secretary clinton: i invite a lot of republicans and independents who i have been seeing on the campaign trail who to me, i reaching out invite them to join with democrats. challenger isn't giving up. senator sanders: i think that narrow, ipath is think we can pull off one of the great political upsets in the the united states. john: the most pivotal week in the presidential race so far. covering every step, molly ball, national political correspondent "atlantic", robert costa, national political reporter for "the washington post," michael scherer, washington bureau chief for magazine, and margaret politics.loomberg >> award-winning reporting and analysis, covering history as it happens. live from our nation's capitol, week" withshington gwen ifill. funding for "washington week" is provided by -- people came out today to run the race for retirement, so we asked them, are you completely prepared for retirement? prepared? your you save 1% more of income? it doesn't sound like much, but saving an additional 1% now difference over time. >> i'm going to be even better about saving. >> can you do it. helps in the long run. >> prudential. >> additional corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by boeing. genentech. providedl funding is by newman's own foundation, froming all profits newman's own food products to charity, and nourishing the common good. ford foundation. the ethics and excellence in journalism foundation. the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs viewers like you. thank you. live from, washington, sitting in for gwen harwood ofweek, john cnbc. john: good evening. week it all became real. not on the democratic side, bernie sanders beat hillary clinton in indiana. she's still the favorite to clinch the democratic nomination, but donald trump, by crushing ted cruz and john kasich in the hoosier state and race,g both out of the has become the presumptive nominee,n unapologetically. mr. trump: i am who i am. to change.e there was talk about will he be presidential. we had 17 people, all smart. one by one, week after week, boom, boom, boom, gone, gone, gone. want to change so much and i do want to use that same strategy for trade deals. i feel i'm a presidential person. john: now the republican establishment has to decide whether to join their voters and rally around him. some of them, even if they've for weeks they planned to, weren't sure once trump actually emerged as the winner. i think what is required is that we unify this party and i the burden on of unifying the party will have to presumptiver nominee. this is the party of lincoln and reagan and jack kemp. don't always nominate a lincoln and reagan every four nominee toe hope our be lincoln and reaganesque, that the person advances principles of our party and appeals to a wide vast majority americans. john: trump responded by saying he's not ready to endorse ryan's agenda. start with you, bob. after all the doubts and "never efforts, how did donald trump finish off the job of the last of the 16 opponents? is trying to redefine the republican party and he's populace in a more direction, trying to engage working class voters who haven't traditionally been in the g.o.p. fold. lurchs the party into that direction, you see a divide between traditional republicans conservative ideologues who loved reagan for his philosophy, politics. john: what happened to the idea that once ted cruz got into a trump, he with donald was going to make the conservative argument that donald trump wasn't a conservative. he guild to -- would go to california but decided to out. why? bob: it's a terrifying moment not only for establishment conservativeut for movement leaders, the kind of people who thought ted cruz would have a shot against trump at then you look republican electorate, there is and not for an outsider tethered to an issue or conservatism itself. it's the brashness of trump, someone totally detached from political culture, that's what's connected. also the issues. the republican party has focused on trade deals in the past, free and economic growth. the base, the party, doesn't seem to be as interested as washington. john: that's what the base of the party wants but the establishment of the party immediately fragmented. wasn't just paul ryan. romney said he wasn't going to convention, john mccain wasn't going to the convention. george w. bush and george h.w. bush said they would not endorse race and jebn the bush said he wouldn't endorse trump and today lindsey graham came out with a statement. >> to donald trump, congratulations. you did a hell of a thing. beat me and everybody else and i just really believe that beenepublican party has kind here and this guy is not a reliable conservative republican. good luck with paul ryan trying to find a conservative agenda with this guy and i don't think to temperament or judgment to be commander commander-in-chief. john: molly, is this what you were talking about when you said the republican party died? the sentiment of a lot of republicans i talked to, a lot of republicans who deep angst about trump's nomination. there is a sense -- you saw the,licans all over important republicans, big-name republicans, whether on twitter or in statements like that, changing their voter registration, feeling like their sorts work, toiling in the of minds of building the party of ideas, that all that went out and as bob was saying, the things that trump antithetical to the things that someone like paul ryan stands for. pushing,a that he is to the extent that his agenda is consistent and well defined, is absolutely antagonistic. i just want to make one more point about what bob was saying how trump got here. i think the strategic genius of trump was to go after the strongest candidates first. he went after the $100 million man, jeb bush. he went after -- he didn't have to go after him but scott walker, a lot of people's favorites for the way he could unite different strands of the party. by the time it came down to the end, trump was pitted against narrow fractional appeal within the party, kasich and cruzl republicans to the activist base so even on --ne-on-one, north of neither of them could beat trump and trump gets a majority in part because there was crisis fatigue on the part of republican voters, crisis after crisis, super tuesday after super tuesday, now they're contested a convention. john: michael, given the fact that donald trump won handily and by appealing to a lot of voters whoy squeezed are dissatisfied with the obama years, looking for something republicanrom the party, why don't more republican politicians look at him as the party, giving it a different look, changing the ideology a little bit? why isn't that embraced? michael: i think much of the last two decades, definitely reagan, a lot of republicans have retrenched into ideology and that's just how coded but try to there's the issue but you heard with lindsey graham, he said i don't think he's right on the issues but i don't think he has the temperament and i think there is fear among the political class, the elected class, that the way is scary.ves what's interesting about watching trump now and again in we showed before when he's talking about being presidential, it's very clear that trump has taken from the lesson that the outrageousness, the danger, then, the excitement of his rallies, sometimes encouraging people to people at his rallies, the controversial statements he's made about immigrants and muslims and all that. lesson he has taken is that it made him a winner and what's interesting now and i think this is another reason that a lot of republicans are concerned, is he believes that same formula -- being who trump is -- will work in a general a guy whond this is said over and over again that he won hispanics in nevada, right? he's talking about he won republican hispanics in nevada. not a large number of people. popular with hispanics and to this day he'll deny that. like say hispanics don't you and he'll say that's not true, he's winning hispanics everywhere. of republicans who are looking at the general election polls slightly he doesn'tecause seem to register that now we're where heom a primary did very well to a different population and he's going to have to win over different the same methods may not work. john: when you talk about style and how he comes across as as the ideology, president obama spoke to this news conference when he was asked about trump emerging as the nominee. president obama: i want to emphasize the degree to which we are in serious times and this is a really serious job. this is not entertainment. this is not a reality show. this is a contest for the the united states. john: margaret, would you say that the important thing is being serious enough to handle, say, the national security responsibilities for -- of the white house, or is it the way women, hispanics, other groups have been -- college educated voters -- have talks?rned off by how he margaret: let's unpack president obama's statement today which about theed to be economy but he was more than eager to take the donald trump question. number one, scold to the press corps for creating the beast. that's what he was doing. two -- john: do you plead guilty? margaret: i have been covering the democratic contest so i plead irrelevant. but number two, sure, president obama is concerned about the social issues, both trump's positions on him or at least his statements on them whatever the may actually be, but number three, i think as president -- president obama is theerned about some of international implications, some of the stock market of generals, sort world order implications of muchd trump, if he is as of a wildcard in the general election or potentially in thece as he has been in republican primary and president obama says it's not about entertainment, but of course it been about entertainment so far. part of the reason that people are so captivated by everything trump does and says is because he's very compelling to listen to. away.n't look you never know what he's going to say. >> i spoke to trump this week in news brought advisers, paul manafort and other veteran republican he has his and campaign manager on but when i spoke to trump about 45 minutes, said, where are you going to pivot or transition in terms of style andrament and he said, i have been winning, i'm going to continue to do what do and he think by having an aggressive barrage against secretary clinton, he can rouse conservatives who may hiscept skeptical of ideology and be disruptive to the point where he can succeed in the general. thing that's interesting, when he gets the party unity question, he says unify the party because he expects most of them to fall in line. thing he says is if they don't want to get behind me, that's fine, because i have people and he really believes that he can many new voters, so many independents and democrats, doesn't tent that it matter how many republicans he loses. whether he's in right or wrong about that apply not just to him but also members of the house and senate. republicans are trying to keep their majorities in the house senate. he spoke to that today when ryan holdingaul back. >> we're prepared to keep the and winkeep the house the white house. you look at hillary clinton, look, i would rather take a few thrown than the director of the f.b.i. andrvieng your top aides potentially the democrat nominee. john: how much danger for the majority in the senate and in the house, which we've come to think of as secure the republicans over the last a couple of years? is far: the danger greater in the senate than the house. in the house, democrats would have to basically turn about 30 there are just not 30 competitive seats right now. it could happen that we get to the guess is now that it would be more in the neighborhood of 15. in the senate, democrats have to four or five seats depending on who's the president and there seatsenty of competitive and to the point of whether he can bring in new voices, the inate candidates running difficult states right now -- new hampshire and pennsylvania, for instance -- don't believe people.ng to bring in in newote was asked hampshire when she thinks about spokesperson said she will support the nominee but doesn't endorse trump. john: a common distinction in politics. kissel: like trying to your date without touching her. it's a difficult thing to do. pennsylvania was asked, are you going to support trump, and his answer was also awkward.y it was "he's not my first, my second, my third or my fourth choice, i have a lot of problems with trump but i'm never hillary." it's about as far away from support as you can get. these are people spending a lot money on polling in their states and they know where their states are and they don't believe trump's model, the idea that he can bring in new people. maybe trump proves them wrong. they alsoblem is can't afford to repudiate him because they are scared to death of their constituents. death of theed to trump voters and scared to death of the republican base and they know if they start running full-on against trump, they're going to get a raft of stuff they'vese people and seen their colleagues, ali ali - years,nts over the knocked off in primaries. even in the general election thosean't afford to lose people. margaret: hillary clinton can't laurels, rest on her either. if the election were held tomorrow, hillary clinton would probably be the president. election is in november and like donald trump proved by if it'sjust did, even not completely transferable, he's a very good strategist, his feet. people change their minds about things and leave it to the vice biden, saying today it would be a mistake to trump.timate donald john: rick perry last year gave a speech in which he said donald onmp was a cancer conservatism and now he's come out and endorsed him and said he was open to being vice president. for someonehinking like perry? sharpolly brought up a point. a lot of party officials and governors are watching the republican base and saying there something happening here. we may not understand it but we don't want to get so far away it that we lose the potency that could change the republican parts for the worse but maybe for the better. think one of the most interesting parts of the dance paul ryan is doing right now is trying to preserve the republican party if trump loses loses and ryan does this dance, chapercentage -- his membersage of will be trump republicans versus traditional ideological tea party we've had. trump, win or lose, could dramatically change the party going forward because these are republicans that have been elected in the past on ideological grounds but will be re-elected in districts where trump has enormous chairs. trump is blown out, people will want to distance themselves. and despite his win in indiana, delegatesders is 300 behind hillary clinton. she's still less than 200 clinching thet of nomination. sanders continues to campaign in primaryl month of the season and party leaders aren't calling for him to get out. is shifting focus to november and counting on eventually getting help from sanders and his supporters. secretary clinton: i know what he said last week which i really welcomed. he said he will do everything he can to prevent donald trump from being president of the united states, he will work seven days a week. going to really count on that because i want to unify the party. i'm certainly going to be to his supporters who have far more in common with theyd my supporters than do with donald trump and his campaign. itn: so, margaret, does matter to hillary clinton that bernie sanders has decided to keep going? margaret: sure. from herbe great perspective if he did not but, look, at this point, you know, ago, she was -- to keep going. which shee concern underplays in public remarks is when it's actually over, will he and bring those people with him or keep talking the way he's talking. she said in public and her advisers have said she believes when it's all said and done, he'll do what he's supposed to she does.t but she's an establishment democrat and the whole point is that he's not. he wasn't even a democrat until this race. shoenk that's sort of a left hanging and if donald trump remains as polarizing as he is problem.ill not be a if donald trump closes in, if she faces more problems because the f.b.i. investigation, if sanders' supporters gravitate third-party, green byty candidate and protest not voting, it could be a problem. historically it's a difficult she does not if get a big turnout not just from minority voters but from bernie sanders' supporters, millions of them, it could be a problem. john: does anybody at this table doubt that with donald trump on the other side that behind is going to unite clinton? i don't. do you? >> we're watching an interesting dynamic unfold and when i spoke to trump, first thing he said was, boy oh, boy, who would have thought i would be done before there's a sense in the trump campaign that because non-intervention, instincts on foreign policy, populism on trade, position on immigration, he could win over some sanders' voters and we're watching -- if trump wasn't this movement on the right, we'd be astounded as the sanders' movement and i think in a bigger way. john: do you think sanders will not do what he needs to do and do to pull his people behind hillary clinton? >> he's not a partisan figure. is a man who's an independent, socialist senator years and imber for think he would like to beat donald trump and that's the he's making a but statement about progressive politics in this decade and keeps what he wants to doing, not so much a rush to get line.rty in john: molly, do you think bernie sanders is hurting hillary clinton or just distracting her the fall? molly: i think it matters a lot what sanders says at this point in the race. i think hillary is happy to let him continue to the bitter end as a cause, right? but if he is actively turning his supporters against her, if embittering them, if he is keeping up this harsh rhetoric about goldman sachs and campaign finance and her not being qualified, that's when people neverto decide, i can vote for her no matter what he says and if he does come around to goad him trying into this idea of a third-party run for obvious reasons and he's repeatedly and bernie sanders has always said he would never run as an independent candidate but it how full throated his endorsement of her ends up being. performings clinton right now? how is he handling the juggling act between trump and sanders? michael: i think for clinton, she's doing well. you grade on a curve for hillary because she's not a great candidate but she is very comfortable and you can see it she speaks about it that she thinks she's won the roulette game. john: she looked relaxed this week in interviews. michael: i think she'll be happy going against trump. her team will be happy going against trump. that doesn't mean they think it easy.e they will have to fight for it but if you were to ask them a who's your dream candidate at this point, they would have said trump. john: margaret, how do you evaluate hillary clinton, the candidate? thearet: hillary clinton, candidate, is feeling pretty good but i think there is fear of the unknown with trump that there wouldn't have been with ted cruz. with ted cruz, you knew the who you were working with. giuliani said ted cruz was a fastball down the middle for democrats. margaret: with ted cruz, you same concerns about losing all the way down the ticket. with donald trump, it's sort of go big or go home. he either wins and it's a for hillary clinton and the democratic party or he loses and loses big and everyone in loses behind him and it's hard to imagine any middle scenario. if hillary clinton is primarily with the democratic party, she wants the risk. if hillary clinton is primarily concerned with herself, she the safer run and i'm not sure she got it. john: that's going to wrap it up for tonight. the conversation continues on the "washington week" webcast whoa where we'll discuss might be in the running for vice president. that's later tonight and all weekend long at pbs.org/washingtonweek. be sure to keep up with news thelopments each night on "pbs newshour" and we'll see you around the table next week on "washington week." i'm john harwood and to my mom, and all you moms out there, happy mother's day. good night. >> corporate funding for provided byweek" is -- >> we're committed to strong. we're committed to sure. smart anditted to light, secure and bold. enduring needs, the men and women of boeing are deliver build and critical capabilities for those who serve to protect our nation and its allies and that's an enduring commitment. >> thousands of people came out run the race for retirement so we asked them, are you completely prepared for retirement? ok, mostly prepared? could you save 1% more of your income? much, but sound like saving an additional 1% now could make a big difference over time. i'm going to be better about saving. >> you can do it. it helps in the long run. >> prudential. >> additional corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by genentech. providedl funding is by newman's own foundation, froming all profits newman's own's food products to charity and nourishing the common good. the ford foundation. the ethics and excellence in journalism foundation. the corporation for public broadcasting and by to your pbss station from viewers like you. thank you. coming up on our program a roundup of top tech stories. colorful events. our top picks and new developments about the five protesters that went on a hunger strike against what they say are injustices of the san francisco police department. this afternoon the frisco five were all hospitalized due to deteriorating health. this caps a week where hundreds marched on city hall. the hunger strikers led the march. they claimed chief