but we have to move forward. >> antonio french, thank you for joining us tonight with that eyewitness account of twlapd. thank you very much. chris hayes is up next. the trump show must go on. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm steve kornacki in for chris matthews. hillary clinton to pulverize republicans on women's issues. jeb bush goes back to iraq and rick perry's campaign hits its lowest point since oops. but we begin with the best reality show on television these days, donald trump. we are waiting right now for trump to speak to reporters in michigan. this is going to be i first campaign appearance since thursday night's debate. katy tur joins us from the trump event in michigan.

robert costa with "the washington post" and michael steele is an msnbc political analyst and former chairman of the rnc. katy, you're on the scene, let's start with you. we're expecting him any minute now. any idea what he's going to be saying? >> if anyone tells you they know what trump is going to say at any given point, then they're lying to you, steve. no one has any clue what had come out of his mouth. but if you were to guess, he'll hit the major points he's been hitting. he'll address the megyn kelly comments, i think he'll address the fox news controversy and how roger ailes came back to him and apologized he says and how he's making nice with fox news. i think he'll hit the media once again saying they haven't been fair to him, that he's just trying to run a campaign but that people are attacking him. then he'll touch on some of his major issues, if you will. he's going to talk about his immigration stance, talk about where he stands on getting jobs

back from china and mexico. and he's going to hit all of his major points. but if you're asking me what exactly he's going to say, steve, i don't know. he always manages to surprise. >> i should know better than to ask that question. robert costa, you're plugged in with the trump world, too. let me ask you this. sits here in new york looking at this event right now, i mean, i'm expecting there's going to be a triumphant mood to donald trump when he appears here in a few minutes. this is a guy for what, the third or fourth time in his campaign watched his presidential campaign obituary get written after that debate. fox news has come running back to him. roger ailes has called him. all the polls say donald trump didn't take a hit, maybe he even got stronger. i imagine that will show in his mood here. >> this is confrontational politics. this is combative donald trump. i've been on the phone with his associates all day. they truly believe that they can turn a corner at this moment and start to become a more organized campaign, more serious campaign

when it comes to policy. it will be difficult for him. he's starting to make hires in michigan, nevada, different key primary states. he knows he needs to get beyond the gaffe, beyond the controversy and embracing his front-runner status. >> michael steele, can he do that? we saw a longtime trump adviser roger stone leaving the campaign under disputed circumstances this weekend. this is a candidate obviously, as katy says, you never know what he's going to say until he opens his mouth. maybe he doesn't know. can a candidate with a personality like this put together the disciplined operation that robert costa is talking about? >> well, i think, quite honestly, steve, we're in uncharted area here. this is the campaign that is not a campaign. and it goes outside of the traditional model. starting with the candidate all the way down to what robert's described. this is the next test for him.

this is a big test because if all of this momentum has been gathered into this one spot for trump, if after the gaffes and all the mistakes and the missed opportunities, he's still in the position he's in, someone inside the campaign has got to say, look, this is our opportunity, this is our moment. after this, this doesn't go anywhere. i mean, you've got to be able to take on and actual show the country you're ready to lead as president. i'm sure that's a little bit of what robert's been hearing and some of the struggle inside of the campaign, but we don't know. so if this turns to be another stream of consciousness donald trump hitting or giving some taste of specifics on policy, give us an idea what you're thinking beyond you want to build a wall or russia is this or putin is that. so i think this is a big test for him right now.

>> despite all the flack that trump has taken from some in the media, their voters remain in trump's corner. this morning on cnn trump quoted that he's the most fabulous whiner. >> i am the most fabulous whiner. i do whine because i want to win. >> are whiners winners? >> and i am a whiner. and i keep whining and whining till i win. i'm going to make our country great again. >> whatever trump is saying and however he's saying it, it is keeping him on top. the results from today's reuters poll there's no sign that donald trump's raucous first presidential debate is hurting his support among party voters. he led the field with the backing of 24% of republican voters. that's unchanged from before thursday ap televised debate. according to a new suffolk university poll taken after the debate, trump remains on top in iowa. he leads scott walker there by

five points, rubio by seven points and new polling out of new hampshire taken after that debate also has trump in first place. he leads jeb bush there by five points. robert costa, let me ask you about these other candidates. the strategy we've seen from quite a few of them looking to get some attention. rick perry, lindsey graham, has been to go -- rand paul, to go after donald trump. they've clearly, to this point, gotten no traction with that strategy. maybe they've even been hurt by it. are the other candidates recalibrating how they approach donald trump? >> they're all watching the trump spectacle. the same time they're watching the other dozen plus rivals in the field. there's a lot of concern among these campaigns, especially in new hampshire. marco rubio, if you're jeb bush and you need a bounce out of new hampshire, it's going to be hard to get it in a crowded field. trump could overwhelm. if you're more center-right, new hampshire is important. now more crowded than ever. people are picking up momentum.

>> michael steele, i've been wondering about this, too, the less told story of the debate last week wasn't just trump and his apparent resilience. it was jeb bush needs to break through, needs to compete not just with bush for some of the oxygen, but the lot of the other candidates. so far we're not seeing that from jeb bush. >> no, we're not. i don't thing the jeb bush campaign is as worried to the extent that they're sort of sitting there trying to figure out what should we do next. they're playing a longpaul strategy here. they're looking down the road. i don't think the expectation was that they would win iowa out of the box or even new hampshire for that matter. but looking to the bigger states that come on supertuesday or supersupertuesday now with the s.e.c. primary in there. so there's some opportunities for jeb down the road. but the narrative that has formed right now is just as important as anything else. so if the perception is that your campaign is faltering, you're not showing any strength,

you lost poll position from being at the top to now the middle of the pack, yeah, that kind of wears down on the campaign. they got the stockpile of cash. they may have to start using some of that sooner than they may want to simply to keep themselves afloat in the narrative. >> again, we are waiting right now out in michigan where donald trump's expected to be talking to the press. this will be the first time he's spoken to the press. not one of these telephone call interviews we've been seeing. this is going to be trump in person. first time since this debate last thursday night. that's out in michigan, expected to start any minute. we'll bring it to you live as soon as it begins. katy tur, we talked to her a minute ago. she's on the scene in that room where donald trump is expected to speak. let me ask you if you can tell us -- set the scene a little bit. the people who are at this trump event who are turning out to see him? what kind ofthings are they talking about?

>> this is an event that's been completely sold out. i've spoken to people on the trail who have professed their support for trump. they all say pretty much the same thing, that they like that he's so outspoken, that they believe he's not going to be beholden to anybody. but i was speaking with younger voters today. they said that he was coming out partially because he's a celebrity and he has the same wreck on in addition, but they do want to see what sort of policy plans he has, details he has, specifically on education and jobs. they say they're still open to democrats, hillary and bernie sanders. they like the ideas they're putting forth for education. they would like to see trump do that as well. but that's just some of his supporters. others say that he can't say anything wrong. the only thing that he could say that would potentially be wrong is to support obama. otherwise, he doesn't need to lay out detail policy plans because he's the kind of person who will hire the right people for the jobs and he'll let them do that.

that's what the mood is so far in here. but there is some anticipation that people are going to hear more details from him, not clear, though, if that's what they'll get. >> i could put a pretty good bet here down that he's not going to be saying anything nice about obama. this is the guy asking for the birth certificate a couple of years ago. trump continues to dominate the air waves. last night megyn kelly responded to trump's attacks on her. let's hear what she said. >> mr. trump did interviews over the weekend that attacked me personally. i've decided not to respond. trump will not apologize. and i certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism. so i'll continue doing my job without fear or favor. and mr. trump, i expect, will continue with what has been a successful campaign thus far. >> now trump and fox ceo roger ailes spoke yesterday. both say they've cleared the air, but new york magazine is reporting that trump had the upper hand. according to two fox sources,

ailes' diplomacy was from fears that trump could damage the network. fox was deluged with pro-trump e-mails. trump apparently threatened to boycott. in a phone conversation he told sean hannity he was never doing fox again. robert costa, donald trump versus fox news. i was watching fox news when that debate ended last thursday. donald trump was getting absolutely destroyed on fox news airwaves. since then he's made those comments about megyn kelly and blood. they were barely reported on fox news. he's patched things up with roger ailes. megyn kelly made some comments but didn't exactly go after donald trump. it looks to me that donald trump won a staredown with fox news. >> i've spoken with sources close to fox news today and close to the trump campaign. my sense is on the fox side, roger ailes wants to protect his big talent megyn kelly, be on her side.

he never wanted this confrontation with trump to unfold in this long lingering drama, wanted that to end. trump, it's not that he has any hate for fox news, he was unhappy with the debate. but he was willing to come back. this is a meeting of two major personalities, ailes and trump trying to mend fences. >> we continue to wait for donald trump in michigan, his first campaign appearance since the debate in cleveland. when it happens, we'll bring it to you live. ntic, ntic, why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use, is the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. insurance coverage has expanded nationally and you may now be covered. contact your health plan for the latest information. scenes from michigan. donald trump expected to appear at that podium for his first public campaign appearance since thursday night's debate in cleveland. we'll bring it to you live as soon as it happens. okay! fun's over. aw. aw. ♪ thirsty?

they said it would make me cool. they don't sound cool to me. guess not. you got to stick up for yourself, like with the name your price tool. people tell us their budget, not the other way around. aren't you lactose intolerant? this isn't lactose. it's milk. ♪ (ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh) (hush my darling...) (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) (hush my darling...) man snoring (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) woman snoring take the roar out of snore. yet another innovation only at a sleep number store. i'm a gas service my nrepresentative. n. i've been with pg&e nine years. as an employee of pg&e you always put your best foot forward to provide reliable and safe service

and be able to help the community. we always have the safety of our customers and the community in mind. my family is in oakland, my wife's family is in oakland so this is home to us. being able to work in the community that i grew up in, customers feel like friends, neighbors and it makes it a little bit more special. together, we're building a better california. we're back and you're looking live at a scene from

birch run michigan. donald trump again waiting any minute now. he's expected to step forward, appear at that podium. this is his first public campaign appearance since that debate in cleveland last week. we'll take you right out there as soon as it starts. let's get back to our panel, robert costa, michael steele still with us. robert costa, you have spent time with donald trump flying around in that jet that he flies around the country to these different events. i want to ask you about your up close personal view of donald trump. because i'm imagining this is the guy who is known for his ego. in the last two weeks this guy has been written off so many different times and has emerged stronger in the polls. i don't mean this in a derogatory way, but what does that do to the ego of any politician let alone donald trump? >> well, he's certainly paying attention. when you're around trump, you sense something immediately. this is someone who has a huge personality but unusually plugged in for a politician. monitors twitter, monitors articles, has them minuted out by a spokesperson.

he does not have a pollster. doesn't want to pay for a pollster. that's not his style. public polls matter very much for trump. you can be sure he read everything today. it's not that he's riles by polls. but every interview he talks about i'm leading the polls. this is important to him. if he starts to slip a little, it will be a test. he's still leading in most of them. >> eugene robinson writes that trump's rise is the indication that the party is broken. democrats aren't there yet but maybe approaching the neighborhood. time to acknowledge that our political system isn't doing its job. that does seem to be where we're looking for what is the ideological core of donald trump, what's the issues platform? it really seems that the platform, he's saying to the political system, establishment to these politicians, you know, go screw yourselves. >> well, yeah, basically, and i think the reality of it is the

political system's been broken for a while. this is nothing new. this is nothing that's earth shattering to the public. they've been feeling this and sensing this and knowing this for close to 15 years now. and particularly in this modern era, since 2000. and all of the angst and anger that flowed out of the bush v. gore presidential race. people are just realizing this is not the system that america should be built on. and we should be using. and in some sense and what i don't think a lot of people in intelligenceya is maybe donald trump is reflecting us and showing us, you know how frustrated we really are. and that's the gravitational force, that's the pull that a lot of people have towards him. >> michael, do you think he could win the nomination? >> you know what?

if you ask me that a week ago i'd say nah, not really. but today? i have to sit here and go, it is within the realm of probability that the base of this party could be such that, yeah, this is the guy that we want in the trench to fight for us. he's a business guy. he's untethered to anything other than his force of nature and force of personality that is pushing him to do these things. could happen. look, the same could happen on the left with bernie sanders. i mean, this guy's drawing 27,000, 30,000calling for the bernie sanders/donald trump general election. where are the swing states in that one, i want to know. >> what would be do? what would the political class in this country do with bernie sanders as the nominee for the democrats and donald trump as the nominee for the republicans? what would america be saying at

that point? >> i'm wondering if that is the recipe for third party candidacy. but robert costa, i got to say, i've resisted adding my voice to the chorus of trump will never win the republican nomination. i seem to hear that from everybody. i'm in michael's camp on this, i was very skeptical. i'm glad i've held back because i'm looking at this and not just trump's resilience in the polls but when you look at the new survey monkey poll that came out after the debate. you look at second place, it's ted cruz. third place it's ben carson. you start to look at the rhetoric and appeal of ted cruz and ben carson and say, i'm not so sure those aren't necessarily trump voters when push comes to shove. >> you got to look at this as a reporter. look at this with clear eyes. for me and many other reporters, a different picture appears. is he on the ballot in most states in he's moving that direction. he's working to try to get trump on the ballot.

he's flying around in his plane, that's small expense. could he survive with little money. rick santorum did it in 2012. trump believes he doesn't have to do much, come out with policy at some point. but slowly building in these states to maybe be the nominee. if you look at it this way, it could be possible. >> could this republican party get behind donald trump as its presidential candidate? >> well, if their rhetoric is true, yeah. because the idea is we support our nominee. look, as a county chairman, state chairman and even national chairman, there were candidates out there that i did not think were the best candidate for the broader efforts of the party, but as the chairman, you've got to stand with the party and with your candidates. and yeah, so the party's got to be there for the nominee. what are they going to do? they're going to go out and try to found a third party candidate to run against him? it doesn't make any sense. do we get to that point, steve?

i still don't think so. but heck, man, you know, after the next debate and the donald trump has sort of built, continues to build on what he's doing now the way he's doing it, everything is off the table. >> i'm thinking back to that scene in cleveland, the debate stage, the first question on thursday night all those candidates asked, will you rule out running as a third party -- >> yeah. >> how many would rule it out if they realize that trump could be the nominee? might be a little different then. speaking of other candidates. in new hampshire rand paul continued his assault on donald trump. let's listen to what he had to say. >> if you want to elect somebody who says that people are bleeding or stupid or pigs, go right ahead. but i want to fix the country. because someone can stand up and say you're stupid and you're ugly does not equate with a vision for the country. >> robert, i think rand paul might be exhibit "a" in the perils of going after donald trump. a year ago probably about a year ago rand paul was on the cover

of "time," the most interesting politician in america. all sorts of talk about how far he could go. his numbers have been dropping in the last few weeks. doesn't seem like these attacks on trump, he was the first to go after trump, he's getting nothing from it. >> if you're rand paul, if you're ben carson, mike huckabee, even a scott walker and your whole political brand is to be a political outsider, you're frustrated. because they're getting no political oxygen. they're actually right now starting to think they should do more interviews, take a cue from trump and run a more media campaign because that seems the only way this summer to get a headline. >> i've asked this question before, and the answer probably chams every time we're forced to ask it, but what would it take for trump to take a hit? he can say whatever he wants about john mccain, megyn kelly, bash fox news, he can do all of that and not drop in the polls.

what would actually make him drop in the polls? >> i think probably something that's akin to embracing some aspect of obama's policies would begin to eat away. i think one of the things that i -- and everybody is talking about donald trump on policy and what is his views on this. donald trump already has some stuff out in the ether that you can go and take a look at if you're the opposition candidate. >> yeah, he said he was for single payer, that came out. >> right, and that new hampshire focus group, that was a little bit of an achilles' heel, the fact that he was at least one supporter advocated a single payer system. health care is a big button in the gop. and particularly with all the energy that's been pushed behind repealing obama care. to have a donald trump say something that is in the view of many worse than obama care and it's just literally nationalized

health care, then i think that, you know, that may begin to do it. but short of something like that, i don't know. >> but steve, i've spoken to trump about this. i said, why did you raise your hand in that debate? he says, honesty is everything. he really believes if he starts to act like someone who is calculating, he will drop. so he's just himself. that's his strategy. that's why he doesn't surround himself with advisers. he is the campaign, he is the message. >> it's smart, i have to say. it's also this idea that he doesn't apologize and he doesn't back down. there's this pattern where pavlovian, we're so conditioned in politics, politician says something edgy, all hell rains down upon them, they take it back, they apologize. there's the spectacle of watching a candidate who refuses to apologize for anything, even things that he probably should be apologiing for. there are people that it resonates with again because they hate the system, they're sick of it. we're waiting for donald trump to make that first appearance.

we'll bring it to you live in just a minute. also some breaking news to report to you right now. the hillary clinton campaign says tonight that the former secretary of state has ordered her team to turn over her personal e-mail server and thumb drive of her personal e-mails to the justice department. we're going to monitor that story as we learn more about it as well. be right back after this. welcome back to "hardball." donald trump is appearing at the podium. let's listen. >> you have a very party discussing big problems. i just saw it today coming over, the e-mail situation for hillary clinton is a big, big problem. if this they judge it fairly, she's got a very big problem.

yes, yes, sir. not at all. i've been proven right. absolutely been proven right. yes. >> in all candor, do you think during this campaign there have been some types where you feel you have gone over the top? >> i have what? >> gone over the top. >> i don't think so at all. i look at the polls, i can only go by the poll. a new poll came out, 32%. that's the highest for everybody yet. so i can only go by the polls. the people that we're dealing with and whatever has happened, it is what it is. you just look at results. i guess iowa just came out a little while ago and leading in iowa, leading in new hampshire, leading in north carolina, leading in south carolina, leading in nevada, leading everywhere. so that's all i can go by. excuse me? oh, that's the best question.

china. china. i think you have to do something to rein in china. they devalued their currency today. they're making it absolutely possible for the united states to compete, and nobody does anything. china has no respect for president obama whatsoever. whatsoever. well, you have to take strong action. how can we compete? they continuously cut their currency. they devalue their currency. i've been saying this for years. they've been doing this for years. this isn't just starting. this was the largest devaluation they've had for two decades. they make it impossible for our businesses to compete. they think we're run by a bunch of idiots. what's going on with china is unbelievable. the largest devaluation in two decades. it's honestly, great question, it's a disgrace. major, fantastic. i watch you with president obama two weeks ago.

he was not thrilled. i'm sure i'll be more thrilled. >> stimulus -- american economy -- how would you grade his leadership -- >> very fair question. there are two ways of looking at it. you could have let it go and rebuilt itself through the free enterprise system. you could have let it go bankrupt frankly and rebuilt itself. and there's a lot of people who think that should have happened or you could have done it the way it went. i could have done it either way. either way would have been acceptable. i thing you would have ended up in the same place. yes, ma'am. race relations are at an all-time high or all-time low?

well, that's certainly, yeah. jobs. spirit. there's no spirit. well, certainly i would. but in terms of what would you do to address the -- and really, they aren't -- i don't know about all time, but they're doing very poorly. you look at what's going on everyplace, i mean, everyplace. and we're have powder kegs all over the country waiting to explode. you need spirit, esprit de corps, cheerleading and we need jobs. we have to take our jobs back from china and from all these other countries that have taken our jobs. that's why when the question was asked about china, it's just terrible. it's just terrible what's happening. more jobs are going to go. yes, ma'am. well, i think so. i think we're going to do very well with a lot of votes. we're going to do very well with the hispanic vote. we're going to do great with the women vote.

if you look in nevada, they did the poll and i'm leading in the hispanic vote because i create jobs. i'm going to -- i will be creating tremendous numbers of jobs. so i think we're going to do great. and then the women's health issues, i'm for that. i watched jeb bush give the worst answer the other day. i think that is going to be his 47%. romney possibly lost the election for a lot of reasons, frankly, that he lost, but one of the big reasons was his 47%. that was a disaster. i think that jeb's answer the other day on women's health issues is a disaster for him. and i don't -- now, he then went and he said he misspoke. how do you misspeak about that? i will be great on women's health issues. i cherish women. and i will be great on women's health issues. believe me. oh, hello, david. >> you have said right now

you're going to be great on women, you're going to be great on china, you'll be great on isis, you'll be great on jobs. >> hopefully everything. >> we haven't heard a lot of -- i talked to people outside the venue today. they said where does -- go, what about obamacare, how you will fix china? >> well, first of all, and isis. you didn't bring up isis. >> i did. but you didn't listen. >> i think you're going to see lots of plans and you see also -- you have to understand when you're coming up with a plan in business, you have to be flexible. there's got to be flexibility. and i recently bought something, not so recently, doral in miami, everybody wanted it. if i sat down and said here's a plan to get doral. i didn't do that. i went in and punched and punched and i wound up getting it. all the smart money wanted it. the old p.o., the old post office on pennsylvania avenue, everybody wanted it. i got it.

in the obama administration i got it, which is pretty shocking considering that prits ger wanted it and hyatt. i got it because i know how to get things done. you can't sit down and say, well, i'm going to come up with a 19 point plan to get the old post office and create it into a great hotel on pennsylvania av mew. the most sought after property i think in history the history of the general services administration. trump got it. i'm not an obama person. you probably heard that. you have to be able to have flexibility. >> now you're just asking people to trust you. >> there actually does have to be a trust. if you don't trust, you're not going to do very well. major, go ahead. jeb bush doesn't have -- to be great on jobs. jeb bush will not be able to negotiate against china. jeb bush will not be able to

negotiate against mexico. jeb bush with mexico said people come in, they come in and it's an act of love. okay? it's not an act of love. we need a wall. we need a wall. you see what's happening with illegal immigration, and in all fairness, if it weren't for me, they wouldn't even be talking about illegal immigration. you see kate in san francisco, you see what happened yesterday in california, which was horrible. the whole situation with jeb bush with his act of love, it's not working. and i took a lot of heat that first week, then people realized i was right and they apologyized to me. we're going to be announcing over the next two weeks numbers and specifics knowing what i just said is right. you really have to be flexible on jobs and everything else. but i'll be speaking about it later, we'll be taking jobs outside. we'll be taking them away from china, away from all the countries that are stealing from us.

they're stealing our base, our money, our manufacturing. we're going to be bringing them back into the united states. i'm going to be talking about this, ford, as an example is building a $2.5 billion automobile plant in mexico. how does that help us? i went to the wharton school of finance. how does that help us? they're spending $2.5 billion to build a car plant in mexico. cars and trucks and parts are going to go all over the place, but they're coming into the united states, no tax. how does it help us except they'll be closing plants in michigan and lots of other places. so we'll be talking about -- we're going to be bringing back jobs to the united states. yes, sir. ten years ago everybody wanted the wall. the democrats, the republicans, they couldn't get it. you know one of the reasons they couldn't get it?

environmental impact statements. did you know that? there were toads. the most incredible thing. we're going to get the wall built and it will be built right. and mexico's going the pay for the wall. mexico is making a fortune off the united states. excuse me, mexico is going to pay for the wall. they're going to be happy about it. you what? they're going to be happy about it. the cost of the wall is peanuts compared to the kind of money they're making. mexico is becoming the new china. i have a great love for mexico. i have love for the mexican people. i have so many -- i have thousands of mexico people over the years. mexicans have worked for me and they are now. thousands. they're fantastic people. great spirit. but their politicians and their leaders are much smarter and sharper and more cunning. and i say the word "cunning," they're more cunning than our leaders. they will pay for the wall. they'll be happy about it. they will continue to do well,

but not as well as they're doing right now. they're taking too many of our jobs. >> you said during the debate that you couldn't guarantee that you would support the ultimate republican nominee. >> third party. >> now, there are others in the republican party who say if you're the nominee they may not support you. >> well, that could happen. you know, that's their choice. but you know when you talk in the debate -- it came out on one of the networks today. so there should have been 2 million people watching. you agree? about 2 million. it's been sort of standard. 2 million people. they had 24 million people. and the 24 i think is going to go to 28 or 29 and maybe even 30 when the final numbers come in. who do you think they're watching, jeb bush? huh? i don't think so. okay. i hope not. i mean, i want to run as a republican. that's what i'm doing. i'm leading in every poll. the local and the national polls

leading and by substantial margins. i hope that i will be the republican nominee because that's the best way to win. i'm going to keep the door open on the other if i'm not treated fairly. and the word is "fairly." it doesn't mean well. it means fairly. if i'm not treated fairly, we'll see what happens. fairly means fairly. i want to be treated fairly. i want the establishment -- look, i was part of the establishment. let me explain. i was the establishment two months ago. i was like the fair-haired boy. i was a giver, a big giver. once i decided to run, all of a sudden i'm sort of semianti-establishment. now leading in all the polls, they're treating me very well. i mean, i'm being treated very well. reince priebus has been terrific. his people have been terrific. they're dealing with my people. they're dealing with cory. we have a great relationship. i want to run as a republican. i don't want to run a third party or as an independent. i want to run as a republican.

as long as i'm treated fairly, that's going to be the case. and fairly is an instinct. it's an instinct. i know what fair is. you know what fair is. i know what it is, yeah. i know what fair is. and i think that's happening. and by the way, win, lose or draw, i'm not just saying i have to win. now, i guarantee you this, if i win the republican nomination, i guarantee you all sitting there, i will not run a third party candidate. do you agree? one more question. yes, sir, yes, sir. i would never give up my microphone. i thought that was disgusting. that showed such weakness. the way he was taken away by two young women. the microphone. they just took the whole place over. and the audience, which liked him, i mean, they were him. they're saying, what's going on? how can this happen? that will never happen with me. i don't know if i'll do the

fighting myself or if other people will, but that was a disgrace. the way they -- i felt badly for him. but it showed that he's weak. you know what? he's getting the biggest crowds and i'm getting the biggest crowds. we're the two getting the crowds, but believe me that's not going to happen to trump. >> one more, sir. >> yes. did you hear what he said some you're way out in front. i agree. you want to be what, vice president? now his question's no longer as good. he had great credibility until he said that. now it's like where did he come from? go ahead, one more. 100%. mark it down. 100%. okay? ladies and gentlemen, thank you. we'll go, make a speech, and then you go home. have a good time. okay. thank you, thank you all very much.

>> donald trump wrapping up a press conference in birch run, michigan. that's his pirs appearance in front of the press since that debate in cleveland last week. trump there a couple of highlights from that. he was asked if any of his rhetoric had been over the top in the course of the last several months. he said absolutely not. take a look at the polls. he took credit for the monster television ratings for that debate last week, an estimated 24 million people watching. what do you think, they watched for jeb bush? let's bring back in robert costa and michael steele. let me start with you, robert costa. you've been up close and personal with trump a couple of times. the guy never lacks for self-confidence. the guy never lacks for ego. but i felt that that was a slightly different trump. as a politician, at least. that was a little bit more relaxed. he was joking with the press. that's a guy to me who thinks he's got this figured out. >> trump's people have kept telling me, trump's going to turn a corner. that seems like a trump who is turning the corner. the tone was different. he was talking about policy

position papers that are on their way. this is a trump who is comfortable in the spotlight answering the questions. this is someone who is not talking about fox. he talked about fox ratings, but he didn't go into the megyn kelly thing. he showed discipline. >> the question that opened up the debate about whether he would run as a third party candidate if he doesn't win the republican nomination, he again would not commit to not doing that, but he was emphatic tonight that it was all about fairness. he said his perception of fairness, if he's treated fairly in the republican process, he will not run as a third party candidate. michael steele, what did you think of that answer? >> yeah, okay. well, you know look, i think at the end of the day, whether donald trump runs as a third party candidate or not is just irrelevant to the conversation. he's going to do what he's going to do. everybody else just needs to do what they need to do to get in

front of him. good luck with that. i just don't see right now, and i think robert's really hit it on the head. you saw and heard him begin to turn that corner. he's settling down into the front-runner status, into the position that you want to, you know, be in to become the nominee of the party. so all the conversation about third party runs and megyn kelly and all that, he's now realizing, that's just a distraction. i don't need to talk about that. i'll stay focused on my message and i'm going to stay focused on what i'm going to do to win this thing without all the hoopla and the noise of pundits and the press, i'm going to stay connected to people the way i have been so far. and i think he's comfortable with that. >> robert, we also heard him there, he was back to attacking jeb bush. he was pretty merciless in the weeks leading up to that debate going after jeb bush then he's standing shoulder to shoulder with him on the stage. he was given the chance to repeat the criticisms in the did

i bait. he wouldn't do that. but we heard him going after bush hard and repeatedly for bush's comments about illegal immigration being an act of love. going after jeb bush on negotiating china and mexico. and sort of ridiculing him there saying nobody really cares about jeb bush. nobody would have watched that debate if it wasn't for me, donald trump. >> another fascinating aspect on bush critique, on women's health. trump painted bush as someone who is more to the right and painted himself as more of a centrist. and he kept presenting bush is weak. he's trying to make that narrative sink in about the voters who may still think about bush. >> what effect is that having -- when you talk about trump and his chances, but is he sinking jeb bush here? >> you and i are on the same page here.

that's exactly the point i want to get to. it's fascinating to me to watch the strategy that i think trump is implementing right now. his biggest obstacle at the end of the day is bush. not because of money, not because of anything other than his status and his position in this race. and the reality for trump is i need to continue to take him down at every turn i possibly can because the other characters, as he would put it, not a threat to him. his biggest obstacle is bush. to get bush to the middle or the lowest parts of this pack so that he can keep that momentum going in his direction as opposed to having it disperse towards a bush or someone else. if it looks like bush is the second guy, that's not good for trump right now. he needs to push him down. that's part of what you saw him do in this press conference.

>> he's switched rooms. speaking again. let's check this out. >> we owe china $1.4 trillion. and i love china. nothing wrong with china. their leaders are so much smarter than ours. mexico's leaders are so much smarter than ours. they laugh at our people. they tell me -- because i have, as an example, with kline, they buy my apparents, they spend 30 million, 15 million, they're the cheap ones. when i sell a $15 million apartment, it's like china pays so much money to trump. i have the largest bank in the world from china. they're my tenant. i don't have to worry about the rent, believe me. many, many, many times you take our biggest banks, citibank, take jpmorgan chase, many, many times the size, and you know

what? it's amazing. people tell me they come over, they give me a lot of money and we talk. they didn't know i was running for president, otherwise they wouldn't have talked so much. it's true. they say, we can't believe we get away with it. people from mexico. i love the mexican people. they have tremendous spirit. amazing spirit. they have amazing spirit. they're great. no, they're great. and i was just telling the press, there was a poll in nevada that was just a -- i'm leading in the hispanic vote. and i'm going to win the hispanic vote. sure. i'm also leading in the regular vote, like 32%. [ applause ] but when you look at what's happening whether it's mexico or

china or japan or vietnam, which is doing unbelievable business right now, their leaders are so smart and so sharp and so much more cunning. and i use the word cunning a lot because the word cunning is very important. they know what they're doing, and we have people that are babies. we have carolyn kennedy in japan. i saw her on "60 minutes." they said, how did you get the job? well, i went to the white house -- this is pretty much the way it is. i went to the white house, and i was looking for a job. and i said, do you think i could do something for the administration? and they said, oh, how would you like to be ambassador to japan? [ laughter ] and she said, really? wow. are you serious? this is what we have. so here is what we did.

i called carl icahn last week. killer. he's a tough cookie. but he's a friend of mine. i said, carl, if i make it and we're leading in every poll, which is really -- it's been a very exciting couple -- [ applause ] i said, carl -- you know, he's made a fortune. he's a great negotiator, talented guy, very smart guy. went to princeton. one of the top students. a lot of people don't know that about carl. and there are a lot of other people like carl that are brilliant people and great negotiators. they don't sleep at night like me. we toss and turn and toss and turn. we're thinking, always thinking. ay-yi-yi. it's not easy on the family. but we're tossing and turning and scheming. that's what they are. there's no 18 hours of sleep. does that make sense?

so i said, hey, carl -- in fact, now the press will call carl, i'm sure. but, carl icahn, great. i said, carl, if i get this thing i want to put you in charge of china and japan. can you handle both of them? china and japan. he said, yeah, i'll do it. i'll do it. i want to do it. you know what? just relax. everything will work out fine. we'll make great deals. right now with china i have a friend, he's a great manufacturer, he can't get his product into china. can't get it in. they devalued today the biggest valuation in two decades -- two decades. you know what devalue means, right? devalue means suck the blood out of the united states. that's what devalue means. our companies won't be able to compete. they can't compete now. and what happens is they send

their product over, no tax, no nothing, and i don't want tax. i want free trade. the problem with free trade, it only works when you have really smart leaders. when you have leaders that are incompetent, it's a disaster. so china sends its stuff over. it dumps everything. whatever they make, we'll take it. with us, we can't get our product over there. when boeing goes over there, we want the technology before they buy the price because they're opening up their own factories to produce aircraft. they want boeing, and i said i don't think boeing should do it but when you think about it, it doesn't matter because even if they didn't they'll take it anyway and build it, so what difference does it make? okay. >> that's donald trump at a lincoln day event, one of those republican party fund-raising events you'll see around the country. bring back in now michael steele and robert costas.

we saw, robert, a minute ago donald trump working a much more relaxed, joking donald trump, cracking one liners with the press corps. he moves over to this other room, familiar themes, trade, china and currency devaluation. you're talking about him maybe turning a corner. is that what you're seeing there? >> he's at ease. he made news. he's going to make famed investor carl icahn, sending signals about his cabinet, about the people he would surround himself with as president. this is someone making calls to carl icahn and thinking about his administration, who sees it as a viable reality rather than just some kind of dream like it may have been a few months ago. >> michael, i guess they called ross perot a generation ago the first populist billionaire. here is donald trump talking about teaming up with carl icahn and his appeal is populist.

>> it is an amazing combination of forces that this billionaire has the effect on people that in focus group after focus group and poll after poll their response when it comes to donald trump, he's like me. he's one of us. and so to the extent that, as robert said, he's reaching out to others in that network and bringing them in to his orbit, that says a lot about where his head is and what he's thinking about. but the one thing i do know, and i think we need to pay more attention to, it goes back to an earlier conversation, steve, about organization and planning and strategy. these opportunities in front of the faithful of the party at lincoln and reagan dinners around the country, the one thing i'm looking out to see is donald trump calling for action. is he making a call to action to join him in this effort? i was at the maryland dinner a

month or so ago and he began to bring people into that orbit. that is also a big part of this puzzle that's going to come together for donald trump the next few weeks as he continues this conversation around the country, bringing people, grassroots activists, into his orbit to work for him to help make him the next president of the united states. >> in the press conference we were showing you earlier trump said that he wouldn't run as an independent if he thinks he's treated fairly by the republicans. now what does fairly mean? let's watch what he said. >> i'm going to keep the door open on the other. if i'm not treated fairly -- and the word is fairly. it doesn't mean well. it means fairly. if i'm not treated fairly, we'll see what happens. i don't want to run a third party or as an independent. i want to run as a republican. as long as i'm treated fairly, that's going to be the case. and fairly is an instinct. it's an instinct. i know what fair is. you know what fair is. i know what it is, yeah.

>> well, robert, do we know what he thinks fair is? he didn't think the fox news debate was fair. he didn't think the questions that were asked of him were fair. do you know what his definition is going to be in terms of did he get a fair shake? >> there's a lot of political intrigue behind that statement by trump. a "washington post" reporter, reince priebus asked him to tone it down. trump mentions priebus by name and says i wanted to be treated fairly. i'm in touch with the rnc. i want this to work and the party to be there. the party establishment, i won't mess with you. treat me okay. and that means when it's okay, share your contacts, share your infrastructure. >> michael, go ahead. >> i was going to say keep in mind, folks, there's a history here not necessarily with trump but with the way the party has treated candidates who they did not like or who were outside of the establishment. remember what happened to -- not

ross perot but to ron paul at the 2012 convention. not afforded an opportunity to address all those delegates he brought, not afforded the opportunity to really have a part or role in the end game. and so donald trump has taken note of that and has recognized that the party can be pretty harsh to guys like him. so he's got that trump card, if you will, in his back pocket, and he intends to use it when it comes to that opportunity. >> all right. michael steele, robert costa, thank you for sticking with us this hour. appreciate it. (ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh) (hush my darling...) (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) (hush my darling...) man snoring (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) woman snoring take the roar out of snore.

yet another innovation only at a sleep number store.

that's "hardball" for now. >> "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> he's back! >> the trump show continues. >> glad you're back with us and we're friends again. >> the inside story how donald trump stared down fox news and won. plus, the republican candidate now making it his mission to destroy the donald. then a new democrat jumps into the race with a one-topic platform. i will enter the race as a referendum candidate. >> tonight my exclusive interview with harvard professor and sweeping the west coast. tonight the question, black lives matters activists right to interrupt sanders? >> black lives matter. black lives matter. >> we'll have the debate tonight when "all in" starts right now.