>>> THIS THE KWS "NEWS CONFERENCE EXTRA" WITH CONAN NOLAN. >> GOOD MORNING. A SPECIAL SEGMENT IN "TODAY IN L.A." WEEKEND. JOINING US IS PETER ALEXANDER, SUBBING IN FOR KRISTEN WELKER ON "MEET THE PRESS." >>> THIS LONG SLOG TOWARDS NOVEMBER, THE LONGEST GENERAL ELECTION IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC, IT SEEMS LIKE. ONE OF THE -- ONE OF THE FEW THINGS WE DON'T KNOW YET, OF COURSE, IS WHO THE REPUBLICAN, THE PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE WILL SERVE AS A VICE PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE. >> YEAH. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK? I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT MARCO RUBIO OUT OF FLORIDA, J.D. VANCE OF OHIO. ONE WONDERS THOUGH IF THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS SAID SO MANY NASTY THINGS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP IN THE PAST THAT THERE'S NO WAY DONALD TRUMP WILL PICK THEM. YOU KNOW, TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS. >> WELL, I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU MY THOUGHTS. I'LL TELL WHAT YOU SOURCES I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO TELL ME AND I TRUST THEM MORE THAN I DO MY OWN INSTINCTS. THE NAME I KEEP HEARING MORE AND MORE IS THE NORTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM RIGHT NOW. HE, TOO, IS A BILLIONAIRE. SOMEONE WHO IS NOT AS SORT OF POLISHED ON THE TRAIL AS THE OTHER VICE PRESIDENTIAL PICKS RIGHT NOW, BUT HE IS SOMEONE THAT HAS BUILT A BIT OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND IT APPEARS FROM OUR REPORTING THAT MELANIA TRUMP HAS TAKEN A BIT OF A LIKING TO THEM AS WELL. THEY WERE THERE NOT TOO LONG AGO. HE AND HIS WIFE,BERGIUM'S WIFE AT MAR-A-LAGO FOR A CHANCE TO SORT OF DINE WITH THE TRUMPS, SO THAT'S A NAME I'M GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON. J.D. VANCE, OF COURSE, HAS SORT OF RISEN IN HIS MAGA STATURE. DONALD TRUMP HAS TAKEN A REAL LIKING TO HIM AS WELL, SO I THINK VANCE ANDBERGIUM I WOULD SAY BASED ON MY CONVERSATIONS ARE BASED HIGH ON THAT LIST. THIS WEEKEND WE'LL BE SPEAKING TO THE REPRESENTATIVE BYRON DONALDS OF LAST RIGHT NOW THE CAMPAIGN HAS PUT HIM OUT REPEATEDLY TO DO TV INTERVIEWS AS A SURROGATE FOR THE CAMPAIGN. HE'LL BE TRAVELING WITH MR. TRUMP OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND THIS MAY BE A DECISION AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID THAT WE DON'T LEARN UNTIL THE CONVENTION ITSELF. THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY IS THAT YOUR VICE PRESIDENTIAM PICK MAY HELP YOU WIN A STATE OR HAVE SOME INROADS TO DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, POTENTIALLY THAT WOULD BE THE CASE WITH BLACK MEN FOR EITHER A TIM SCOTT OR A BYRON DONALDS SELECTION, BUT BASED ON MOST OF OUR REPORTING FROM THOSE CLOSE TO OR IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, THEY FEEL PRETTY STRONGLY, AND MOST AMERICANS WOULD AGREE, THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIDEN VERSUS TRUMP ELECTION. THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL PICKS ON EITHER SIDE MAY NOT HAVE VERY MUCH IMPACT. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP TO ITALY FOR THE GROUP OF SEVEN SUMMIT. THE TIME WHEN HE STOOD SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE TALKING ABOUT THE UNITED STATES AND THE WEST SUPPORTING UKRAINE IN THEIR WAR AGAINST, ARE BUT THERE DID SEEM TO BE POINTS WHERE THE PRESIDENT LOOKED TIRED. I'M JUST -- AND CERTAINLY REPUBLICANS AND DONALD TRUMP MADE THAT POINT. THEY THOUGHT HE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE HE WAS COMPLETELY THERE, SO GIVE US THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS WHEN IT CAME TO THIS TRIP FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. ON THE ONE HAND, HE'S HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREIGN POLICY, SOMETHING THAT WOULD DRAMATICALLY CHANGE IF DONALD TRUMP WERE PRESIDENT. ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE SECOND TRIP OVERSEAS IN A MATTER OF DAYS. >> IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE, CONAN, WE'RE ALMOST TWO AND A HALF YEAR INTO THIS THING. IT BEGAN IN FEBRUARY OF 2022. IT'S STRIKING. THIS IS THE THIRD G7 SINCE THAT WAR TOOK PLACE, AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE FEELS MOST -- FEELS BEST ABOUT IS THE ABILITY TO SORT OF PRESENT JOE BIDEN AS THE LEADER OF THIS WESTERN ALLIANCE. THERE HE IS AGAIN KEEPING THESE COUNTRIES UNITED AS IT RELATES TO PUSHING BACK AGAINST VLADIMIR PUTIN. HE'S DONE IT WITHOUT PUTTING U.S. TROOPS ON THE GROUND THERE, SOMETHING HE COMMITTED HE WOULD NOT DO, AND I THINK IT IS THE FAMILY PORTRAIT AS WE DESCRIBE IT WHERE YOU SEE ALL THE LEADERS TOGETHER WHERE JOE BIDEN IS GENERALLY AT THE CENTER OF THAT PHOTO. THE WHITE HOUSE FEELS GOOD ABOUT THAT. THAT HE'S LEADING ON THIS EFFORT. THEY JUST ANNOUNCED A TEN-YEAR SECURITY AGREEMENT WITH UKRAINE, AND SO I THINK THE WHITE HOUSE WOULD SAY THAT IS THE SORT OF GOOD NEWS. THE BAD NEWS I THINK IS THAT, YOU KNOW, JOE BIDEN IS GETTING PULLED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS RIGHT NOW. DONALD TRUMP FRIDAY TURNED 78. JOE BIDEN IS ALREADY IN HIS 80, AND HE WAS ENORMITY LAST WEEK AND -- HE WAS IN NORMANDY FOR THE D-DAY COMMEMORATIONS AND BACK TO L.A. FOR A BIG FUND-RAISER, BUT HE HAS A DEBATE COMING UP ON JUNE 27 AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING AT. THIS IS A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH, AND I THINK THAT DEBATE WILL HAVE A REAL POTENTIAL IMPACT ON A LOT OF AMERICAN VOTERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE DOUBLE HATERS RIGHT NOW WHO MAY NOT BE SATISFIED WITH EITHER -- NEITHER JOE BIDEN NOR TRUMP AND RFK JUNIOR GETS A LITTLE BUMP BY THIS. THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO MAKE SURE HE SPENDS AS MUCH TIME NEXT WEEK PREPPING HIMSELF TO TRY TO REALLY DELIVER THAT CLEAR CONTRAST FOR AMERICANS. >> RIGHT, AND THE POINT OF THIS DEBATE, IT SEEMS TO BE SEVERAL POINTS. ONE IS TO MOVE UP THE CONTRAST. IT'S NOT A REFERENDUM ON JOE BIDEN. IT'S A CONTRAST BETWEEN HIM AND DONALD TRUMP, AND HE WANTS TO MAKE THAT POINT EARLY. BUT, ALSO, IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN WANTS PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS THE RACE. THERE'S STILL PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO THINK THAT SOMEHOW THE CONVENTIONS ARE GOING TO SWITCH THE CANDIDATES. NO. THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE THE LATE 19630s. THEY WANT TO GET THE POINT HOME THIS IS YOUR CHOICE, AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS BEING DONE IN JUNE AND NOT IN OCTOBER. >> CONAN, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. THAT'S WHY DONALD TRUMP SAID I'LL DEBATE HIM ANYWHERE ANYTIME. JOE BIDEN SAID I'LL DO TWO OF THESE THINGS AND DO THEM AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH WHICH IS WHY IT'S HAPPENING NEXT MONTH IN THE MONTH OF JUNE. YOU KNOW, THIS THING AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS ELECTION WILL BE DECIDED, I MADE THIS POINT BEFORE, BY AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU FIT IN THE ROSE BOWL. THIS IS DECIDED BY NOT JUST A SERIES OF STATES BUT REALLY A SERIES OF COUNTIES IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT STATES. THE WHITE HOUSE WAS SEEING SOME CONCERN FROM ITS CONVERSATIONS WITH VOTERS. ITS POLLING THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF AMERICANS WHO DIDN'T EVEN THINK DONALD TRUMP WOULD BE BACK ON THE TICKET THIS GO-ROUND AND INSTEAD OF LETTING IT BE A REFERENDUM ON JOE BIDEN, THEY WANT IT TO BE A CHOICE FOR AMERICANS BETWEEN JOE BIDEN OR DONALD TRUMP, AND THEIR HOPE WAS BY DOING THIS EARLIER IT WOULD SORT OF SHAKE THOSE AMERICANS WHO DIDN'T GET THIS YET AND SAY, HEY, THIS REALLY IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE, JOE BIDEN AND DONALD TRUMP. WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION HERE. ONE OF THE REAL CHALLENGES IS WILL THERE BE POTENTIALLY BE SOME EROSION WHERE PEOPLE DECIDE TO SIT IT OUT OR GO ELSEWHERE? >> WHO IS ON THE PROGRAM. >> WE HAVE A GOOD PROGRAM FOR YOU THIS WEEK. WE'LL BE SPEAKING TO ONE OF THE INVESTIAM BE POSSIBILITIES FOR DONALD TRUMP, BYRON DONALDS, THE CONGRESSMAN FROM FLORIDA TRAVELING WITH MR. TRUMP THIS WEEKEND SO WE'LL GET HIS TAKE ON A SERIES OF DIFFERENT TOPICS AND WE'LL TALK TO RO KHANA, A PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKS HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU FOR HOW HE'S CONDUCTED THE WAR IN GAZA AGAINST HAMAS AND BEEN CRITICAL AND HAD REAL CONCERNS ON THE IMPACTS IT MAY HAVE ON YOUNG VOTERS AND PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS AND WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE AND CAMPAIGN NEED TO DO TO BRING THEM BACK IN THE FOLD. ALL AHEAD ON SUNDAY. >> PETER ALEXANDER SUBBING FOR KRISTEN WELKER ON "MEET THE PRESS." THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME. >>> THE NEWSCONFERENCE PROGRAM" IS PREEMPT THE THIS WEEK BY NBC
