>> most people trample flameout or drop out. >> i think this is the beginning of the end for donald trump. >> it is the beginning of the end. >> the beginning of the end. >> i will eat my hat if he is the republican nominee. john: happy 2016. cap down to the new year is finally over, and the countdown to iowa and beyond has begun. this month, you can expect major

speeches and big ads, and campaign surprises, before the caucuses on february 1. and what matters more than anything else in many ways is which candidate has the strongest closing argument. in the republican race we saw three top candidates make their bed today, including -- make their bid today. >> i'm donald trump and i approve this message. >> the politicians predict something else, but donald trump calls a radical islamic terrorism. that is why he is calling for a temporary shutdown of muslims entering the united states. will bite the head of isis and take their oil, and stop illegal immigration by building a war on our southern border that mexico will pay for. >> we will make america great again. mark: in new hampshire, two top

candidates put forward their own closing cases. >> i'm ready to unite our party. i'm ready to fight for our principles. than anyone in this race to protect the lives and security of the american people. i won in one of the toughest places to win, and i know better than anyone how to prosecute a case against hillary clinton. >> winning the commander-in-chief with a record of leadership and judgment. of all the candidates running i am the only one who has that record. governorwill have christie joining us -- which would do you think is the strongest? is maybe -- it is only the first day of the new year, but this is the easiest question. trump has the strongest closing argument. then it is the strongest because it is the most consistent. it cuts no corners. since the first day he has had

two phases -- stop illegal immigration, crush muslim immigration. center andront and he has taken a lot of feet but he has not backed down. mark: they strike emotional cords, and he reinforces them regularly. -- just ton a clear, anclear, this is not honorable campaign but it is a strong campaign. mark: it feels like a lot of people -- i'll tell you, christie's closing argument is also, i think, very strong. he takes all his strength and appeal to bring it together, and he does it with emotion. john: here's my problem with his closing argument. the core of it is we need a grown-up who can unite the party. he just isn't into with what the republican electorate so far has

demonstrated in the course of the year that it wants. mark: if there is no closing argument that can work, this is a cruz-trump race. but between bush, christie, rubio, and kasich, right now christie has the broadest argument. mark: the new year has already brought up some juicy stuff -- john: the new year has artie brought up a daisy chain of political attacks. ted cruz -- >> i like green eggs and ham. >> ted cruz is wonderful at reading children's fairytales from the senate floor. rick santorum spent his time in the senate a little differently. read at someone -- yoto bedtime story? cruz is your guy. you want to protect america? rick santorum is your president.

that was number one. number two, a super pac supporting ted cruz with its own negative spot, directed at marco rubio. >> i have to get this fantasy football thing right. [laughter] and now the rubio super pac ad -- guess who it is targeting? >> chris christie, a level energy lovering, medicare expanding president. john: there will be a lot of

weeks,ns in the coming and that should amount to the classic firing squad. let me show you what these think -- what you think these will tell us. mark: that everyone from the lowest ranking candidates to the very top will go after each other. i think you'll see cruz and rubio go after each other. there were a few negative ads late in the year. everybody said after years they would start the engines. tohink the key is you have be able to have your candidate reinforce the message, the ads alone will be too much clutter of us you are also driving the message. mine wrotefriend and to the new york squad about the firing squad element. all of these guys, second-tier candidates, are not shooting up, but shooting around at each other. consequencesof

when you get in these situations, who hits who, who t will bey fires -- tha the big story over the next month, especially if everyone continues to think it is not in their interest in the short term to go after trump. mark: i keep saying chris christie is the best brawler in american politics and it will be interesting to see that he has , andsomewhat holding back it will be fascinating to see how rubio takes it. john: we will show that super pac at. it is a laundry lis. t. everything that chris christie -- we will see a lot more. isk: tonight, donald trump in lowell, massachusetts. you may know lowell as the setting for the setting of "the fighter." while trump may have battled his way to the top, so far the

pattern from 2015 is holding during 2016. with a few exceptions, republicans are not eager to pick a fight with the front runner. here's ted cruz in iowa today. >> politicians he gave a certain way when they are panicking, and they engage in attacks, in personal attacks. that is human nature. i won't get drawn into the. -- into that. i will keep the focus on the issues that matter. so cruz called trouble politician. one person with i from the front runner is chris christie, who took a couple swipes at trump during the closing argument speech. >> there are many republican voters who are supporting what the media likes to call protest candidates like donald trump, ted cruz, or ben carson. showtime is over, everybody.

we are not electing an entertainer in chief. but it isp is fun, not the kind of leadership that will truly change america. if we are going to turn our frustration and anger with d.c. insiders to the politicians of yesterday and the carnival for somethingday, that will change american lives for the better, we must elect someone who has been tested. mark: we will ask him about that carnival barker line. they flicked at trump, but in the end, given that everybody is firing in different directions, who is the most likely, if anybody, to take on trump? john: what is most likely is christy, because he is doing it in a not very subtle way. my question is when he starts to take the gloves off.

trump is not afraid of christie at all for some of the reasons we refer to. i think the person who has the most interesting line of attack is cruz, who has laid off. if crispin comes out firing you will find a way to get back at cruz. mark: those are the two most likely. know what is effectively taking on trump. cruz has the resources and big political skills and kristi is such a great brawler and they both have an incentive to do it. john: and ted cruz get slammed from saying one thing, but ted cruz's bond israel. -- is real. i think it is the one place where he comes across as most like a phony, because no one really believes he is an evangelical in his heart or a god-fearing fellow. i think crews could take trump out on that score with that key voting block and cripple him there. mark: he has enough out in iowa

as he consolidates what he has. --t he might feel the need there is some body language there -- if trump comes after him that could be a place of defense. john: up next, bill clinton. the big dog is back on the campaign trail, and our conversation with governor chris christie after this quick 62nd break. break.econd ♪

mark: so far, the new year is looking a lot like the ne old year. clinton versus trump is not going anywhere. this morning, trump was as scathing as ever about bill clinton's history with the fairer sex, saying again that it was "fair game" after hillary

accused trump of sexism. >> she used the word sexist, i am sexist. she was using very derogatory terms. i said, how the hell can she do that when she has got one of the great women of users of all time sitting in her house? i don't care about monica lewinsky other than i think hillary was an enabler and a lot of things happened that were obviously very seedy. in new hampshire, bill clinton gave a newsletter speech on behalf of his wife. about theou feel kind of campaign donald trump is running? >> the republicans will have to decide if they are going to be nominated, but i think it is relevant -- john: ok, mark.

recentnton campaign in days has sworn that it would not back down in the face of trump's attacks. the question i have for you is what do you make of bill clinton's uncharacteristic restraint today? mark: i think trump will have to really escalate. this is not the fight that the clintons want to have, this is not how they want the campaign to be defined. they will try to find other ways to criticize trump but not engage. tvn: i said this morning on that i thought a lot of the issues around bill clinton were priced into the stock. a number of people approached me today and said, a lot of younger voters who barely remember the impeachment and certainly don't remember the other problems he an with women, we were in environment where these issues were more highly charged. bill clinton is a huge asset to his campaign, but he is also a

free radical. you never know what might strike a chord. i now agreed this is where they would like to settle, the we will see. mark: it is an trump's interest to keep it up. they attack him on the economy, the clintons will have to face the choice. if you want to fight with trump, generally a fight by his rules. good.ll the question is what happens after that. john: the obama administration is dealing with three very big challenges between saudi arabia and iran. his looming executive orders on gun control. and the standoff in oregon. which of these three is most likely to become the presidential campaign issue? mark: sadly, if it is the case that we continue to have mass shootings at the rate we had in

2015, and there is the reason to think that we won't, i think the gun issue -- if barack obama decides this is what he will do in 2016, this is his last act in politics, this could be a central issue. hillary clinton likes this issue. john: i think it would be huge general issue. in nomination, i think saudi arabia versus iran the breakout. -- could breakout. people will reflexively want to say anything iran does is bad, but their relationship is fraught, and some will say that this is a quagmire. there's -- it will also test people's abilities to be agile, even if it is not a question of disagreement. i think americans will want to say, who can speak to the complexity of all the vastness of saudi arabia versus thiran? mark: it does expose some of the cleavage in terms of republican

foreign-policy. the thing that makes it easier is that both sides -- there is no hero in the story. you are going to have to keep up with that development. not on republican has established themselves as a dominant figure. john: but i guarantee you we won't do that issue when we get to a general election. when we come back, the guy who has got the granite state talking -- chris christie joins us in just a few moments. ♪

mark: our first against the night is coming to us by a satellite from new hampshire.

governor chris christie of new jersey, thanks for making time for us. happy new year. >> thank you. john: the conflict in saudi arabia and iran is in the news. i want to ask you about saudi arabia. how would you evaluate their human rights record over the last five years? >> listen, i think their human rights record leaves something to be desired. the fact is that we have to work with them and other allies of ours to continue to express our concerns about things that butened in their country, it should not be the dominant factor in terms of what we talk about when we have even larger issues to deal with. yemen,duct of the war in how that will impact their ability to fight against isis, how we deal with syrian refugees, and other issues including breaking off to monetize with iran.

-- off of diplomatic ties with iran. john: when you say leave something to be desired, what are the specific practices you would characterize that way? i think generally what we find is that the treatment of women is not exactly what we would say here in the united states as acceptable. there are other examples as well. but there is no reason to go through a laundry list. the fact is that we need to work with our friends to make sure we have a positive influence on their human rights record from inside their own country, while not letting that dominate the geopolitical relationship we need to have. like a lotnor, you, of your republican rivals, are a large critic of the arabian regime. iranian regime.

one would think, given the executions, given the nature of the crime, that you them have problems with based on the crime. >> i have no sympathy. john: another quick question. if you were elected president, would you rip up the nuclear deal? >> i think that by the time i get to office in january, 2017, as is evidenced by the ballistic missile testing, that the agreement will be violated multiple times, and it will be worth the paper it is written on anyway. mark: governor, there is a lot of discussion with guns, in the context of president obama's executive actions that seem to be on deck. ask you about

your record on assault weapons. can you explain the evolution and how it took place? >> sure. the original position i took back well over 20 years ago have been influenced greatly by my time as a prosecutor. during that time, when i became focused on was dealing with criminals with guns, making sure that we spent the focus of our effort on getting criminals off the street who were using guns. i did it effectively when i was taking criminals off the street for at least five years. those are the kind of things you need to focus on across the urban and suburban areas. we don't need to be worrying as wecreating new laws try to take guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. very influenced my time as a prosecutor. john: in 2009, you said you were

moderate to last under control. is that still true? >> no, i don't think it is. at the time -- i don't know who i was comparing myself to -- but the fact is that my record in new jersey is very clear. since i have been governor of new jersey, i have vetoed the 50 caliber rifle ban. i vetoed the reduction of magazine limits. pardoned six out-of-state who were arrested in new jersey for having legally owned the handguns someplace else and carried it through new jersey. i think that is wrong in a party and those people. my record on gun issues in new jersey i think has been very clear. right from the beginning in 2010. it has been summed up in firm lines. your office that, put out a press release that touted new jersey's record on banningrol and promoted

sales of a specific type of assault rifle. how does that square with your general posture on the issue? >> that absolutely squares. the fact is that i have taken the steps i think are necessary to protect second amendment rights in new jersey. also to make sure that the public safety of the people in new jersey is protected. john: another topic in the news -- protesters armed in oregon. what would your message to those individuals be today? listen, there has to be a peaceful resolution. the balance you try to reach in situations like this, whether you are in law enforcement or the governor, is that the law has to be enforced and followed, but you also want to do so without the loss of life. there should be intense discussions and negotiations and listening amongst both sides of

this dispute right now to try and reach a peaceful resolution. that is what i have tried to do as governor, and others will most responsible people would try to do. it in the end, the law needs to be respected and enforced. john: standby, we will be back with more right after this. ♪

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john: we are back with governor chris christie of new jersey, who is in new hampshire right

now. speaking of new hampshire, governor, you're not doing too badly in the polls there these days. let me ask you this. name an issue where you are out of step with the base of the republican party. mr. christie: i don't think i am out of step with the conservative base. john: on not one issue? mr. christie: i don't know what you are looking for, but no, i am not going to go through a laundry list of things where you might think, or someone else might think i am out of step with the republican base. i am a conservative. i have been my whole life. i don't feel out of step. ck on past ba presidential nominees of either , at some each instance

point in their campaign, they challenged the base of their party even though they were largely in step with the base. i just wonder if there is some point at which you feel the base is wrong. you can say hey, i am in line with my party on most things, issue, i feel the base is wrong. mr. christie: i think you are looking for a sister soldier moment, which are kind of manufactured things. i have tried to lead the way on the issue of drug addiction. no longerct is, we need to be jailing first time, nonviolent, non-dealing drug offenders. we don't do that in new jersey anymore. we send them to mandatory drug treatment. need to get away from incarceration as the solution for nonviolent, non-dealing drug offenders. solid, strong

voice on that. we need to put families back together, make society more productive. getting people treatment for addiction, which i believe is a disease that needs to be treated, is something i have stepped out front on very early on in my time as governor and continue to push for. the first lady of new jersey has campaigned actively in new hampshire and elsewhere for you. i'm wondering what you think the standards should be for scrutiny of the positions, the financial public relations of spouses in this race. mr. christie: well, listen, my wife is a big girl and she understands that part of the package is that she is going to subject questions and to scrutiny. that is why we have released our tax returns, and seven years of

our tax returns before i became governor. now you have 12 years of tax returns out there on myself and my wife. is that myws wife for every one of those 12 years has earned more than me. if she is ready to be scrutinized about that, go ahead and ask your questions. very donald trump has been critical of bill clinton, for instance. i just wonder if you think that any spouse or spouses campaigning is fair game or if you think there is a line politicians should draw for each other, for spouses as opposed to candidates? mr. christie: i think you have to judge that individual by individual and circumstance by circumstance. i think that has to be judged on a case-by-case basis. pat hasly say that mary been used to getting scrutiny from the media in the new york, new jersey, philadelphia area,

and we will be used to getting scrutiny as i roll on towards the republican nomination. of criticismline in the personal nature of what donald trump is saying about bill clinton, is that fair game? is that something you might bring up in the context of running against hillary clinton? mr. christie: i think there are so many other problems that currently exist in our country. and opportunities to take advantage. i don't know that relitigating bill clinton's personal life is the most productive expenditure of time for the american people for moving our country forward. it's not something i would be all that interested in, but every candidate has to make their own judgment and then be ready for the scrutiny that comes back at them for the judgments they make. john: you made a speech in new hampshire. one phrase jumped off the page to my eye. "the carnival barker's of

today." who were you thinking of? mr. christie: a number of people. who are running for president and who are commenting on this race for president as members of congress and others, more about telling people what they think they want to hear rather than what they think they need to know. mark: who are you thinking of? mr. christie: if i wanted to name names during the speech i certainly would have. elaborate.ould you could tell it like it is right here. mr. christie: and i did. i told it like it was today in the speech. anybody who has trouble understanding that as somebody who has not been observing the race closely. john: it is being reported by national review that marco rubio is going to run two ads against you in new hampshire tomorrow.

i wish i had more details for you on that. what do you make of that development and of becoming negative ads presumably against you and others in this fight in the coming months. mr. christie: i wonder what happened to the marco who so indignantly look to jeb bush and set i guess somebody must have -- said i guess somebody must have convinced you that going negative against me helps you. stand byis, listen, i my record as governor in new jersey. it is a good one. we've had the greatest private-sector job growth that new jersey has had an 15 years, nearly cut unemployment and half. i think it's important that if senator rubio would shu show up for work every once in a while -- he only has one job. he has to cast votes in the united states senate.

if you thinks that is a worthless job, as he has said before, he should resign. to be clear,want it is a super pac supporting senator rubio, not the campaign itself. i know that distinction will not mean much. mr. christie: of course. mark: thank you. john: chris christie up in manchester, thanks from both of us. are we come back, we spicing things up cajun style with james carville and mary matalin.

is fair to sayt

that none of us have ever seen a candidate like donald trump. most remarkable, he is seemingly impervious to any of the fallout from things he says. the punditry predicted over and over again that trumps candidacy would unravel, but it didn't. take a listen. donald trump: they are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime, s, and some, it assume, are good people. >> donald trump isn't afraid to speak his mind, but this time, it could cost him. >> he is going to flame out. wax he is a top contender for the republican presidential nomination. herod trump: he is a war who was captured. i like people who weren't captured. >> has the donald trump shtick

run its course? with his comments about john it might have. >> i think this is the beginning of the end. >> the beginning of the end. >> i will eat my right hand if donald trump is the republican nominee. >> a new poll conducted after his remarks about john mccain still show him in first place at 19%. donald trump: there was blood coming out of her eyes. blood coming out of her wherever. >> red state organizers say this is the beginning of the end. >> i think this could be the beginning of the end for donald trump. >> two new polls have donald trump in the lead of the gop pack even after his recent controversial comments about foxnews anchor megan kelly. donald trump is calling for a total and complete

shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> many people think this controversy could be the last straw for donald trump. >> new evidence that donald trump's recent comments about muslims are not keeping his popularity from rising. >> he will probably flame out in the next 3-6 months. >> i don't think we are going to be talking about donald trump next month. he will flame out. >> he will flame out. >> like a roman candle, he will burn out. >> donald trump is going to flame out soon. >> every time the media predicts the end of donald trump, he gets stronger. >> you always wonder if he is about to go over the line, and he always seems to recover. >> the latest round of nonsense is going to destroy you candidacy, stop. >> i thought donald trump was going to self-destruct.

>> i am doubling down on my demise theory. he will be sitting in the oval office and i will still be predicting his demise. john: we promise to do better this year. coming up, james carville and mary mallon. we will be right back. -- mary matalin. we will be right back. ♪

john: what better way to start the new year than with two of our best friends, television or carville andmes mary matalin. thank you both for joining us from the big easy.

happy new year to you both. glad to see side-by-side. we want to get right into the race. mary, who would you say is the front runner or the front runners for the nomination? mary: well, is that a trick question? mark: no, straightforward. mary: trump is the front runner, but we have and then sin front of us. ted cruz is probably going to in front have events of us. ted cruz is probably going to win iowa. as you just noted, you all have been wrong the whole year. ofk: what is the universe people who can be nominated at this point? conventional wisdom is cold, trump is too -- donaldrubio is

trump is too hot, ted cruz is too cold, and marco rubio is goldilocks. james: ted cruz said about a -- i said about a year ago is the most talented politician i ever saw. he was goinglike to do it, but rubio is like brazil. brazil is a nation with a future and it always will be. rubio has to hurry up and get in the present ready soon. bunch ofjust showed a our fellow pundits getting it wrong last year. let me ask you this. if you have to stipulate a theory right now as to what would bring down donald trump, what would it be? be a: it's going to surprise, whatever it is, because everything in the cycle so far has been a surprise. i have a place on the

mississippi gulf coast, and i drove by the trump rally in biloxi, and it was late morning, early afternoon, and there were a gazillion people there. there were 15,000 people in the another 5000be outside. are those 20,000 people going to vote? i think the assumption is that he will come down, but a lot of he loses iowa, will that pierce his cloak of invisibility or something? but his support is pretty dog on deep. you have to admit that. a greatry, you are student of politicians weaknesses. if donald trump has an achilles heel, what is it? have one.

he can take himself out. what surprises me are two things, how everybody was surprised by him. it's not like mainstream conservatives have not been voice saying their preferences loudly. they are not the silent majority. they have been the screaming majority since 2009. we have more seats since the civil war. ist it manifested in trump not expected, but not a surprise. onehe candidates left, only really understood the trump phenomenon, and that's ted cruz. i think if there is an achilles heel, it's somebody who gets trump, and i will tell you who is not going to get him, bill clinton. he is catnip for the press and catnip for bill clinton. you watch his response mode. this is such an odd cycle that a man who bankrupted for companies is attacking a man who

balanced for better old budgets. -- a man who bankrupted four companies is attacking a man who balanced four federal budgets. you clarifycould what you are saying about trump and clinton, i didn't quite get your point? kicking off the new year with the h-bomb is going to put out her husband, right? no one has been able to trump taking them on. everybody thinks they are strong enough to combat him. the only guy who didn't take the bait is ted cruz. you think if bill clinton

takes trump on he will lose? jamesmary: i think it will be oe more fun thing to watch. because she is putting out her husband as her secret weapon. james: let me say this. donald trump bankrupted four companies. clinton takes trump on he will lose? james, on the democratic side, what are the odds that bernie sanders wins iowa and new hampshire? james: it's possible. mark: put some numbers down. james: 43.258%. mark: that high, or are you kidding around? i don't think it's a 50% chance, but there's a chance. and i tell you one thing. i will say this. hillary and her campaign take nothing for granted. they have run a good campaign and they are going to be in there plugging away, but bernie is going to be in there plugging away as well.

mary: she is to this campaign as insaid about george w. bush 1992, last year's calendar. she could dress up as catwoman and set herself on fire and she would still be a boring candidate. that would surprise you to that something could still happen in the democratic field. james: she may be boring, but she didn't bankrupt any companies. 2008, when hillary clinton barely lost the nomination to barack obama, was bill clinton a net liability or a net asset? ates: i think you could look it in one of two ways. i think this time he is going to be a net liability. i think he is going to be a good -- a good sarah

get -- surrogate. john: you said net liability, but i think you mean that -- net asset. dr. freud. james: is that what i said? mary: you said the truth. you don't want the rnc to run a clip of you saying net liability, right? you mean net asset. an asset or liability in 2008? james: i think it was mixed but more on the asset side. mary: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. mark: you think he will be a liability to her in this campaign. is that right, mary? the reasons.r all it's her campaign.

for the things that -- what i just said. he cannot -- he will not be able .o resist trump trump is going to attack him, and it also is going to be the for undermining hillary's base of support, which is women. she brought this on herself. we all knew she would play the woman card. no unanticipated she would play the abused woman card, and that just sets it up. bill: what is it about clinton's presidency that really gets to republicans? the piece or the prosperity -- or the prosperity? mark: mary is going to ponder that original line that she has never heard before. we thank you both for being here. we will be right back.

♪

john: tomorrow, you will be looking live at bernie sanders as our guest on the program. right now, check out our 2016 campaign tracker for all the latest political news. have stories about donald trump and ted cruz. you could listen to us on 99.1 fm in washington, d.c. until tomorrow, sayonara. ♪

emily: i am emily chang and you are watching "bloomberg west." obama is defending his

plans to go around congress to tighten the nation's gun control restrictions. after meeting with attorney general loretta lynch and other officials, the president said his actions are within legal authority. expressing regret over to attacks on saudi arabia and diplomatic missions. iran says it will prosecute those responsible. from protestsem over the execution of a prominent cleric over the weekend. employees are back at a san bernardino regional center more than a month after the massacre that killed 15 people there. few workers have been to the office since the killings, other visits to gather belongings. the actual conference center where the shooting happened will remain closed. bill clinton is campaigning for