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primary. i am chris hayes along with rachel, joe, mark, stephanie, and alex, and ari. it is now nine pm on the east coast, if you are just joining us. donald trump has won yet another decisive victory in an early nominating contest. although, still there is a question as to whether he will sweep all 50 of the states available delegates. for her part, nikki haley made good on her word to not drop out during her concession speech. we now expect her to compete participating in contests, at least through super tuesday next month. haley's night reiterating her promised to hold the line, as the only significant republican opposition to trump. and she noted that while she has not yet gotten a majority of votes in the state, the minority of republican primary voters who prefer to trump is not an insignificant voting bloc. >> today in south carolina, we are getting around 40% of the vote.

[applause] that's about, that's about what we got in new hampshire to. [applause] i'm going to count it. i know 40% is not 50%. [laughter] but i also know, 40% is not some tiny group. [applause] [crowd chanting] [crowd chanting] there are huge numbers of voters in our republican primaries, who are saying they want an alternative. [applause]

i said earlier this week that no matter what happens in south carolina, i would continue to run for president. [applause] i'm a woman of my word. [applause] >> here, uproarious, reception, rachel in that room. as lawrence noted not the kind of -- sort of vibe that you usually get, in the room on the night that the candidate has lost by double digits. >> yeah, i mean to hear the crowd go crazy when she said, we've got a 40% of the vote tonight. crowd goes nuts. and, and i told you i wasn't going to drop. out yet, we are bolstering you. and i'm a woman on my word, i am not dropping out, the crowd

goes crazy. i mean, nikki haley is not winning, nikki haley is not even closely chasing donald trump for the nomination of the republican party. but, she has a reason to be running, she has enthusiasm for people who, from people who support her, who know exactly why she is running. she has donors up the wasn't. she has a very well funded campaign, she just spent a ton of money in south carolina. but she's got donations coming in, in a way that is absolutely -- for a presidential campaign right now. and most importantly, she has irrational for saying in, that has nothing to do with the winning the future contests. so, it's not like oh, you didn't win the michigan caucus on march 2nd, now are you going to drop out? i just don't think that feels like a rational way of approaching the question of nikki haley right now. nikki haley is running, as we have been describing tonight, to show the weakness of donald trump, as a republican nominee for president. to give the republican party pause about really putting him back up at the top of the ticket. and maybe they are going to want her instead, but if he is trying to run effectively as an incumbent presidential candidate, you can't lose 20% to somebody else in iowa, and 40% in new hampshire, and 40% in south carolina, and, and, and. you just can't, it's not a good

look. >> that point there about her, there is not this kind of drumbeat that would usually be happening at this point. when are you going to drop out, when are you going to drop out? what's next? she's very deftly defusing that. because again, she set the par for, at your point, it's sort of internal rationale for what the campaign. and i want to go now to headquarters where we have nbc news correspondent ali vitali, who was there in that room, and is currently with a haley supporter. ali? >> yeah, i think you guys are exactly right. to talk about this almost as a crusade of principle right now, for nikki haley, as opposed to one of political victory. it's clear that she's got a long shot here. but if you looked around this room, i think you are right to point out that there is no sense of misery in a loss.

this is what they expected to happen, and it's exactly why i have supporters like brittani, who are next to me, saying that she should continue fighting. i mean, you know capitol hill, that's where we first met. and i'm sure you know republicans who are basically foot tapping her out of the door, saying hey, let's end this. i know those republicans too. why is it a good thing that she is saying it right now -- >> well you know, i think that 70% of americans don't want a trump-biden matchup. i think that we saw 40% of republicans are tired of the way that trump brings the chaos, and the way that he is leaving our country. so we need something new, something fresh, and nikki haley brings that leadership. >> i wonder, as i think about nikki haley staying in. you are also a part of a group of women, as i was standing in this room, who were very loud, lending to exactly the mood that chris and rachel in the rest of our panel are talking about. there are women fueling this campaign on the ground. >> i am so proud to be part of that group, voting for nikki.

you are absolutely right, we are loud and proud. i went to iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina. the reason that he coming back is because of nikki haley. i voted for nikki, and it's a testimony for who she is as a leader, that these incredible accomplished women want to support. or -- >> it's the idea to that you are willing to brave negative 40-degree temperatures. because i sure as heck would not have been door knocking that kind of weather. >> but the reality is here to, it does not seem that she can win here. so, how do you keep saying it's okay for the party to have a candidate staying in, and kind of digging the guy who is likely to be the nominee? >> well you know, i don't think 40% is anything to talk about, that is a lot of people.

not to mention, a lot of republicans have become independents, that's because it's donald trump. how do we welcome back those folks in the party? he is not going to be able to do that. he is doing terribly with women, he is doing terrible with independents to. she attracts those kind of people to the party, and we're not we -- want to be a big umbrella republican party, if you want to win in november, that he has got to stay. and >> yeah, and that's the argument i have heard mates only times, the idea that her electability in a general is better. i think my last question for you is, as somebody who knows politics, and knows what we talk about with down ballot races, and the impact that a presidential candidate could have on senate races, house races. you know it's a house majority that supertight, probably better than almost anybody, having worked for the former

speaker. what does it mean if you have trump at the top of that ticket? >> well i think you see at the rnc, they are absolutely bankrupt. laura trump has said that any penny is going to go towards donald trump. what does that mean for our data -- that means that they are not going to be able to have the support of the rnc, where the traditionally have the -- so i think it's important that we get away from this chaos, move towards something that is more regular, and normal. and that is going to lead our country in a better path. >> brittani, thank you so much for sticking around and chatting with us. and guys, before i toss about to you, i think the one thing that i would say is, what i have learned over the course last few months is believed nikki haley when she says she is staying in. i mean, she layed this out at the beginning of the week, she is now following through, saying she is in for michigan -- and of course through super tuesday. so, i am certainly not canceling any of my many, many flights across the country, at least not yet, because it is clear in talking to her senior staff, and of course talk to the candidate, that she is in this until at least super tuesday. and maybe at that, point it will be a natural reassessment. but she really wants to stay in and provide alternative, -- >> all right, nbc's ali vitali at haley headquarters. for now, she will be on a flight soon, i imagine. wrapping up those concurrent -- joining us now is former missouri senator claire mccaskill, now coast of the msnbc podcast, how to win 2024. and a former rnc chairman michael steele, now the coast of the week and regear on msnbc. so, i want to get a sort of top line take away from each of you, before we wrap tonight. clare, your thoughts? >> well, it has been a long time since i had heard a national republican on a stage trying to be inspirational. aspirational, uplifting, and

unifying. >> and you notice there were no -- in that room. and, she has figured out something pretty basic, and that is that those voters who are low information voters, who are going to make up their mind at the very end, they are going to be drawn to a candidate who is not like donald trump, trashing america, trashing americas institutions, figuring out how to divide us, figuring out how to play just to grievance. and i think every day's she stays in the, race i have to agree, i think it helps joe biden, because it reminds all of his voters that are not base voters, that there is an alternative to that negativity. >> michael, what do you think? >> yeah, i think that a lot of what we heard tonight is true about the state of what the campaign is for nikki. but i am sorry, as a former chairman, i am looking at the practical reality of running a race for the presidency of the united states, and if i'm a national chairman, regardless of if you are a trump person or not, you've got the start thinking about how this bleeds into april and may, as you are getting ready for your convention. so there are a lot of practical

applications, of what the party needs to do. irrespective of where the candidates are. which is why you hear some folks inside the rnc, who are not necessarily trump supporters, saying okay nikki, yeah, we really appreciate it, but there are other considerations here. taking that aside, and putting it someplace else for the moment, i think what nikki has done is she's changed a little bit of that conversation around what is possible. but still, you are left with the practical reality that after super tuesday, then what? you are 17 to 101. this 40% that everybody is talking about, let's keep in mind, it's because independents and democrats are allowed to vote in these primaries. up until march 15th, most republican primaries are some form of open. and that makes a big difference, in the turnout, and who is voting, not necessarily the case afterwards. >> yeah, that is sort of putting a lantern on that super tuesday, it's key. because she has -- clear mccaskill, michael steele, as always thank you both, really

appreciate it. ari, your thoughts? >> i mean i hear michael, i guess i think it's both, right. i think if the prism is counting the delegates, and your a campaign professional, then sooner or later it's hard to see the math. but if you're taking that broader view, and both can coexist, lawrence has reminded us a multiple nights that history is instructive. wanting to have the benefits of the white house, and say you are the one who has won before, and you are basically the president, and the party should get in line, and everybody should react to that. but you are not holding up anything close to incumbents numbers. >> donald trump always tells us about his greatest fears, by announcing them. and the thing that sticks out to, me about the afternoon of all this, is trump getting up -- the party is unified like never before. and, that is the thing that he is most scared about in this instance. the party is not unified. >> and also whether the money continues. which again as we said, that really is the big question. because you can't really do it, unless it does continue. >> my take away for the night

is that joe biden won the night. donald trump decisively won south carolina, that is who joe biden wants to run against. and nikki haley pulled between 30 and 40% of the voters, who are not voting for nikki haley policies, they were voting against donald trump. >> you know, i agree with that, that it's a big winning night for the biden harris ticket going forward. there is only one exit poll question that matters in the rest of these republican contests, and that is to haley voters, how many of you will not vote for donald trump? that is the only exit poll question we need, exit pollsters, make sure you get that. one final observation, which i saved for last, because it is the least likely. a lot of speculation about why is nikki haley staying in here.

this is the least likely, it happens once in a great while. she could be doing it because it's the right thing to do. [laughter] that is one of the possible reasons. i've seen it, it is rare. that could be what you are seeing here. >> audible reaction from the panel. i mean, at that thought. joy? >> if i am the joe biden campaign tonight, i am going to be doing a deep dive into the 40% of not just south carolina voters, who won about four in ten of all three of these contests going forward, going back to iowa. who have rejected donald trump, who is running effectively as an incumbent president, but who could not manage to clear more than about six in ten republican voters, particularly in the most evangelical, 92% white electorate in the first three contests. and that means south carolina. i'm going to do a deep dive on them, because as lawrence has said earlier, joe biden doesn't need all of them. he needs three to 5% of them, to say that donald trump is so unacceptable, not only do they prefer nikki haley in the primary, they would rather have joe biden than donald trump in

the general. that's it, i'm looking at her voters, i'm studying them. if i'm the biden campaign, he definitely won the night tonight. >> rachel? >> the number than i am thinking about tonight's 400 and $54 million. because trump only has 30 days to put that up, the bond for that. before letitia james starts taking trump tower, or taking -- wall street, or taking his other buildings. and, we are talking about how trump wants everything to be unified. he wants to look at the rnc, he wants to get those joint fund raising operations under his own control. a lot of that is driven by what is now a very, very, urgent need for a ton of money from him. and that opens up, among other things, a big new line for

nikki haley, to condemn him for his corruption, in terms of why he is running in the way he is running the way he is. and that's soon, that's, now that's the next 30 days. >> a two-person race for republican nomination continues, as you saw. and so does msnbc's special coverage, right after this quick break. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ as the world keeps moving, help prevent covid-19 from breaking your momentum. you may have already been vaccinated against the flu, but don't forget this season's updated covid-19 shot too.

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republican held district in south carolina, it's the least conservative, it's the most moderate in terms of its electorate, it has different types of voters that we've seen nikki haley appealing to in polling in previous states, suburbanites, college graduate, -- an area rich with democratic and independent voters. she's been trying to get the turnover in bed in the republican primary, this is the kind of area that's probably rich with that kind of voter, at least potentially. so right now, you can call this up on the screen i, think you can see this is the first district in here, and you see the component counties. this is a very close race. it's razor-thin. it's about 500 votes separating donald trump and nikki haley. and the biggest outstanding piece of real estate -- i want to show you buford county. but buford county is the most outstanding source of votes right now in the first district. we got a lot of it in. and as i said it is razor-thin right now. so very well what could decide

this first district is beaufort county. this is where hilton head is. and you see nikki haley's new 12 points here. and two things, we are not quite sure where the final vote total is going to be. we are estimating right now that is 41%. but these are estimates, based on what we expect the vote total to be, coming into this. as we've seen results come in from elsewhere, this number can change, in terms of the estimated votes. but it may come down, in terms of the number of votes that are left here. we have seen donald trump, as what they are counting up right now, is the votes who were cast today. the election day vote. we've seen trump in beaufort and elsewhere in the state, doing better with the election day vote, then he did with the advanced vote, the early vote. so the question really is, his number is improving, slightly, but it's taking up with each update we are getting in beaufort county. how much voters left there? because if there's a substantial amount and trump is doing well with, it he can win the first district but if there

isn't a -- in this kind of margin holds for nikki haley, she may end up picking off the first congressional district. if she does, she would walk away with three delegates. but again, this is not the biggest shift in the world. it will go from 50 to nothing for trump, if he were to in the first. and if we go to 47 to 3 for trump, if haley were to win the first. but the other significance of that is when you look at, because haley obviously reiterated tonight she is in this through super tuesday. there are a lot of states that don't do it, but some states do, this like south carolina on super tuesday, where they awarded by congressional district. and within those states, there are some districts that demographically resemble the first congressional district. so, if she could end up winning the first congressional district, and she is going ahead with her candidacy, there are some other districts she could potentially pick off, and pick some delegates up from. and even some of the states still to come, vermont is still to come. it's not a state, but the district of columbia is still to come. minnesota is a super tuesday state, these are places that are open primaries, much like

south carolina. and you have demographically some of the characteristics you are seeing in the first district. so if she were to win the first i think, for her campaign, in terms of a source of hope. it would mean, maybe that means you could take a vermont. maybe it means could take a d. c.. maybe that means you could pick off a bunch of congressional -- just a handful of congressional districts, and get delegates that way. in the grander scheme of things though, donald trump is getting the overwhelming share of the delegates out of south carolina. tonight, no question about it. and that is going to be true, it would appear, based on this pattern, if the pattern we have seen in south carolina and new hampshire and iowa continues, where the core republican vote just so strongly behind trump, and is really only the independents and the democrats, or nikki haley is making the deep inroads. when you look at super tuesday, there are a lot of states that have closed primaries. california chief among them, only republicans can vote. it's winner-take-all. if you get a simple majority in the state, you get all 169 delegates. so, there are a lot of places, most of the places on that

super tuesday map, give out delegates either winner-take- all, or close to winner-take- all. and obviously, just given donald trump's strength with core republican voters, he can rack up huge, huge, huge numbers of delegates on super tuesday. with this story in the first congressional district suggests that haley could pick off a small piece of the deligate by on super tuesday. but nothing, unless something -- we're just to dramatically and completely changed, nothing that would shift the trajectory of the overall race. >> steve kornacki, the man, the myth, the legend. thank you so much for being with us. now let's go to our reporters on the ground in south carolina. nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard is at trump headquarters in columbia. ali vitali is at haley headquarters in charleston. vaughn, let's start with you. the former president, he has already made his victory speech, what did he have to say? >> right, rhetorically speaking here, donald trump has moved on. while he acknowledged that there are still contests to be had, he did not mention nikki haley, or the fact that he even

had an opponent at this point. on stage here tonight, which of course is a far cry from the donald trump that we are used to. and i can tell you, i talked to lindsey graham, the senator from south carolina, just before donald trump's remarks. and he told me that it is time for the republican party to unify, and look towards joe biden -- in fact i talked to marjorie taylor greene here this afternoon, at a polling location. she told me that donald trump should ignore nikki haley completely, and view her as not all and void, and not a figure in this race. and, if you're looking at it from the trump team's perspective, they believe that they are going to be able to hit the delegate threshold come march 19th. and there is a reality, a difficult reality for nikki haley. who and that is the fact that it is not just south carolina voters that were voting in the primary today, but the 24 different states that are holding primaries between now and march 19th, that day that the trump team believes he will get the delegate threshold, the

mail ballots in early voting has already begun. in 24 states. and so, this is a moment in which nikki haley has to change the trajectory of this race. and frankly, the donald trump team and allies, they say they have no fears or concerns about where this race is headed. and they feel good knowing that come this upcoming tuesday, march 5th, that you're gonna have more than a dozen states voting. and they feel like they are going to be able to walk away on march 5th, in a strong position if nikki haley were to continue to try to keep this race going for however long that she deems necessary for a cause. >> ali, what are you hearing at the haley headquarters? what is the mood there like right now? >> look, if you didn't know anything about this race, and you only listened to what happened in this room tonight, you would have heard a very exciting group of people cheering about getting 40%. i know that doesn't make sense, in terms of political victory, or political strategy. but given the fact that the haley team always knew they

were going to lose here, they are happy to tout the fact that they lost with 40% of the vote. which, as haley said, as advisers have said to me, that's not what you should be getting. you if you are the quasi- incumbent candidate in this race. they take the point that they know the odds, but they also take the point that they know the stakes. they have concerns about the role that trump would play for down ballot races, for his electability potential against president joe biden. for all of those reasons, and nikki haley enumerates them often, including tonight, but for all of those reasons, they are staying in this race. and haley has made this clear consistently. when no matter what happened tonight, she was going to wake up on sunday morning and still be a presidential candidate, still be flying to michigan. as i told chris hayes, i'm not canceling any of my flights, because she is still promising to stay in this through super tuesday. and i've got to tell you, there are a lot of those flights. i am going to be earning my frequent flyer miles, because she's going to try to touch as many hands in the super tuesday states as she possibly can. i will say a note about south carolina. because one of the things that have also been tracking is the not so sexy point about delegates, in how you earned

them. it's not sexy, but as all of you guys know, that's how you actually become the nominee. if i could borrow a steep map and do not as good a job as he does, but the math that he just had above south carolina, pointing to that area around beaufort and charleston county, that first district of south carolina specifically. it's really important that haley be able to win in a district. a, for the psychological effect of it, just knowing that that entire map is not trump red. but b, south carolina's first district right there, were beaufort's, and where charleston is, blessedly we have been spending a lot of time there. and i say blessedly, both for the food scene and for the vibe. as vaughn knows, he has been jealous that i have been down there. but also because this is the area where it makes sense for nikki haley to spend her time and campaign. this is an area where she was able to help the congressional candidate, nancy mace, when in a really tough race. of course, mace has now endorsed trump, something that is not lost on haley, or congresswoman mace, in my conversations with them. we also spent some time down in

beaufort, a lot of time down in north augusta, it is the very southern tip point of the state. it makes sense that that is where haley was spending her time, because although their delegate strategy was going to be a tough slob, they are only going to net three of the strategy worked. it is a way for them to say that they did come out with delegates. i will make one more quick point though, which is that i covered a candidate who had a delegate strategy of just picking them off where they could. and that was the elizabeth warren campaign. and we know that they didn't get the nomination either. >> all right, vaughn hillyard, and ali vitali, thank you both very very much. enjoy the food, because it's good, especially where you are. [laughter] ahead, the issues that fueled south carolina voters to the polls. and, what all of this means for democrats. our coverage continues, next. which kept coming and going, i shouave gone to the doctor. instead, i tried to let it pass. if you experience irregular heartbeat,

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♪ ♪ ♪ i'm not giving up this fight, when a majority of americans disapprove of both donald trump and joe biden. [applause] south carolina has spoken. we are the fourth state to do so. in the next ten days, another 21 states and territories will speak. they have the right to a real choice. [applause] >> welcome back to msnbc's coverage of the south carolina

republican primary. joining us here in the studio now is political strategist maya rupert, who served as a senior adviser to -- campaigns. i believe she was julian castro's campaign manager. olivia troye is here, a former homeland security councilor and counterterrorism -- to former vice president mike pence. okay, so, i mean first, they called this very quickly. we knew it was happening, given the numbers. just so we are all clear on the numbers, donald trump won about 73% of republicans, to nikki haley's 26% of republicans. when it comes to independents, donald trump won about 43% of independents, actually. nikki haley won about 54%. i didn't see a huge swath of black voters swinging to nikki haley, and the democrats. >> do you mean the sneaker -- >> or donald, trump the democrats are not coming out to

the woodwork. my, what was happening? >> i mean, i am shocked, i am shocked that the sneakers didn't work. no, i mean look listen, i think that the idea that there was going to be some new swath of black voters, that we're going to donald trump, but in general defecting, i think that has been overblown. i think there is obviously a lot of very cynical people who have been trying to say that the republicans some how have a strategy around black voters, that the democrats don't have, that democrats have been taken for granted. but i think look, we are looking at people who have records, right. the black community has seen what donald trump did, and they are voting accordingly. we have record low unemployment for black people in the country under joe biden. people see what is happening, or these policies actually mean. and the votes that we are seeing reflect that. >> olivia, i am just very curious your take on that one moment in nikki's speech, where she leveled up and emphasized the 40%. and my take was okay, as 40%,

there's more to that number than meets the eye. because, a lot of what simone just laid out, or that 40% was comprised of was not just a straight-up republican vote. what does that say about the rest of this primary? we know republican primaries close officially around the 15th of march. but right now, they can be open with democrats and independents can play. is that really what she is banking, on to sort of push her through to super tuesday at this point? >> yeah, i mean i think that's likely the strategy, to get democrats and independent voters to come out and vote for insanity, and the republican primary. and right now, that is nikki haley. and i think the reality is, today, south carolina told us in iowa, what new hampshire, what they have told us as well. that the republican primary voters want donald trump. right, and i think that she is pushing a boulder up the hill, trying to overcome that. and she is presenting an image that she wants the republican party to coalesce around, but that party isn't there. they are not backing someone like a nikki haley, they are saying we want more donald

trump. whether it's grift, whether it's racism, whether it's the crimes that he comes with. that doesn't seem to face any of these people. and so when i look at nikki haley, and she is touting the 40%. look, i'm happy to see that number. and to all the democrats out there and independents that came out, because they were voting against trump, thank you. we are going to need those votes when it comes to the november election. that's where i'm focused on, right there. i am -- we are going to need those votes to go to biden, if it is trump. and i don't think that, my biggest worry is, i don't want those votes to potentially go to a third party. >> well, later on to the many warnings nikki elie has issued about donald trump. she is trying to make an argument, my, about his electability, in a general election. that very clearly did not land with these voters. eight in ten voters in this state -- say that donald trump -- if he is nominated, is likely he will defeat joe biden. compare and contrast to me the numbers you saw from joe biden

in the south carolina primary, and what you saw tonight for donald trump. >> sure. i mean, the democratic primary, what we saw was an overwhelming victory for joe biden. he won over 95% of the vote. all right, so you didn't have a night of him giving awkward speeches about the unification on the democratic party. because he didn't have to. he showed the unification of the democratic party. these, the campaign that he has won, i think, he hasn't spent a lot of time saying people shouldn't be in a primary -- he is running his campaign, and we are seeing the. -- >> the fact that -- or any of the other folks. >> i'm curious to that point, if i could simone, if i could just piggyback on that. what happens to robert kennedy, and others in the race that are still there. do they just somehow fade out? or, is there a point were it just comes to an end?

>> i mean look, i think that these are two people, biden and trump, who could not be a more different situation when it comes to other -- because, what you see, the conversations that are happening with rfk junior and anybody else, it's, what's the upside? is there any path? what am i trying to do? when you have someone who has the popularity, and is having the success that joe biden is

having, that's a very different calculus, then when you look at someone like nikki haley, and what she is saying basically is look, donald trump is basically running as an incumbent. and, he can't unify the vote. that means he is historically weak, he is deeply unserious. and, there's an argument to stay in a race like that, that doesn't exist on the democratic side. they said tonight, voters should have a choice, not have a choice taken away from them. >> she said soviet, and i was like, come on now. i was like, okay, we're reaching but, all right. i took a sip on that.

but bernie sanders one down. it was to the point where bernie had a real see at the table. we talk about nikki haley get 3 delegates out in south carolina. at the end of the day, she might end up endorsing donald trump won is all said and done. >> i heard you make the general election pitch to voters, olivia, but what do you say to republican voters who are still looking at donors, is this where the time is spent? maybe it is, i don't, know i kn was never a republican strategist. >> i will say, while this is a situation in the primary, i think we need to fight until the very end. at this point, i would say, nikki haley, you're right, stay in, make him continue to spend money. keep pounding the message about what he stands for. talk about how he supports putin. talk about how he does not stand by with ukraine.

talk about what it is you're getting with his brand, because, thactually, at the end of the day, it actually does help the biden campaign, because you are delivering the message to people in your party, saying, this is what this brand is. they really want that to be the continuation of the republican party? we will continue to lose the way we have, cycle after cycle, with donald trump at the helm. is that what you want? granted, you are correct. she is not going to garner support along the way. i would be surprised if she got anything along the way. but you know what, i think that message supported coming from nikki haley. i am glad if she is willing to stay there and be the person to deliver it, then more power to hurt her. but while she flip? >> olivia, hold that thought. olivia dropped a bomb. you guys are not going ng

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with nurtec odt, i can treat a migraine when it strikes and prevent migraine attacks, all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. ask about nurtec odt. south carolina republican primary coverage, with maya -- rupert sorry, and olivia -- only had one drink tonight. [laughter] is here with. us thank you for being a part of the conversation. i wanted to go back to the flip on the script that you. did so, what do you have, what do you think is going to happen, say nikki gets to that

party and she goes okay, i give it up? does she flip? >> do you think >> quite honestly in this republican party, if you want a future, i think she does flip. and i think it reminds me of chris christie, when he was dropping out, and people were pressuring him. are you going to endorse, or are you going to back her? i never forgot these words, because like -- i get pressure for some of my former colleagues, on why are you not so vocally supporting nikki haley. and what he said was, should she turn around endorsed donald trump? what would you then think about me, if i it turned around and endorsed nikki haley? because here i am beating the drum, taking a stand again, taking the hits from them every single day. the one person that didn't waver, he kept doing it right. so, what does that say about me when i backer? and i think about that all the time, and it's really all about principle. right, you and i, we think

about the republican party and what it stands for and how they betrayed themselves. and i think that's what bothers me right now about the republican brand overall, is that i watch her? do i want to support nikki haley, absolutely. i used to adore her, as a young republican, she was a star in their publican party, a woman, later but. there's always that possibility and she has waffled. she start off this campaign pretty much backing donald trump. now, she has come out more forcefully against him. and i appreciate that, but again, i've watched all of these people come out, take a stand, stand forcefully, only to fall back in line. >> and she waffled on everything -- abortion, all of the things. >> she raised her hand, and

that for me is the trigger on the endorsement. >> remember that, yes because then the press comes back and says oh, really you raise your hand and said you would endorse -- and so are you endorsing him? and so that's the problem with a moment like that. on the stage, when to your point, you aren't -- in where you want to. be we've >> got about a minute left, but i want to make sure we look at this exit poll around a national abortion ban. remember, these are gop primary voters in south carolina. 54% saying they favor, 41% saying they oppose. anything about that surprise you? >> i mean look, i think that that's definitely out of step with what we see a voters saying nationwide. and i think this is one of those moments, that really, the republican party is going to need to make a decision about what it wants its identity to be. you have donald trump, who has been begging for credit, for appointing the justices that cost us roe v. wade, and those protections. and we are seeing right now in realtime, the impact of what happens when we lost that constitutional right. not just in the abortion bans we've seen across the country, but the conversation right now

around -- and, donald trump is somehow trying to say he can take credit for losing roe v. wade, but he supports eye -- that outcome was completely predictable. and so, i think what voters need to show is that if this is not something that they support, lay the responsibility for it squarely at the feet of the person who is asking for that responsibility. >> maya rupert, olivia troye, what a treat to have you both with us. thank you so much, we have more special coverage of the south carolina republican primary. we are gonna take a quick break. and we'll be right. back and we'll be right. back

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