her way to a degree. that's why anybody who feels sorry for pat will find themselves on the receiving end of the receiving glare where she might punch you. she's still getting up every day and doing what she does best which is teaching. the players, she says, are my best medicine. our final honoree is not here. shimon peres, the president of israel, who has done more for the cause of peace in the middle east than just about anybody alive. i'll be hosting president peres for a dinner here at the white house next month and we'll be presenting him with his medal and honoring his incredible contributions to the state of israel and the world at that time. i'm looking forward to welcoming him and i'll save my best lines for him for that occasion. so these are the recipients of the 2012 medals of freedom, and just on a personal note, i had a chance to see everybody in the back. what's wonderful about these events for me is so many of these people are my heroes individually. you know, i know how they impacted my life. i remember reading song of solomon when i was a kid and not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think, and i remember, you know, in college listening to bob dylan, and my world opening up because he captured something that -- about this country that was so vital, and i think about dolores huerta, reading about her when i was starting off as an organizer. everybody on this stage has marked my life in profound way, and i was telling someone like pat summit, when i think about my two daughters who are tall and gifted and knowing that because of folks like coach summitt, they're standing up straight and diving after loose balls and feeling confident and strong, then i understand the impact that these people have had extends beyond to me. it will continue for generations to come. what an extraordinary honor to be able to say "thank you" to all of them for the great work that they've done on behalf of this country and on behalf of the world. so it is now my great honor to present them with a small token of our appreciation. [ applause ] >> so the president of the united states making the medal of freedom presentation to 13 outstanding individuals from here in the united states and around the world, 13 individuals who well deserve the nation's highest civilian award. and happening now, donald trump's support for mitt romney is in the spotlight along with trump's embrace of conspiracy theories of president obama's birth certificate. this hour, i'll ask donald trump about his appearance later tonight and whether he's doing his candidate more harm than good. blaming the syrian government for a weekend massacre that the white house calls a depravity, that the obama administration is only going so far as doling out punishment. are the president's hands tied by russia? raul castro's daughter is making a very public appearance in new york city. we're looking at what she's doing here and why it's a punch in the gut for so many cuban-americans. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com on the same day that mitt romney is set to make history is refusing to back away from donald trump and all of the baggage he carries with him. in a moment i'll speak to donald trump live. he's in las vegas right now where he's getting ready to appear at a fund-raiser later tonight with mitt romney. romney landed in las vegas a little while ago. by the way, check out the trump jet behind him. tonight he's expected to clinch the republican nomination and become the mormon presidential nominee ever in the united states. that milestone may be oversha w overshadowed on this day by donald trump in his ongoing support for the so-called birther movement. our senior political correspondent jim acosta is joining us from las vegas. jim? >> reporter: wolf, as you mentioned mitt romney is on the ground here in las vegas. his campaign plane is parked next to the jet owned by donald trump. it is a fitting option as the donald is looming large over the romney campaign. he started this day with a message of job and independence, but that message got ump frommed. trumped. mitt romney is letting it ride by donald trump. the real estate tycoon is still voicing his doubts about whether president obama was actually born in the u.s. >> i've never really changed. nothing's changed my mind. >> he may have one. >> reporter: trump's fixation on the trump's birth certificate has made its way to an obama campaign video that no down smacked down conspiracy theories four years ago. >> no, ma'am. no, ma'am. he's a decent family man. >> in response, trump sweeted, t he's afraid of it and gr good reason. he keeps using mccain as an example. however, mccain lost the election. instead the obama campaign is enjoying what he calls craziness a full year after the president released his long form birth certificate in washington. >> the state of hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate. >> reporter: asked about trump's comments, romney seemed to say that the financial support was a risk that was worth taking. >> they don't agree with everything that i believe in, but i'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people. >> reporter: but his campaign later released a statement that the gop contender believes that president obama was born in the u.s. the democrats can talk about trump. mitt romney will talk about jobs. a message romney carried with him to colorado where he accused the president of brushing the coal industry with regulations. >> obama is giving taxpayer money to big donors and then watching them lose it. >> reporter: the romney campaign also released a web video slamming the president's controversial energy job's program that gave it to companies that went belly up. >> you've heard of solyndra. >> reporter: the question is whether that was overshadowed by trump who has an issue of shooting from the lip as he did in las vegas just last year. >> listen to you mother [ bleep ] we'll tax you 25%. >> reporter: mitt romney has plenty to celebrate. the texas republican primary is expected to give romney the delegates he needs which features newt gingrich and at this point the show will go on and given no indication that they're canceling that event. >> he's meeting with sheldoned aelson, the billionaire in vegas. he was funding the super pac for newt gingrich. >> reporter: that's right. that is a lot of what the romney campaign was doing. it's not about events. it's about fund raising and that is why the romney campaign is taking the calculated risk to have that fund-raiser if the romney campaign will raise $500 million, the campaign has made the rational decision that it needs every dollar it can get its hands on, that means having fund-raisers with donald trump and meeting with hotel magnates like sheldon addelson. >> thank you for filling in yesterday. you did an excellent job. jim acosta joining us from las vegas. joining us on the phone is the president and chairman of the trump organization, donald trump. thank you for joining us. >> i thought your reporter was inaccurate in his description and i thought the description was inaccurate and dishonest. >> tell us why. >> because what he said was wrong and almost as if president obama wrote it, but i'm sure he knows that, and i thought it was a very inappropriate introduction, but go ahead with your first question. >> is there a specific issue you want to dispute? that he mentioned because if you do i want to give you a chance to -- >> i do not like the issue of where he was born. his own publisher, as you know, using his words that he was born in kenya and he lived in indonesia, of course, now he's denying that, amazingly. i'm here to talk, as you said you would, about jobs, china, what's going on with respect to china and how they're ripping this country. what's going on with respect to opec and how the nations of opec are laughing at the stupidity of our country. that's what i'm here to talk about. you know that's what i'm here to talk about, and i thought your introduction was highly inappropriate, but that's okay because i've gotten to know you over the years. >> listen, donald. i never said we weren't going talk about the birther issue. we had a conversation earlier today and we never discussed -- >> i tell you, it's not an issue that he likes talking about so what he does is uses reverse psychology on people like you so that you report oh, gee, he's thrilled with it. he does not like that issue because it's hitting close to home, you know it and he knows it. >> i don't know it. donald, you and i have known each other for a long time, and i don't understand why you're doubling down on this birther issue after the state of that wiy formalliy says this is the legitimate birth certificate. why are you going through with this, donald? >> a lot of people don't agree with it. >> if the state of hawaii says this is official, he was born in hawaii on this date, here it is, why do you deny that? >>. >> a lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate. >> many people do not think it was authentic. his mother was not in the hospital, there are many other things that came out and, frankly, if you would report it ak rasccurately i think you'd g better ratings which are pretty small. >> did you see the actual newspaper announcements within days of his birth in honolulu. for example, the honolulu bulletin will put it up there, you see it in 1961, listen to me, donald. -- >> can i ask on. >> can i talk? >> can you stop defending obama? >> donald, you're beginning to sound a little ridiculous, i have to tell you. >> you are, wolf. let me tell you something, i think you sound ridiculous and if you'd ask me a question and let me answer it -- >> here's the question, did the conspiracy start in 1961 where ""the honolulu star bulletin" and the advertiser contemporaneously publish announcements that he was born in hawaii. >> and many people put those announcements in because they wanted to get the benefit because of getting so-called born in this country. many people did it. it was something done by many people even though they weren't born in the country. you know and i know it. >> donald -- so why did the state of hawaii authorize that live birth certificate? why did they do it? are they part of this conspiracy, as well? >> well, your democratic governor was the one that was leading it. a lot of people say where did it come from and they're saying how come you didn't show it to john mccain and hillary clinton? it was only donald trump that got him to do it. you know that, and i know that. and when you say that obama doesn't mind this, obama hates the subject. when his publisher comes out with a statement from him in the 1990s that he was born in kenya and that he was raised in indonesia and all of a sudden it comes out, i think it's something that he doesn't like at all. what he says is we love it, we love it, we love it -- >> donald, let me tell you who hates this subject. it is mitt romney who totally disagrees with you on this, including today. >> i haven't talked to mitt romney about it -- >> is mitt romney a democrat? is he an obama supporter? >> what i speak to mitt romney about is jobs. what i speak to mitt romney about is china because he's got a great view on it is china and how they're taking our jobs and taking our product and manipulating their currency so it makes it almost impossible for our companies to compete. what i speak to him about is opec. i don't speak to him about this. you bring it up because you feel it's probably going to get a few more people watching your station which, unfortunately, they're not doing. >> here's what the romney spokesperson andrea saul said this week, today, not yesterday, not six weeks ago. governor romney said repeatedly, he believes obama was born in the united states, he says you're wrong. >> you know what? everybody's entitled to your opinion. you know my opinion and you know his opinion and that's fine. we're entitled -- as he said yesterday in the airplane, we're all entitled to our opinions and he's entitled to have his opinion. i don't happen to share that opinion, it's wonderful. >> the state of thhawaii says is a fact. >> you tell me and you analyze the birth certificate. there are many people that don't agree with the birth certificate and they don't think it's authentic. >> i don't know when you say many people. >> many people -- >> give me authority in hawaii. give me a name. >> i don't give names. there are many people that do not believe that dearth certificate is authentic. >> let me ask you this, because you said when you were thinking about running for the republican presidential nomination, you had an exchange with meredith vieira on the "today" show, and i want to play a clip because it got me interested at the time, and i want to see if there is a follow up. listen to this. >> i have people that actually have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding. >> you have people down there searching in hawaii? >> absolutely, and they cannot believe what they're finding. >> all right. tell us what with your people were investigating in hawaii and what they found. >> we don't have to go into old news. that's old news. there's been plenty found. you can call many people and read many, many articles on the authenticity of the certificate and you can read many articles from as recently as to what the publisher printed in a brochure as to what obama told him as to where his place of birth is and that's fine, wolf. now it's appropriate, i think, that we get to the subject at hand which -- at hand, which is jobs, which is the economy, which is how our country is not doing well at all under this leadership, which is how are we going do something about energy, which is really the things that i wanted to talk to you about, but you keep like to keep going back. i actually think that's an important subject, but i think we covered that pretty well, don't you? >> one more point and then we'll move on, donald. you know the governor of hawaii who authorized the release of this birth certificate is not a democrat, but a republican. >> i know nothing about it, all i know is there are many, many questions from different sides as to the authenticity of the birth certificate and all i know is someone came out with a very strong statement that he stated himself this he was born in kenya and raised in indonesia. i didn't make that statement. that was made by either the publisher or the president himself and that's a statement. that's a pretty hard statement to refute. that was a statement made prior to someone knowing that he was going to be running for the presidency. a lot of conservatives and a lot of republicans are worried that this whole issue of the birth certificate will alienate those undecided independents out there and they're worried, frankly, that you're out there out on the campaign trail with mitt romney. they want mitt romney to be president, but this issue is causing them some concern including george will. you heard what he said on sunday. let me play the clip for the viewers who didn't. >> i do not understand the cost benefit here. the costs are here. what voters will vote for him because he's seen with donald trump. the cost of appearing with this ignoramus. if your net worth is high enough your iq can be very low and still intrude into american politics. >> you want to respond to george will? >> i've responded to george will. he's not someone that i've respected him. i don't consider him a very smart person. he was at maralaggo and totally bombed in front of a lot of people. i don't respect george will and he's someone that said recently that the republicans will not win the election. i think it was a terrible statement. he's somewhat retracted that now, and i'm not a fan of george will and i never have been, and i don't think he would like me because of his sorry performance at maralago. >> we talk about jobs. we talk about china. we talk about opec and what many other countries are doing to us and that's the only thing we have interest in talking to him about other than i think he's a wonderful man and i think he'll be a wonderful president. >> how much money do you think will be raised? >> a lot. a lot of money. a lot of people will vote for mitt romney and i think he'll do a quick job. >> anything else you want to say before i let you go. >> no, not at all. >> donald trump joining us from las vegas. we will disagree and it is your right to do so and my right. did he make his critics even angrier? we'll talk about donald trump, mitt romney and the birther backlash and that's coming up later in our "strategy session." we'll be right back. 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[ male announcer ] introducing the beautifully different nokia lumia 900. only from at&t. rethink possible. or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business, it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $6.4 billion in new credit to small businesses across the country last year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. heard from donald trump in our "strategy session." joining us our cnn contributor, hillary rosen and david frum, former speechwriter for president george w. bush. david, let me start with you. did he make any good points, donald trump, what do you think? >> i think he'll raise mitt romney a lot, a lot of money because the publicity, you will offset that with a lot of cash. >> where do you disagree with donald trump? >> the president of the united states was born in the united states. it's not a disputed fact. we have not one moon. candidates attract jack ass supporters, and you are not responsible for every jack ass, and there are a lot of people who get money from president obama when he gets a hungry look in his eyes when they approach him. the fact that donald trump would do this all over again and that he's putting a candidate through this, it's a terrible thing for mitt romney and as i say, let's hope it's a big jackpot of cash because what a terrible thing. >> i'm sure there will be a few dollars presumably raised. >> for mitt romney to go ahead and be up there on the stage with donald trump, he will raise a lot of money. he wants to be president of the united states. he publicly said he disagrees with donald trump. >> even i feel sorry for mitt romney today because that was just a ridiculous performance, and, by the way, though, mitt romney doesnidn't say he disagr with donald trump, and he said i believe he was born in the united states. there's a best a difference, what they're asking mitt romney to show is some leadership in disavowing when somebody is that close to you and says, you know, such harmful things that you should take them on directly and that mitt romney hasn't done that. i think that's a failure of leadership. i don't know that it's going to be worth seven days of cable television over it, but i find it offensive because of what the birther issue does to president obama's credibility and why people started it in the first place. it was a racist attack, in my view. it was intended to undermine the validity of his presidency and of his patriotism and that is, you know, unacceptable and that's the piece why people focused on this as being a problem. >> listen to the clip from the interview i just did wi