donald trump also criticized mitt romney when mitt romney was running as well. if you listen to the remarks from just this season in the campaign trail, he was critical of mitt romney as well this season. i want to bring in someone who was a senior advisory on the romney campaign. you know mitt romney very well. these two men could in the have been more different. they both have business success in common. do you think he will be the secretary of state in the trump administration? >> i have no idea other than what i read and what i see on your air. all i can say is that if donald trump wants to pick the best people for his cabinet, and it seems like that's what he's doing, his criteria seems to be he's just looking for the best people, mitt romney would be a great choice. i have no inside knowledge to what anybody is thinking. i'm just reporting on what i know from what i read. but mitt romney is a turn around artist. he could do a lot of good at the state department and turn that organization around and be a good secretary of state. i have no idea if they can g

yet donald trump willing to meet with mitt romney, mitt romney willing to come to new jersey to meet with donald trump. and donald trump and mike pence willing to come out and greet mitt romney as you're looking at it now as he arrived here. they haven't done that at trump tower for any other candidates or advisers and haven't done that for the individuals supposed to be meeting with donald trump after mitt romney today that have arrived since. so a level of respect, a level of deference, if you will, for the 2012 nominee. again, the big question, as you laid out -- why is he here? is he here to provide advice? is he here to give counsel? or is he here for a potential administration job? transition advisers say they're absolutely considering him for a place in government. the big question now is, is there a right snit as you note, potentially for secretary of state and, perhaps more importantly, is this a job or an stimulation that mitt romney would want to be a part of -- or a situation that mitt romney would want to be a part of it? >> i can't tell if this is atmospherics and i'm r

trump has not been saying much if anything about mitt romney and romney has not said anything about the man who could soon become his boss when he becomes the leader of the free world since their initial meeting last week. megyn? >> thank you. john george is very fancy. it is true. our next guest warns that a secretary romney would leave mr. trump's supporters feel betrayed, suggesting that president-elect trump should get up every day and begin by looking at his campaign promises. he owes his presidency to the people who believed in him. not for the ones that had contempt for his as a candidate but now adoor him now that he's going to be president. you call this potential appointment of mitt romney as secretary of state a huge mistake and even outrageous. to those who say all right, you know, donald trump knows what he's doing, this could be a counter balance to some of the more, you know, hard liners in the administration he's creating, how do you justify those comments? >> well, first of all, president-elect trump can pick anyone he wants. he's going to be president. if he picks romn

. >> romney let us all down. he was a very poor campaigner. mitt is a failed candidate, he failed. romney choked like a dog. he choked. he went -- he was begging for my endorsement. i could have said, mitt, drop to your knees. he would have dropped to his knees. poor mitt romney is sad. he's going around oh, oh, he's a sad case. i have a lot of friends -- by the way, mitt romney is not one of them. >> you know, you've been mitt romney's political opponents say he's a principled man. would mitt romney, who has questions about donald trump's quoting here again, character and integrity, why would he want to work for a man who had those things to say about him? >> those were not nice things, there's no doubt about it. but look, i think, first of all, governor romney has thick skin. he's been through the political battles before and understands. but ultimately i think the one thing that defines governor romney perhaps more than anything else is that he is a patriot fundamentally. i know him well enough to know that it

we have to talk about mitt romney. i want to share, in case people are forgetting, what mitt romney said not long ago about donald trump. take a listen. >> his foreign policies would make america and the world less safe. he has neither the temperament or the judgment to be president, and his personal qualities would mean that america would cease to be a signing city on a hill. >> he's got personal qualities that you shouldn't like. he's unqualified for the job, but maybe i'll be his secretary of state. is that what we're facing here? >> kasie and i, i believe, were at the same conference a few years ago when romney went to park city, utah, to outline his view of the world. secretary of state is something he would like to do at this point in his life, but there's a concern that mane not really a concern, a sense that trump maybe not offer the position, that this meeting is more about making peace. the one thing about romney and just the discussion of it, a signal to the republican establishment and trump critics that th

that mitt romney. the big question is, is he apparently now being considered for secretary of state. is he interested. in a moment, what trump adviser kelly ann conway has to say about that and a string of other developments today. but first, phil mattingly with the latest. you've been talking about trump sources and republicans outside the trump circle. how real is this potential alliance between the president-elect and mitt romney? >> yeah, anderson, that exact question is the exact question some iteration of it at least from top mitt romney allies. the reality of what we know is this. they will meet. mark preston broke the story. this is a very important meeting for one primary reason. it sends a signal. i think that more than anything else is what republicans outside the trump orbit are taking from this. obviously mitt romney never came around to donald trump and didn't mince words about the fact. the fact that donald trump would be willing to meet with mitt romney, that mitt romney would be willin

let's talk about mitt romney. this was a fascinating dinner with pass naturesing comment after jean-georges. let's play the sound for mitt romney talking about after this meal. >> i happen to think that america's best days are ahead of us. i think you're going to see america continuing to lead the world in this century. and what i've seen through these discussions i've had with president-elect trump, as well as what i've seen in his speech the night of his victory, as well as the people he selected as part of his transition. all of those things combined give me increasing hope that president-elect trump is the very man who can lead us to that better future. thank you. >> the very man, lead us to that better future. he called donald trump a winner. now mitt romney didn't apologize, but that's a gushing phrase from the republican nominee. >> yeah, in some ways we're seeing sort of a delayed version of what everyone typically expects in the general election. but, you know, republicans are realizing they control washi

i want mitt romney to do what mitt romney thinks is best. i think that, you know, he's going to talk with president-elect trump, and they'll make a decision on whether or not there is a path forward here. i agree with nicolle. i think what happened on "meet the press" with kellyanne conway was completely undignified and not the way governor romney would handle things on his team. >> retweeting an attack on jeff zelany, formerly of cnn, and on and on. >> i think being a sore winner is weird, and anyone with a child that supported trump -- i know a lot of people that supported trump, there are lots of happy people within my personal orbit, don't think it's polite to gloat in life or politics is not attractive. he can do anything including and up to shooting someone on fifth avenue. we know hallie will be there to cover it and see it because she's been standing there since this morning. but i think his behavior only trips him up in terms of all this swagger that he has. if republicans start to complain about it, and it would start privately and

he met with romney. liked him a lot and liked him more than he expected to and suddenly the secretary of state thing started snowballing and they started getting a lot of applause from republicans in washington and even some democrats saying, yeah, that's a really good idea. this thing took on a life of its own faster than people around trump expected it to. >> what you've seen with this hiring process is that actually trump has talked to a wide range of republicans and even a couple of democrats. i think that some people made the assumption he will only talk to people in his small inner circle of the nationalist part of the republican party and he it's good pr for him and his administration that make republicans who were skeptical of him feel good and come onboard. it is not surprising these are the people he interviewed. reince priebus has a prominent position. so, i think that trump is trying about who he talks to. at the end of the day it's about the decisions he makes. it's not entirely shocking tha

romney choked like a dog. he choked. >> his promises are as worthless as the degree anyway trump university. >> i have a lot of friends. i have a lot of friends. by the way mitt romney is not one of them. >> and romney sad had then candidate trump's foreign policies would make america and the world less safe. critical of vladimir putin and russia. he named it as the top geopolitical concern for the united states when he was running. do you think they could actually work together? >> i do. and i think what happens when can consensus builders and good negotiator and successful businessmen who know you have to take the counsel of many different people, rival, allies is is that they find a way to work together if it is appropriate. in politics people look at each other through mr. blue and red lens. but people like romney and trump try to solve problems and come together. i think it will be a productive conversation. i'm smiling thinking about how maybe that is how hillary clinton got the secretary of state's job

luciano, first, this trump/romney meeting now under way, talk to us a little bit about what mitt romney is bringing to the table, particularly during this transition period. >> mitt romney really brings a sense of statesmanship. he brings with him the imprimateur of the republican party. it's a chance to reach out and bring the republican party together before trump gets sworn in on january 20th, as the republicans take over the white house and both houses of congress. >> i mentioned the bad blood between these two. here's what they said about each other earlier in the campaign. okay. it seems we're having a sound bite problem there. i wanted to actually ask you about the relationship between these two. we know that donald trump has said some very disparaging comments about mitt romney, calling him a choke artist at one point, even using derogatory language, saying he was begging for money when romney was running for office. at the same time, romney said to trump that he was a con artist. let's go ahead and play that. >> mr. trump is a con man. a fake. his imagination must not be marrie

donald trump sat down to dinner with mitt romney. trump brought a wing man, his chief of staff reince priebus. no word is where romney now stands in the overall selection process for secretary of state. after the meal, mitt romney spoke with reporters, and before you can think it, we'll go ahead and say it, things sure have changed. >> like old times. i had a wonderful evening with president-elect trump. we had another discussion about affairs throughout the world, and these discussions i've had with him have been enlightening and interesting and engaging. i've enjoyed them very, very much. i was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory night. by the way, it's not easy winning. i know that myself. he did something i tried to do and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. he won the general election. and he continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together, and his vision is something which obviously connected with the american people in a very powerful way. the last few weeks he's been carrying out a tran

i think the romney thing, i think he is toying with romney, playing peekaboo with a baby. is someone petraeus he has respected and admired for a long time. i think that is the direction we could be headed. is about a petraeus guy in a charmer. i think the vetting issues is something that he wants to avoid. i do not think the senate republicans will harshly that too many people, but petraeus may end up with the short stick sibley because of the vetting issue. i still think kelly or romney are the two best choices. no one wanted to talk about where the stands. everyone says, this is trump's pick. i do believe giuliani will get it. corker is an interesting pick. he has more relations, but trump has the image -- john: bob corker is a very smart guy, but he does not cut that figure. petraeus though does. romney clearly does. trump has said that. he looks like a secretary of state. petraeus -- i know there are vetting issues. it is true. but i think it is more than just the republican senate. at it is also that a lot of republicans in the senate are on record wasng they think pe

but about mitt romney. while he is just the latest name being floated out as a potential for the job of secretary of state, just the mention of it today was a stunner considering the history of these two men -- romney and trump. >> mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp, he's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country that we all love. >> donald trump has shown an extraordinary ability to understand how our economy works, to create jobs for the american people. >> i am officially running -- [ cheers and applause ] -- for president of the united states. country great again. >> think of donald trump's personal qualities. the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics. donald trump is a phony, a fraud. his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. >> i backed mitt romney, i backed him. you can see how loyal he "mitt, your knees, he would have dropped to his knees. he choked, you know what a choke artist is? >> nice to see ever

newt gingrich hated romney. mike huckabee hated romney and would tell stories about how mitt romney would go to the bathroom by himself and they would all go to the bathroom when romney got out. >> sounds like junior high. >> it's so junior high and now the very people that were complaining about the guy that beat them in 2012 are now all on tv in 2016 attacki ining the wo. >> this goes on in every transition or every transition that i can recall. it went on in 2008 in the obama secretary of state. helped put him on the -- endorsed him early. does not get secretary of state. said nothing. went quietly into the night back into the senate. there's never, ever been anything quite as remarkable as kellyanne thing. >> they are in the social media world. we had ted cruz misplay his hand in 2000 and transition and got boxed out of the white house. there was no social media so it didn't explode. >> i want to know, is kellyanne accusing trump's top aides as being sexist before? she's saying it's sexist what they're repor

will romney be america's next top diplomat. and trump's twitter tired claiming wide spread voter fraud. >>> and the tennessee's deadly wild fires. we're live at the scene. let's go "outfront." good evening everyone. i'm kate baldwin. out front tonight. breaking news. donald trump and mitt romney. who gets the nod remains open. but tonight's dinner, their second meeting in the last two weeks should go a long way to answering that question, we think. also breaking one official telling cnn trump is tapping his campaign finance chairman, form form former goldman sachs partner. and trump turned to former secretary of labor elaine choi to be his secretary of transportation. >> it is still the most high profile cabinet post, that of secretary of state, which tonight is still very much on open question. tonight donald trump is taking major steps to fill out his cabinet. >> we want to be in a position where in the first hundred days we can execute the economic plan. >> the president elect having form former goldman sachs partner steve m

trump said it's my honor, real honor, to endorse mitt romney, calling romney tough and smart. he is not going to continue to allow bad things to happen to this country. it is now mitt romney showing up at donald trump's golf course, as mr. trump is now the president-elect and coming up he doesn't have his hat in his hand, but you can imagine for mitt romney that is an awfully humbling experience as the tables have turned. >> it absolutely has. the tables have turned. of course, we are -- we have our own doug mckelway there. i will say that donald trump has a slew of meetings. not just today, but also tomorrow. he is meeting with people who we have seen him discussing before. rudy giuliani and governor chris christie. he is meeting with a surprise, mitt romney, and michelle reid. he is meeting with a number of folks. of course, we'll talk more about that and, of course, the iraqi forces closing on the isis stronghold of mosul. we'll be discussing the fighting that is intensifying. how iraqi forces are pushing forward. coming up. plus, immigration reform drove voters to the poll

to a person, they described romney as a patriot. it's no surprise he's not a big fan of donald trump's. so all we know, wolf, is that romney in general has always told people the secretary of state is a job i would be interested in. this is somebody, though, he has criticized roundly and they disagree seriously on some foreign policy issues, like russia, for example. romney was the first person i believe to say to you that russia is an existential threat. so we know they're going to have this meeting. we don't know what donald trump has in mind, and we have no idea what mitt romney has in mind, but they're meeting. >> it's surprising how this is unfolding. a, that mitt romney obviously wants to meet with donald trump, as some bitter words were exchanged. but donald trump is welcoming him, as he is others, his former bitter critics and rivals. >> given that mitt romney denounced donald trump in march, it is a little surprising. but on the other hand, trump probably realizes -- president-elect donald trump realizes that mitt romney is

just to prove that mitt romney was wrong. are able tof them find a way to work together, that would send a signal that donald trump is willing to work with a lot of people who have criticized him. >> it is an interesting point. omemember on the rosa -- arosa. if you are not -- [indiscernible] it was not a growing response. it is going to be interesting. the mitt romney thing will be a real test as far as will he be looking bigger? i hope it is not just a beauty pageant. have you heard anything more about the people that have gone against him? >> not yet. was a little over a week ago. everybody's feeling each other out. they are looking to see who else gets positions of power. i was at trump tower on tuesday night and ted cruz was there. we chased after him. i mean, donald trump tweeted about the looks of ted cruz's wife, suggesting his dad may have been involved in the assassination of jfk. he made the pilgrimage to trump tower and talked to the president-elect. he would not tell us what they talked about. he would not explai

mitt romney sought that endorsement in vegas when it happened. ann romney was there. everyone was gracious and got along. ask and then in the 2016 election, he was one of the loudest critics, called him a fraud and char less than ton and donald trump called him a stone called loser, said he would have gone on his knees for his endorsement. so i cannot even imagine the conversation they're having today. but mitt romney did, after donald trump won the presidency, mitt romney did call him to congratulate him. and i think we have seen a number of republicans who criticized donald trump throughout the campaign who have said, okay, he has won, he is our president-elect. we have to do everything we can to help him be successful. >> and molly, what's your take on this meeting with romney? >> it sort of harkens back to 2008 when we had that bruising democratic primary between one barack obama and one hillary clinton. and all of a sudden, she becomes his secretary of state. and that was nasty. they were fighting against each other, and saying horrible things about each other. p

let me turn to mitt romney. lee, it's got newt gingrich's goat, as i look at my twitter account. [ laughter ] >> it's exercised a lot of people and understandable, but at the same time, mitt romney apparently hasn't been offered the job and apparently hasn't accepted. >> that's right. lou: and i say apparently because i don't have inside information. >> that's right. we don't know what's going to happen. we know donald trump has made himself available to have conversations with people who have been critical of him. i think what he's saying is i'm going to look for the right person at the right time for the right job and we're going to bring this country together again. if somebody disagrees and they have great ideas, i'm going bring them to the table. whether or not mitt romney gets the offer, i think it's fantastic that he has conversations with people he has disagreements with and not holding grudges. lou: it's clear, charlie, he looks ever the larger person for having had the conversation, if not make the off

romney called trump a phony and a fraud, trump called romney a loser. trump earlier called on the cast of "hamilton" to apologize to vice president-elect mike pence. why? pence was booed by some members of the audience as he arrived for a performance last night. later, as pence was leaving, a cast member asked him to stop and listen to a prepared statement. pence did stay and this is part of what he heard. >> we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our american values and to work on behalf of all of us. [ cheers and applause ] despite trump being in new jersey, protests continue today outside of trump tower in new york. these further complicating security concerns on a very busy fifth everyone. let's go to nbc's tammy leitner live outside trump tower. what's the latest today? >> reporter: hey, richard. about 200 protesters have marched up from queens. new york police are doing a pretty good job of keeping them in one area across the street from trump tower. there are groups that are out here from all different boroughs, people from all d

trump called romney a choke artist after romney called him a phony who failed in many business endeavors. there's also the issue with russia. the two men are very, very different views. recall back to the campaign four years ago when romney described russia as the greatest threat to the united states. the transition team in their morning conference call said mr. trump has now spoken to 37 foreign leaders, the most recent conversation was last night, friday night with the prime minister of iraq, the p.m. expressed iraq's willingness to expand the scope of relationships with the united states. trump also spoke with secretary general of nato and president of the european union. later today we're expecting retired marine core general james mattis, a candidate for secretary of defense. he's considered a candidate along with several other people including general david petraeus. that's a relatively new name to enter the fray and senator tom cotton. general jack keane who was thought to be a strong candidate for the position withdrew his name citing personal reasons. also scheduled to meet, mic

there's a preside to romney a con side of romney. again, donald trump knows, but i think gloria is right. he spent so much time with governor romney. you know everything about him and i think that having that one-on-one face-to-face i was told a meeting of just the two of them. no advisers or spouses, a time to ask for loyalty. interesting breaking bread tonight. >> and one piece of history here, which is romney is often govern pd by what his father did. his father george romney served in richard nixon's cabinet, and then ended up quitting the cabinet. and he was hud secretary. and he ended up quitting the cabinet over a policy issue. and writing nixon now a famous letter how he disagreed with him and think about that in the back of donald trump's mind, in the back of mitt romney's mind, that his father left rather than be disloyal. >> we'll see what happens. what happens at that dinner tonight. i suspect donald trump, the presidents-elect is getting closer and closer to a key decision. >>> coming up, investigators are searching now

you know mitt romney very well. these two men could not have been more different, although they both have business success in common. do you think that he will be the secretary of state in the trump administration? >> i have no idea other than what i read and what i see on your air. all i can say is that if donald trump wants to pick the best people for his cabinet, and it seems like that's what he's doing, his criteria seems to be he's just looking for the best people, mitt romney would be a great choice for that. now, i have no inside knowledge to what anybody is thinking here, i just am reporting on what i know from what i read. mitt romney is a turn-around artist and could obviously do a lot of good at the state department and turn that organization around and be a good secretary of state. but i have no idea what their conversation was like. i have no idea whether or not they could get on the same page in terms of being a voice and a face for donald trump's foreign policy. but, look, it's a good sign that they'r

romney did rip trump hard during the primaries but trump said he ripped romney hard, too. and the chief of staff said the embrace rivals. >> it is a team of rivals concept if you were to go toward the governor romney concept. but i think that should tell all americans about where president elect's head is at. >> i heard rudy jewel yaw flee wanted to be the secretary of state. >> he's not subtle about the hints he's dropping. >> he's dropped more than hints. he said he wants to be the next secretary of state. campaigning for it traveling here and there and everywhere. >> he's been forward about it foreign policy is as good or better than anybody they're talking to. he said you can't say i don't know the world. whether that's supposed to be a slap in the face to romney. he's not holding back. >> and that just can't be helping his stock on this. with that there may be a compromised candidate in david pa petraeus the fellow that done. the scandal could work in his favor. mitt romney will have another meeting tomorrow. what do we have? >> coming up predictions what do we have?

and romney clearly does. there's no question that he -- trump has said that, he looks like a secretary of state. petraeus, i really think, i know there are vetting issues, it's true. but the reasons you said, i think it's more than just that it's a republican senate. it's also that a lot of republicans in the senate are on record as saying they think petraeus was wrongly treated. that he was cast aside, in a way that was not commensurate with the crimes, that hillary clinton did much worse things in terms of handling classified material and so on. >> and going through the system of justice. i'll say this. the mystery here, which i tried to get to the bottom of and i failed is where is mike pence on this? mike pence was bullish on romney. there were other people who were bullish on romney who were trying to get a romney rally going, and trying to get romney back, to top the fact that they're going to have a long meeting says i think that trump's still interested in him. but where is mike pence? >> i feel as th

loyalists are sort of setting him up for the spike on mitt romney as retribution if you will for romney's vocal role as a never trump per throughout the entire campaign. seems like romney is in very good position to get this job or trump is getting ready to publicly snub and humiliate him as punishment more or less a year plus of opposition. martha: that would be a highly vindictive sort of move. >> sure. martha: but we have seen so many things that no one expects in the course of this electoral process. so i guess it is a possibility that that may be what he is up to but does seem according to what we've heard that donald trump is seriously considering mitt romney for that spot. julie, what do you make of this. >> first i agree with everything that guy said. it is vindictive we've seen in the past this is out of same playbook that he did with chris christie where he dangled him for quite a bit at end of the day if christie gets anything at all it will not be anything he thought he was getting. guy's theory is possible. i actually floated same theory on friday. mitt romney is out of a dif

the finances when it comes to the romney meeting. charles blaine of the "washington post" called it embarrassing for mitt romney. former speaker of the house newt gingrich doubles down on it being a big mistake. >> my goodness,this is a guy who is going to have to apologize before he does this. he's a former nominee of the party being made to plead or ask or awe digs twice now in front of donald trump. if he ends up not getting it it will be kind of a humiliating experience for him. >> when you have potentially a rudy giuliani, you have ambassador bolton, you have a wide range of people you could reach out to. if you go back and play the tone, the hostility, the contempt of the romney speeches. these were whole speeches. >> went after trump harder than anybody. >> why would he believe trump will be his secretary of state? he will be romney's secretary of state. >> we asked you who would you lake to see as secretary of state? 57 percent rudy giuliani 27 percent general petraeus and only 8 percent saying mitt romney. 10 percent swant s

how should we be read into trump's meeting with mitt romney today? >> reporter: from talking with various aides, i think the starting point is this is an opportunity for the president-elect to try and heal things with former rival, a former critic, and one of the most prominent members of the republican party to speak out against donald trump, so it's a way to try and fix that situation and come together. i am also told it's about a chance to talk about ideas, and whether or not it kind of extends to a cabinet level job, and that could be too soon to tell and it may also be something that is not knowable until they have this meeting and a chance to sit down and talk. but it gives you an idea of how the president-elect is spending his weekend. there's a lot to do. not only holding meetings with romney but other picks for the cabinet and working with his senior staff to go over the plans for the new administration, and there's just a little over 60 days to go. the motorcade pulled in to what soon may be known as the jersey white house, trump's weekend

>> open dissent over mitt romney as u.s. secretary of state. >> we don't even know if mitt romney voted for donald trump. cnn "newsroom" starts now. >> hello, again, thanks for joining me. president-elect donald trump will return to new york city this afternoon and he's gearing up for meetings tomorrow with these potential candidates for his administration. it's the back and forth over who he will pick for secretary of state that has put the infighting within the trump team on full display. this morning on state of the union, senior adviser kellyanne conway was critical of mitt romney as a top contender. >> it's breath taking in scope and intensity the type of messages i received from all over the country and i'm just me, i'm not donald trump. just as his former campaign manager, the number of people who feel betrayed to think that a governor romney would get the most prominent cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt donald trump, there was the never trump movement and there was mitt romney. he gave speeches

but trump might need romney more than romney needs trump. and mitt romney may rationalize by saying this is a chance to serve my country and represent my country. the problem is neftably he has to represent donald trump's policies. that gap will ultimately become untenable. >> there is also this issue of the loyalty. you heard donald trump talk about mitt romney, having no loyalty. there is nothing more important to donald trump than loyalty. here he is just a couple of times on the campaign trail. >> there's never been the loyalty that we have. >> i have the most loyal people. >> this guy is so loyal. >> very very loyal. >> he's been loyal to trump from day one. >> and she's so loyal and so amazing. >> do you believe he really can bring himself to pick mitt romney for secretary of state? >> i think he will do what he thinks he needs to do to build a good team. but the loyalty is obviously important. i would say not just for donald trump but for any president of the united states. president obama -- >> -- reagan, he picked people who are ver

giuliani of course sort of the opposite of romney. one of romney's long time surrogates. he would be a choice that would reward loyalty on trump's part. apparently tried to stop trump from going with romney. >> the number of people who feel betrayed to think that governor romney would get the most prominent post after he went so far out of his way to hurt donald trump, there was the never trump movement and then romney. governor romney, has he been around the globe doing something on behalf of the united states of which we are unaware. i am all for party unity, but i'm not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position. what donald trump decides, kellyanne conway and everyone else will respect. >> kelly o'donnell has been following this closely. the question everywhere has, this is an unprecedented situation. is she conveying a message or sentiment that donald trump is expressing privately or is this kellyanne conway trying to steer him away from a decision he wants to make? park are there are factions within the alliance of supporters and working on th

i'm going to talk about mitt romney. mitt romney is coming the meet with him. he has a meeting -- he met with nikki haley. do you think these are head fakes or he is considering in. >> i would rather see rudy giuliani in place of secretary of state than mitt romney. i trust donald trump to make the right decision. i wouldn't mind nikki haley but i want someone strong on the world stage. >> there's a lot of sighs. do you agree with that? >> i don't think it is going to be mitt romney. >> no. >> but i would not be upset if it were. >> mitt romney is a great and decent man. too bad he didn't win in 2012, but he would be kraers to serve under donald trump. >> up next, donald trump chooses jeff sessions. there are cheers and denunciations for the decision. plus muslims and african-americans expressing fear for what the future may hold for their communities under president trump. ♪ ♪ sing girl, come on. ♪[ singing ]♪ sorry, ariana you gotta go. seriously? verizon limits me and i gotta get home. you're gonna choose navigation over me? maps get up here. umm...

if mitt romney is thinking of apologizing, i hope anne romney and his five kids tie him down. if they need help, we know where to reach me. >> i know are you a fan of mitt romney having that job. >> i got to tell you, i'm very good friends with mitt romney with john kelly and i know rudy guiliani, each has a vocation of systems. that inner circle of trump that is engaging in the parlor games against romney is doing him no favor. >> all right. romney and those around him, hearing anna novarro loud and clear, though, jfry, what were you going to say? >> i was going to say the russian involvement goes well beyond what anne is talking about, what about wikileaks and the every day releasing some of john modesta's e-mails and what is the responsibility of us in the news media who reported that day after day without pointing out day after day that it was a russian propaganda effort. >> we did point it out. even then it still is. i felt like we pointed out that even then it's out there and you can't put that back in the bottle. i wonder general hurtling, i agree with you on that thing

what is happening with kellyanne and mitt romney, there's concern because she reflected back with romney taking such a role, and obviously being put to the side a little bit and reflecting back that concern that is out there, and giving donald trump a warning signal. >> a warning to what, though? they are going to stay with him -- that's a funny thing. what are they going to do? i'm not going to support donald trump because he picked romney -- there's not a single person out there. >> but do you want the noise? do you really want the noise? >> donald trump doesn't mind the noise. oh, mike huckabee, he doesn't want me to pick romney, i'm going to hide under -- no. he doesn't care. >> donald trump doesn't give a damn, we understand that, but everybody else around him does, and it's not as easily dismissed as some would like to dismiss it, and there are other people other than kellyanne conway who are vocal about it internally. >> i am not sure where all this is coming from, but there's a freak out on the right. and trump keeps eye on romney for state department despite scorn from loyalist.

donald trump has called mitt romney a choke artist. mitt romney has said that donald trump is a phony and a fraud. but the two men met today. what did they say. >> yeah, we're a long way from that. apparently what we saw is what you pointed out. foreign policy is a crucial component of what mitt romney wants to talk about, and it is exactly what they spoke about. what does that mean for perhaps a future cabinet position? that is untold. as they walked out together after an hour and 20-minute meeting, donald trump cupped his hands in front. his face, said it went great. mitt romney said this -- >> we had a -- a far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the united states, of real significance. we discussed those chairs and exchanged our views on those topics. very -- very thorough and in-depth discussion in the time we had. and appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect. and -- and look forward to the coming administration and the things we'll be doing. thank you

this was romney back in march. >> mr. trump's bombast is already alarming our allies and fueling our enemies. he creates scapegoats of mexican immigrants. he calls for the use of torture. he calls for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists. this is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss. donald trump is a phony, a fraud. his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. >> and nikki haley delivered the republican response to the state of the union address this year and she used that speech to go after donald trump. >> during anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. we must resist that tempation. >> you were talking about those loudest voices, the angriest voices. in that context you were referring to donald trump, correct? >> he was one of them. yes. mr. trump has definitely contributed to what i think is irresponsible talk. >> donald trump is everything i taught my children not to do in kindergarten. i will not sto

. >> romney most likely choice at-this-point. and senate foreign relations bob corker still in mix for position he met with mr. trump today, ask called it an honor. >> secretary of state, role is so important. to a president, he needs to choose someone who is comfortable with, he knows there is no daylight between them and him, world needs to know that secretary of state is someone who speaks fully for the president. and that is a decision he will have to make again. lou: more contendors, initial favorite for post, former new york mayor rudy guliani, he sent more time today with donald trump, here to talk about trump's expanding cabinet. also joining me tonight, former reagan white house placal director ed rollins. ready to crackdown on sanctuary cities from day one. we have a lot to cover here tonight. including worsening crisis of radical islamist in america, islamic state is now claims responsibility for yesterday's attack at ohio state, where a somali refugee ran pedestrian down with a car, then stabbed others with a knife, s

called romney a loser and a choker. cnn's jason carroll is live outside mar-a-lago in palm beach, florida. what are you learning? >> reporter: well, they just wrapped up a 10:30 a.m. transition call meeting where we have more information about who donald trump and mike pence will be meeting with on monday. these are cabinet level posts. they are going to be meeting with eight people. some of the names on that list, paul akens, former commissioner of the s.e.c., scott pruitt, attorney general of oklahoma. one of the names that really jumps out at me is sheriff david clark. that name may ring a bell to a number of people. he's african-american, the milwaukee county sheriff, outspoken supporter of donald trump early on, outspoken critic of the black lives matter movement. he's been rumored to be sort of one of those people up for perhaps secretary of homeland security but definitely a fiery figure, controversial figure. he apparently will be meeting with donald trump, the president-elect, and the vice president-elect on mo

but mitt romney would be a brilliant hire. starting with number one, as a former ceo, what made we effective is i was a volatile guy like trump, but i surrounded myself with more measured people. the early people out of the box, the giulianis and so forth and the boltens and the newt gingrich's, it's more trump. so for him to take a thoughtful, considered, respected against-type character would be such a reach across the aisle signal. when i say reach across the aisle, to the non-trumpers, if you will, will be a fantastic, and on top of that, a very, very qualified guy. >> and it would be a governing pick. it wouldn't be picking with a crony, to say the least. it wouldn't be picking somebody out of loyalty or the notion that the person, you know, would sort of do whatever trump wanted. and it would give him a jans to start to build a cabinet that would be that wow cabinet. this is a tleheory out there no as trump is dealing with this transition process, he's looking at some of souring a bit on people who are pushing themselves

or saying about mitt romney? >> what is the transition saying about mitt romney right now? >> yes. >> you are hearing a big split, anderson. and there are people who describe the transition who will tell you that selecting mitt romney as the next secretary of state makes a lot of sense because that will show the country that donald trump is cape only capable of getting over grievances and uniting the country. that is what's so tantalizing of making him secretary of state. you have people like kellyanne conway and newt gingrich and lots of others inside trump world who don't like the thought of him becoming secretary of state because of all the horrible things that were said about him. i can tell you that the -- [indiscernible] bringing in a small pool of reporters and photographers. so hopefully, maybe our presence here helped open things up for this dinner anderson. but it is amazing to see. you know there was that dinner the other night when the family went out and didn't tell the pool about it. that is not the case tonight. the pool was informed and now there is a small

steve, let me ask you more on romney. kellyanne conway makes it clear that she is making attacks for those who don't want him. mike huckabee, the former governor of arkansas. what is it that really bugs people about romney? >> chris, i'll tell you, those of us who are in politics, no matter where you fall in partisan terms, we love palace intrigue, don't we? it's fascinating. i would say regarding palaces, the european royal families intermarried a heck of a lot. i'm not sure it was about love, it was often for political convenience. that might be part of what's going on here with this dance for mitt romney. but i will tell you and i will echo to some extent what kellyanne conway said. when i look at my social media world and i talk to people, there is almost a visceral revolt against romney among trump supporters. i will say personally he made my life difficult who came on air to promote the candidacy of donald trump, he was a thorn this our side. i would say to the comrades in our movement, trust in our guy, donald trum

donald trump and mitt romney will sit down and talk about future and maybe a possible job for mitt romney. we'll speak to some people who work very closely with the former massachusetts governor and hear what they have to say. stick around. >>> first responders not just dodging air strikes in syria. civilian volunteers are working to rescue people trapped in the rubble of a crumbling aleppo. took two workers four hours to pull this boy to safety this week. my word. more than 100 people were killed. hundreds others were injured in the latest bombing offensive which began tuesday and showing no signs of winding down. >>> volkswagen announcing it will shed 30,000 jobs in a move to return frostability by 2020. it's facing tens in millions of fines and compensation payments after found to be cheating on emission tests. >> a federal appeals court blocking the release of brandon daisy. he and his uncle steve avery have been in prison since 2007. >>> president-elect donald trump set to meet with former republican nominee for president and rival mitt romney. this weekend they will discuss we hear

corker and romney will be meeting with trump here tomorrow, we know that romney will get a high profile visit dinner date. there's so much contention within trump world right now, whether he should get the post. >> it's either an ambulance, a police siren, construction or something going on near trump tower in mid tongue manhattan. power through it, as usual. >> i want to bring in ari fleischer and kirstin powers. douglas brinkley. thank you for coming on this evening. mr. fleischer, we're going to start with you. donald trump won the election, yet he is tweeting about voter fraud. tonight he's retweeting supporters who are angry with the media for debunking his false claims. what gives here? >> donald trump is different. i wonder when we're all going to get to the point where we stop measuring donald trump in that which came before him. he's much more aggressive, assertive, he's a counter puncher. i've always wondered, if he counter punches so hard sometimes if he hurts himself. he's just going to do things differently, and we should stop measuring him by conventional ways. >> even whe