JOHN DICKERSON (HOST) Can Donald Trump unite the Republican party? Joining us now are key conservatives. Jennifer Rubin is the author of the Washington Post's Right Turn, Dr. Russell Moore is the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Leslie Sanchez is a Republican strategist and a contributor to our digital news network CBSN, and Matt Schlapp is chairman of the American Conservative Union. Jennifer I want to start with you. You wrote or you said that this was the worst week of the GOP's existence. 

JENNIFER RUBIN: Yes.

DICKERSON: Why?



RUBIN: It's about to come apart. And the lines are not necessarily only ideological. What is interesting is that you have in support of Donald Trump very conservative, very moderate, so-called establishment, non-establishment figures, and you have the same ideological mix very much opposed to him. And that, I think, is because fundamentally the problem with Donald Trump is not ideological. Yes it is huge. Yes it is vast, but it is really fundamentally an issue of character. When people look at Donald Trump and they see how he treats women, they see his views on foreigners, they see his lack of personal self-control, his meanness. Just this week, he was back lying again saying he'd had extensive conversations with Marco Rubio about being vice president. Never spoke to him. He said he had called Paul Ryan after the New York primary to congratulate him, never happened. And it's those fundamental character issues that many Republicans cannot and will never get past. 

DICKERSON: Matt, how do you see it?



MATT SCHLAPP: Well I guess the Hillary Clinton brigade is going to run on morality and character, which I think is going to be an awfully tough lane for them. Obviously your husband was impeached, she's been under investigation from the FBI. She is somebody who's been caught in scandal after scandal after scandal. What I would say to Jennifer and others is that, get real. You know, we often criticize Democrats for running on their emotion and thinking on their emotions and we Republicans, we're supposed to think about just the facts. Here are the facts. In America we elect Democrats or Republicans to the presidency and you have to make a choice. You don't get to have your perfect candidate. We did that, we had 17 of them. Now we have our candidate. Is he better or worse philosophically than Hillary Clinton? You can make the argument, but people aren't going to go with you on that. He is clearly for conservatives the better choice.

RUBIN: He's not, he's unfit for the office. And you first have to look at --



SCHLAPP:  The Constitution doesn't say that.

RUBIN: He is unfit. He believes that we should sprinkle nuclear weapons around Europe and the Far East. He believes we don't have to stand by the sovereign debt of the United States. He is unfit. And Republicans do have a chance and a choice. And that's why this arrogant attitude that you have to be with me because I won the states is wrong. First of all, they have the choice to stay home. Secondly they have a choice to form a third party and I would say, John, that it is much more possible than many in the media believe to launch a third party candidate.

Previously:

Anti-Trump Conservatives Have Public Meltdown After Trump Takes Indiana Primary

UPDATED: 20-Plus Conservative Pundits Who Have Vowed Not To Support Trump If He's The Nominee

George Will: Republicans Must Keep Trump Out Of The White House Even If He's The Nominee