he ran and he won and he depth winning and winning and winning against the odds. yes, this is a little strange. you have to tip your cap to a

guy who has never run before -- >> it is nothing short of amazing. we are going to hear from all of the family members, who we have heard from before, melania and some of the boys. any time we have got to family they have said nothing. they have said nothing. she the greatest. i love him. i want to hear something. if this is going to be about family and this is going to be about donald trump tell us something we don't know. push it over the edge. >> you know what will be interesting? the interesting thing at least to me will be how long are voters going to go along with the way trump has campaigned thus far. it has been an amusement -- >> now it's getting serious. >> but now it's for the presidency of the united states. do they switch? do they start thinking oh, i

don't know. >> what are you looking for? >> i was going to say, mike said that's what everybody said in august, september, october. they are just flirting. this is a fall romance. they get in the voting booth and they voted for him. they voted for him more than people expected for him to vote for him. you can't under estimate what's happening to clinton over the past several sweeks. the fbi, it was unlike anything any presidential candidates had to endure. both of them see them in the low 40s and disapproval so high. i think everybody's looking to see whether donald trump can pull this off, whether he can run a convention over the next four days, whether it can be organized. his rollout was the most important decision he had to make.

he ended up selecting somebody he didn't want to select. there were questions of him going back and forth trying to change his mind. i know he picked somebody he was uncomfortable with and then he introduced him. you could tell he talked about himself for about 40% of the time and mike pence for about 3% of the time. if you can't pull that off because you have everybody yammering at you then how are you going pull off the convention? >> yeah, a lot of personal feelings got involved there. they did not pick the guy that was best for donald trump. >> it's not going to get him anything new. >> in fact it will make things even more difficult for the republican party. >> i think that is definitely a

factor. he did pick the best person compared to gingrich or christie. he needs to unite the republican party. he is a new republican. he trashed the republican party as recently as the weekend. it will never be about his running mate. it will be about trump. it will be about whether he can show people a side of him that people haven't seen. there is a side most people haven't seen. >> oh, my gosh, there is. i guess that at the end, we have known donald for a long time. the donald we have seen in front of the microphone is not the donald we have known over a decade. >> i wonder if he will show who he really is and stop with the bluster. >> it's a serious time. it would be good. >> they is seen one version. >> will they buy into the real donald trump? >> yes!

not the donald trump we see on stage. >> right. will he be willing to show that? all right. new developments in another intans of deadly violence against police. three officers in baton rouge are dead and three others injured. the officers responding to a call of shots fired when they were gunned down about a mile away from police headquarters. they have identified the suspect as gavin long. he was shot during the exchange of gunfire. the shooting came after president obama traveled to dallas to speak at the memorial. he found himself addressing the nation again yesterday. >> i said that that killer would not be the last person that tries to make us turn on each other for will today's killer. it remains up to us to make sure that they fail.

that decision is all of ours. > >> joining us now is chris jansen. what more do we know? >> reporter: we know actually quite a lot from his online postings. he had one of the most robust online presences. it shows an interest where people believe that there are no laws that apply to them. they make their own lays and don't have to pay taxes. that along with other records show about gavin long. he was a mar lean, served honorably, attending the rank of sergeant and served in iraq for eight months. he was married very briefly, for about two years. recently online he has shown these extremist views. he was a data information

specialist in the military. he carried that over not only with a blog but podcasts. he was expressing his anger with the shootings of black men by police officers posting very recently that 100% of revolutions of victims fighti fighting opressers through bloodshed. he came here in baton rouge. the crime scene has been cleared but they have also investigated in kansas city, where he is from. they went to his house. a person came to the door with a gun. he is being questioned. while we wait for the latest three men remain hospitalized. one of them remaining in critical condition. >> thank you so much. the three officers killed, one of them had two young children, was a veteran of the united states military.

another had a four month old child. another had four children. it was his last shift before he was going out on vacation with his family. >> michael steele, i want to talk about president obama, the way he reaked. reacted. he has been attacked from the left and the right. i thought in speaking to americans i thought the tone over these last two tragedies, i think it has been pitch perfect i think especially. i say this is someone who has been very critical of him and after a lot of other tragedies i thought he was pitch perfect yesterday. >> yeah, and it's hard because you're trying to deal with a lot of emotions. this anger is really beginning

to surface in the black community. i got a text message from a friend of mine out of baltimore. they said these young people are angry, they feel isolated. the only thing they can do is to lash back. you have got that dynamic. you the political dynamic where you a lot of hot rhetoric. for him to find that sweet spot, to think about where we are as a nation, you know, after the first round of shootings i'm thinking why are we seemingly so angry with each other? i think the president in the last few weeks having trying to get to that question in a way that makes us think of american citizens, not as a gay person but as an american, what are we doing to ourselves? what are we doing to ourselves that we treat communities of

color a certain way. we are responding to police in a certain way. >> all trying to deal with the backdrop of isis coming our way. once in the running for vice president, chris christie is not even considered aheadliner. we'll talk about why it looks fairly different than years past. jackson and peters join us for that. first, we'll take a look at the latest poll numbers. trump's unfavorables are not high. we are live in cleveland. we'll be right back. hey, searching for a great used car? yeah! you got it. just say show me millions of used cars for sale at the all new carfax.com. i don't want one that's had a big wreck just say, show me cars with no accidents reported pretty cool

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clearly this man is not a politician. he doesn't speak like a politician. he speaks from his heart. >> we >> well, i speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand. >> it just makes me uncomfortable. >> 60 minutes last night. there is trump chairs in the -- >> well, come on. who said, boy, those two have chemistry? did they go to the same school together? >> it is like a buddy picture. >> seriously. for older people watching -- >> give it time. >> a year? two years? >> hillary clinton leading trump. she is up by 5, up from a month

ago. in a washington post poll she is up 4. in a cnn poll she is up 7. at 27% donald trump remains the most unpopular presumptive in the history of the wall street journal poll. >> let's stop right there. you kind of laugh. we all laugh. 27. that's awful. that's the worst ever. there's no way he could ever win -- oh, wait, hillary clinton is within the margin of error. >> 31%. >> yeah. one said let me summarize the wo polls for you, they hate them both. they hate them both. >> they really do not like them. what do we do with this? the favorabilities are

staggeringly low. >> and the winner will be the one that is hated less. just a reality. the country is looking for a leader who can unify and their past is dividing. >> what do we think about hillary clinton up by 5 or 6 points in most of the polls? >> national polls don't speak to battleground states. but he has a problem. you look at the polls. he is at around 40, 41. he will need to get a lot more support to pass her and win. >> let's put up the battleground states again, the tracking polls we showed a second ago.

you're right. he is at 40 in ohio, 39 in michigan, 40 in iowa, hillary clinton up by 4 in ohio, 3 in michigan and down one in iowa. but both of these candidates hovering around 40%. we use to have a rule, if your reelect was below 50 you were in trouble. i mean their reelecting are tumbling. they are tumbling down the stairs. they may be at 38, 38. >> if you're betting you put a couple bucks on clinton. it is a lot closer than she would like it to be. even people who don't love donald trump are here to remind you why he is here for hillary clinton. it is about we cannot afford to have hillary clinton in the white house.

>> we heard that from paul ryan. is he a racist? >> sure he is. >> put that on a bumper sticker. i'm serious this is as close as it gets -- >> yes. >> it is as close as any has gotten to the edwards-duke race. here we have, sure, he is a racist but he is not hillary. >> and for the first time perhaps in history the race of the president of the united states is distinctly a nonpopularity contest to see which -- >> sew wio we are in cleveland. how many people here love donald trump, just love him. >> yes. >> yeah. >> you got one guy. >> how many people absolutely

adore hillary clinton, love her. >> we got ten people. >> how many people love the cleveland indians? >> that is what it is supposed to sound like. we have never been to a convention -- and we have been doing this a long time. you have never had a convention where you asked that question and you didn't have a room erupt like they did for the indians. by this time the party is lined up. they are ready to go out in the fall. >> we are at the site of the convention and the room was quiet. >> and the process has exhausted the country. coming up, it's a republican convention like few in recent memory. >> he was giving a speech and he was walking out and i said mr. trump. he said oh, my god, did you want to speak?

i said here? he said no. no. at the convention. i went oh, oh, okay. >> is that chachi? >> it is. >> a good call. >> our little chachi is grown up and speaking at the convention. >> we have more of how chachi -- >> that is happy days. >> like 40 years ago. >> chachi yes, don king, no. we'll find out why. those new glasses? they are. do i look smarter? yeah, a little. you're making money now, are you investing? well, i've been doing some research. let me introduce you to our broker. how much does he charge? i don't know. okay. uh, do you get your fees back if you're not happy? (dad laughs)

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the lord wants us to work together. everybody human being is made in the image of our lord and deserves respect and deserves opportunity in this great united states of america. we're going to make sure that we do everything we can to give every single human being a sense that they matter, that they count, that they can be hopeful and that justice will be done.

>> that was john kasich, the governor of ohio speaking to the naacp last night about building occupy majority businesses, policing and criminal justice reform. >> that was very powerful, by the way. >> that was -- well, here is what paul had to say about that earlier on the show. >> except for one or two republicans not come to town -- >> where is john kasich? >> except for one or two. >> he is the governor of the state. >> kasich is tmaking a big mistake. he is looking at something that's not going to happen. he is embarrassing his state, frankly. >> that got a lot of boos from our audience. we have hallie jackson and jeremy peters along with willie,

joe and me. >> more than just a few people not showing up here, the ones you would think would show up are sending in videos of themselves like rubio. it has been kind of stunning to watch. these are showcases of political parties brightest and best. they are launching paths for political careers. he catapulted himself into political fame. it is hard to see anybody like that. >> so it kind of dug in and saying that he was an embarrassment to not show up. >> he was tweeting out kasich has nonrecord approval ratings and the state couldn't be more proud. >> and by the way, this is a mix of democrats and republicans and independents clapping for john

kasich. >> and his approval rating was something like 58%. they will come and say listen, it is similar to where he was two years ago even before the primaries or battles with trump. they believe it is a sign of his popularity in the state and what they believe is his influence is kind of that moderate voice. >> yes. >> we are talking about it before. it is very safe to say this is a convention unlike any convention that we have been to. >> it is weird. >> here it is the first day of the convention and right out of the bokx we are talking a home state governor not being welcomed at the convention. that is an odd note to begin with. what's happening in the country as a whole, the sort of undercurrent and uneasiness is playing into this. i've never seen the party this ununfied at this point and also in worse financial strengths. >> explain that.

>> so the party at this point usually has the coffers very very filled. the latest report showed $30 million to the fundraising committee between trump and the rnc. mitt romney by way of comparison had almost twice that in cash on hand, not just dollars raised. it is true trump starts five weeks later but they won't give a mulligan on the election date. there is sort of a difficulty with the basic resources of the party going into this. and then you start talking about the themes and how this -- they want this to come out as a unified party with a unified convention. if there hasn't been unity at this point it puts more pressure to come out unified. that's what i think we need to look for in these four days. >> it is when we listed all of

the people who are not going to be here among them john mccain. they said the old republican party isn't going to be here. it brought in new politics. we are bringing new faces to the stage. >> it is not to have those people. you talk about the new people like hailly who is not here, brian sandoval. >> yeah. >> and those people with the exception are all hispanic. these conventions, you're supposed to showcase all of the diversity and trump had a hard time because he alienated so many. i don't think we should look at that in by picking a solid social conservative somebody who the delegates really respect, that goes a long way. in my conversations i have

actually heard that come up. >> have you really? >> yes. >> among the people who don't like donald trump, yeah, smart pick, really out of character for trump. >> absolutely. so he calms the waters of rebellion amongst the delegates. >> he can talk all he wants about how it is okay they aren't here but the campaign knows they need those on board and it's explicit in mike pence. donald trump said the reason why i picked mike pence in part is for party unity. >> and by this point you're supposed to be unified and you're supposed to start reaching out to independents and democrats or reach out to independents and republicans. >> that's right but trump's view, his coalition is different from anything that's been before. nonetheless, to get there

mathematically, if you look at the breakdown of the country you have to have a great deal of the republican base. >> it because lot of talk over the months. we talked to you about potential. what could the rules committee do? all of those things have fallen by the wayside. do you see any trouble over the next couple of days? is there anything that anybody can do? >> turns out it is easier to get publicity than votes. there is a way to cause a rucous today. my sense is that people that will be up in the chair and running the convention are not going to tolerate a lot of

upstarts, which you'll see is a lot of loud noise on the floor as delegates aren't recognized. you'll see large bodies in the form of a rally. so the chair can't see the delegate who is trying to get recognized. >> i call them goons. >> thank you all. >> thank you, guys. still ahead, jeb bush is out on the eve of the republican convention. the former head, mike murphy, joins us next. you're watching "morning joe" live from cleveland. when it comes to healthcare, seconds can mean the difference between life and death. for partners in health, time is life. we have 18,000 people around the world. the microsoft cloud helps our entire staff stay connected and work together in real time

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>> what do you mean you don't care he voted? >> they were mislead a lot of information. i was against it, the war in iraq from the beginning. >> yeah, be you you used that vote of hillary's that was the same as an example of her bad judgment. >> and i'm one of the few that was right on iraq. >> what about him? >> he is entitled to make a mistake every once in a while. >> but she is not? >> no. she is not. >> it is the ones you used when you would rent a place and shelter island and sit on the front porch and have the gold -- >> the louis xiv -- >> there is no evidence he was against the iraq war before it started. >> it is okay if he voeted for

the war but not hillary clinton. >> don't they remind you of butch and sundance right before they jump off the cliff? >> the bush family over the iraq war. it looks like mike pence gets different consideration. we'll talk about that and jeb bush's future with the party. keep it right here on "morning joe." you focus on making great burgers, or building the best houses in town. or becoming the next highly-unlikely dotcom superstar. and us, we'll be right there with you, helping with the questions you need answered to get your brand new business started. we're legalzoom and we've already partnered with over a million new business owners to do just that. check us out today to see how you can become one of them. legalzoom. legal help is here.

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there's no religious test on the table. it is limited to countries that are harboring and training terrorists. that's where 75% of the american people are at. he said he has not backed off or changed his position. >> he has pivoted -- >> that's your interpretation. >> he says he hasn't changed. >> he has said he has changed and he has put the position ton table and that is his position. >> so joining us now mike murphy and columnist, ruth marcus with a new position, a big upgrade view at the post. congratulations. jeb bush has a piece i would like to start the conversation,

if i can, with. he wrote trump does not represent the future of the i have -- country or the gop. whatever you call it it is clear this election will have far reaching kons agaiconsequences exceptional country. while he has no doubt tapped into the anxiety of the united states today i do not believe donald trump represents the principles or inclusive legacy of the republican party. i sincerely hope he doesn't represent its future. rebuilding trust in our party and ultimately hope in our government requires we be the catalysts that lead to change. we can renew our country by applying conservative principles politics over the long haul but it will take stick with itness

and strong leadership in the years to come. i'm confident we can be that party once again. >> mike murphy, everybody is talk about trump misstatements, outrageous statements. i wonder how much of this though is about the republican party and what the republican party has become? i'm starting to think more and hr it's less and less about donald trump and more and more about the republican party. >> there's no test about what a party thinks of the moment of a presidential primary. trump managed to grab about 42 or 43%. i'm a die harder on that. i'm waiting for the gavel to crack. >> get over it. >> exactly. >> parties regenerate themselves. he is starting to lay markers

for the big debate. >> and we had all of the posts. we went to opposite direction. some states where 45% of republicans supported the elimination of mosques in america. >> right. no. no. no. look -- >> there are some things that are hard for us to cobble together. >> if we don't rebuild it we are going to die. we are having a prequill as our nominee declares war on the state holding the convention. it will either be a learning experience, a tragic one or it will be terminal. it is up to us to have that fight and hopefully win it. >> and you mentioned the party has not been great on learning experiences but maybe is the charm. it really -- i think the next several months are going to be as the last several months have been, all about donald trump. the party is definitely going to have to come to grips with its

future and come to grips with what it wants to be. i accepted from jeb bush it took approximately a nan kno second say yes to it. he wants to lay the groundwork for the future of the party. >> we are here in cleveland at the republican national convention but doesn't it effect both parties, their inventi-- >> we can talk about the 27% approval rating. clinton is in the low 30s. the interesting political science experiment is the democrats had a system like we did you you may be looking at trump versus bernie. >> wow. >> i can't think of a better one. >> and in you threw in less -- >> right, sure. >> i do think that both parties

of the election will have to grapple with their future. if they win the white house it is a much easier grappling three times in a row. >> mike murphy and ruth, you had a promotion. tell us about that. >> we have a whole new program that we are launching on global opinions so you can read not just everything you want to read about politics on washingtonpost.com but global opinions, brexit, turkey. >> and it started around brexit. >> yes. up next we have a special guest for what we have learned today. >> lebron. she spent summer binge-watching. soon, she'll be binge-studying. now she writes mostly in emoji. soon, she'll type the best essays in the entire 8th grade. today, the only spanish words he knows are burrito and enchilada.

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see what the power of points can do for your business. you know what they used to do with guys like that when they were in a place like this? they'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks. and you can tell them to go f--- themselves! i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? it's like incredible. when mexico sends its people, they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever... you gotta see this guy - ahh, i don't know what i said, ahh. "i don't remember." he's going like, "i don't remember!" our children and grandchildren will look back at this time... ...at the choices we are about to make.

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>> welcome back to "morning joe." we had a special guest. unfortunately we asked lebron to come. >> oh. >> and unfortunately he is busy. he is tied up. our special guest now is nicole. >> yeah. >> she will talk in the place of lebron. >> look at this. bigger than lebron would have ever done. they love her here in cleveland. what have you learned today? >> i learned everyone can come home to cleveland.

>> except for kasich. >> what did you learn? >> it will be a family affair for the trumps. they will make it personal this week. >> mika is this. >> i learned in the d block of the first hour of our show, deviciveness began saying kasich is not welcomed at the convention and he is an embarrassment. >> yeah. that got some news. >> the kasich came back and said we have a popular governor. you might want to win us over. >> do you guys like your governor? i thought so. >> mike? >> i learned that the indians are the most popular element in cleveland right now. >> did you learn anything? >> you know, this is a convention unlike any convention i've ever been to. i think chris matthews agrees

that -- >> it will be a long week. >> that does it for us here. stephanie who is in cleveland picks up our coverage starting right now. good morning i'm live in cleveland, ohio. the republican national convention just hours from kicking off. and breaking new details this morning, police ambush. >> shots fired, officer down. got a city officer down, shots fired. >> three officers killed and three more wounded. we are learning more about the men who died. >> he said if anyone out there sees me and you need a hug and a prayer come talk to me. >> and more about the man who killed them. >> the man knew he could nt go home. either he killed his enmy or he died.