karly fiorina. you can watch it on the foxx news channel at 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. i'm chris wallace in for bill o'reilly. the spin stops right here because we're looking out for you. 24 hours after the first republican presidential debate and the verdict is officially in chts it fs a record breaker. welcome to the kelly file. i'm meghan kelly. the whirlwind in cleveland ohio that culminated with remarkable ideas and what proved to be the highest rated cable news program of all time. now that the dust has settled and the voters have had time to process what the candidates said we want to drill down past the first impressions and explore who has the best chance against hillary clinton should she win the democratic nomination. we'll also discuss the other woman making big headlines today, carly fiorina as well as

another breakout candidate who is suddenly being talked about as a contender for the top prize. plus we'll be joined by dr. ben carson and ask him what it was like on the other side of the lectern. i'll give you an exclusive behind the scenes look at my experience there getting ready for this debate including the story of why yours truly almost did not make it to that debate at all. we've got an exclusive kelly file panel of republican voters and political experts. before we do let's readvice the a couple of key moments from last night. >> our leaders are stupid. our politicians are stupid and the mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cutting and they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them. >> i'm a different kind of republican. i've introduced a five-year balanced budget. i've introduced the largest tax

cut in our history. i've stood for 10 1/2 hours on the senate floor to defend your right to be left alone. >> it's time that we recognize the supreme court is not the supreme being and we change the policy to be pro life and protect children instead of rip up their body parts and sell them like they're parts to a buick. >> i acknowledge that. i said i actually listen to the american people and i think people across america who want a leader who's actually going to listen to them nkts if you're looking for someone to go to washington to go along to get along, to agree with the career politicians in both parties, who get in bed with the lobbyists and special interests, then i ain't your guy. >> we need to give everybody a chance treat everybody with respect and let them share in this great american dreemp that we have. >> senator paul the hugs that i remember are the hugs that i gave to the families who lost their people on september 11th.

those are the hugs that i remember and those had nothing to do -- and those had nothing to do with politics. >> knowing what we know now with faulty intelligence and not having security being the first priority when we invaded, it was a mistake. i wouldn't have gone in. >> i'm looking very much to demonstrating that in fact the thing that is probably most important is having a brain and to be able to figure things out and learn things very rapidly. >> if i'm our nominee, how's hillary clinton going to lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck? i was raised paycheck to paycheck. if i'm our nominee we will be the party of the future. joining me now our panel of voters with their verdict. welcome to you all. >> thank you. >> i want to do something akin to what frank luntz. the star going into last night's debate donald trump. how many people liked donald trump before last night's debate? how many people like him now?

oh so he won over some people interesting. let me start with you, rachel. why did you like him? why do you like him now? >> i think he stayed true to his personality and ultimately that's what we expected of him. >> anybody else have a different reaction? go ahead. >> i didn't like trump before the debate. he was sort of whiney in certain parts. if you're leading our country, i like a lot of what he says. if you're whiney at the same time i think you lose a little bit of that. >> anybody? >> i feel like he responded to your question about essentially buying politicians and things of that nature by basically arguing i'm not a crony capitalist i'm the best crony capitalist. that's not a solution. that's not a guy interested in solutions. i would want to pay the clintons to stay away from my wedding. >> i think he's also proved himself that he's more style than substance if anything last night. >> why? he repeats the same sound bites

all the time. he needs to tell us how he's going to do what he's going to do. not just keep promising us. >> i think donald trump messages may resonate because they fill the same way when you talk about traditional marriage and immigration. he brings those things to the forefront. he's been losing business deals because of what he believes. people are interested in that. that keeps him innovate tiff and interested in his message, however, he has to have a level of gravitas that he can understand and accept a question like you posed to him and be able to answer it clearly and not get upset by it. he got very upset. that's not presidential at all. >> go ahead. >> i think his stance on women, completely inappropriate and when they started the debate and he refuses to side with the republican party, i think that really set the tone for donald trump. and i agree, you can see the popularity. his popularity but, you know the american people -- he's hit the nerve.

they're listening to him and they're frustrated and he's bringing up good points and i don't understand how that translates his whole demeanor. how many times did he use the word shut up or stupid? how does that translate to the oval office. do we want our commander in chief? >> go ahead. >> he serves a purpose. the electorate is really fed up with politicians. he is the magnet for that as others have been before him. ross perrot going back some years sort of did the saemp thing. let's hope trump doesn't go into a third party because that would be disastrous. >> in terms of being a nonpolitician. >> you in the back. >> he has the experience of building multi-billion dollar businesses so i don't think washington needs another, you know recited and well rehearsed politician. he reminds me of myself.

i'd rather be hated for who i am than loved for who i'm not. if that's the real donald trump, i'd rather get him than a recited politician. >> that's a good point. everyone here seems to say everything about donald trump that everyone -- the reason why everyone is attracted to him. everyone hit on one certain thing, you hit on the fact that he is a businessman, he did a great thing for the economy. he's rough, he's course. donald trump has tapped into something. right now america's frustrated what's going on under seven years of obama. people are upset. people don't like what they see. they're looking for someone to lead them and take them in a different direction. donald trump is not the politics as usual. he's rough. he's course. is that the way to go? is that a guy that can carry the republican party? i'm not sure. all the comments are basically

what has drawn people to him. >> he looks different, sounds different unlike any other candidate we've ever seen. go ahead. sorry. >> i disagree. i think that his demeanor and his attitude last night was downright arrogant. he opened up with complete negative comments about women and he had that egotistical attitude that i am afraid of. >> go ahead. >> so i think that he's like the student that comes to class that's really smart and came unprepared but he says he thinks. i'm latin. i'm with him 100% on illegal immigration. he's saying what we are thinking but we are so pc. we don't want to say it.

>> on the subject of saying what we're thinking i asked him the question of words that he's used to refer to women. i understand that some people talk like that you know privately or when they were in college, okay i get that. but i think it's an issue for the obvious reasons. also to say it publicly suggests something else. i mean i don't know. i don't know a man in my own life who would come out and call a woman a fat pig, i really don't. not even privately, no matter publicly. no matter how mad he is at her. that's my own standard and not necessarily everybody else's. >> go ahead. >> i agree with him on a lot of his issues. i don't like the way he comes across. it seems crass and it seems harsh but i think what he's tapped into is you look at donald trumt p and you think he's being honest and telling the truth. there's no filter on the man. he's not a refined politician. >> right. >> he's a straight shooter.

that's what i think people are -- >> what about the fact that do you think we -- i'm sorry. go ahead. >> he has a record that doesn't stand for what he is today. he has us talking about issues which is fantastic. he was proit choice he has donated -- who is he going to be if he is put in the white house. >> obama was an expert in manipulating words and making you feel fluffy and look what we have now. i'd rather dealing with ten trumps than one obama. if you want to deal with the same old crowd, don't vote for trump. you're saying i don't like what he is saying. >> let's look at that in particular. the first president bush flip flopped on abortion and flip flopped on taxes. you had the impression it's a question of time until he goes

back to his old liberal sell ff. >> a lot of people have flip flopped on abortion in particular over the past ten years which is his time frame because of modern technology because you see as he says he did. he talks about a family that was going to aboard their child but they didn't and she -- i feel like you can understand the evolution on abortion. in donald trump's case he has evolved on many issues. let me move on because i want to talk up to about another person getting rave reviews from last night. that is marco rubio. sound bite for him. this is number 2 up. >> hillary clinton is going to lecture me living paycheck to paycheck. if i'm our nominee we will be the party of the future.

>> how many had a favorable impression of marco rubio before? and do now. all right. he did well. in the back. >> i've always liked marco rubio, i think that he really stands very much in the middle of the republican party for a lot of things. >> what else did you like about him? >> his father was a bartender and from behind the bar to the u.s. stage and that crystallizes everything it was supposed to be. his candidacy speaks to let's get back to that. >> living paycheck to paycheck because so many people in our country are doing that these days. >> do people say he's too young? too inexperienced? >> no. no. you haven't spoken in the middle. >> i'm young and someone asked

me how old i was before we came on here. he was honest. >> look at her with the data. >> i think marco rubio is honest and nope a genuine heartfelt way. i think people like donald trump because he's open and honest but he's crass and crude. marco rubio is like look it's how it is. i was raised working class. i want to have substantial solution to people who are already here working and already contributing. >> a lot of them have similar backgrounds to that. >> we need that youth today. we need that. >> not jeb bush. >> that's what was missing with romney and that's what jeb bush is lacking. he's uncomfortable with his privileged background. >> before the debate who liked jeb bush? okay. now after the debate who liked jeb bush? same. he picked up a couple.

>> in the back what did you think of his performance? >> he needed to play it safe. obviously there are certain issues he has to overcome with his last name. i would have loved to have seen him break that out. if we can go to his ability to broaden the base and bring people in. he can open up the future for the gop just like marco rubio as well. >> who here had a big fiery reaction to governor walker? there you go. i joke because he didn't make headlines. >> i'm from wisconsin. i think he did a phenomenal job. the immigration response he gave he came across as very humble somebody who says look i changed my mind. i went to the border. i've talked to people. i learned more about this issue. i changed my position as a result.

how many politicians admit, look i was wrong. i studied it. this is what i think now. >> yeah. >> i think walker has a problem with his like ability and appeal because of the no life exceptions exceptions. >> 83% favors an exception. he is not one of the 83%. >> i think that that harms him and would harm the party. the general electorate is not going to vote for them if you know that 83,000 does not agree with that. it's a hot topic that everybody is talking about. it hurts the party a little bit to not focus on that issue. >> if you're comfortable e is pro life? and among the folks who are pro life who favors an exception to an abortion band? if it's necessary to save the life of the mother.

>> yes, i realize. some people abuse it. dr. tiller would oos a health exception. i understand that. life exceptions can be abused. i understand the point. >> is the main conversation about whether we should be funding planned parenthood. >> it is and we got to that. the reason i asked governor walker about that, that's where it is. >> a president has a lot of power over these issues in terms of what he pushes and what he doesn't. he'll get hit by that by hillary clinton. stand by. i'll get to you in the next block because we have to move on. facebook was tracking millions of interactions over this debate last night. you might be surprised which candidates got the most mentions and which did not. >> plus they offered us a fascinating look at what may be the most important. they may not be the ones you expect. we're back with the panel in a moment. don't go away. the fair tax transforms the

process by which we fund social security and medicare. the money paid in consumption is paid by everybody including illegals and prostitutes. that's why it ought to be a transformed system. >> all right. all right. enough. i've smoked a lot and quit a lot but ended up nowhere. now i use this. the nicoderm cq patch, with unique extended release technology helps prevent the urge to smoke all day. i want this time to be my last time. that's why i choose nicoderm cq. ♪ have you ever thought, "i could never do that"? have you ever thought... you just didn't have anything left in the tank?

well - you do. because the courage is already inside. ♪ how's it progressing with the prisoner? he'll tell us everything he knows very shortly, sir. as you were...

where were we? 13 serving 14! service! if your boss stops by, you act like you're working. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. i called for help as soon as i saw her. i found her wandering miles from home. when the phone rang at 5am i knew it was about mom. i see how hard it's been on her at work and i want to help. for the 5 million americans living with alzheimer's and millions more who feel its effects. let's walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer's for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk.

sat on the board of a bloomberg charity that quite publicly gave tens of millions of dollars to planned parenthood while you were a director. how can you help a charity so openly with abortion rights. >> idea funded planned parenthood. i created a culture of life in our state. >> did you know? >> no, i didn't know but it doesn't matter. >> well that was jeb bush fielding a question about planned parenthood last night. facebook analysis found abortion was a top five issue that they were tracking. ranking above foreign policy in the middle east. so did jeb bush help or hurt himself with that answer? did anyone end up damaging their own reputation. back to our panel. he ultimately said he didn't know that this group that he was sitting on was giving tens of millions of dollars to planned parenthood. the past four years he's a director on the company. tens of millions. very well publicized.

i didn't get to follow up. what do you think? is it plausible that he didn't know? >> flat outlying. a lie, you don't believe it? >> no. >> he should have known because i imagine he's on boards of lots of things and involved in all sorts of different projects and doesn't know all the details. when you're in a public life when you're the governor of the state and you're named bush you should know. >> but does it matter to you given his strong pro life record in florida which is legit. >> i'm a federal lobbyist. i work with these federal electorates. they know these issues. >> why would he do that? his record in florida is very pro life. >> because he thought he could center around a topic everyone likes, education. people will embrace that. planned parenthood is a disaster now and there should be an investigation and there isn't one under this administration. >> interesting.

what did you make of marco rubio. how can you believe life begins at conception. this is what the pro life folks say. why would you kill a life just because it began violently. he denied that he supported rape and incest. the truth is that he does. his record shows he does. does anybody have a reaction to that? go ahead. >> i did. i think he needs to clarify. that's the sort of behavior that people are tired of the flip flopping. they're not sure of their positions or their record says otherwise and it just makes it difficult to give credibility to what they're saying and find an honesty. i think he needs to clarify. >> just because i hold a similar position let me give this view. just because i'm in favor of a 20 week ban doesn't mean the 19 week old infant doesn't have a right to life. it does mean -- >> you'll take what you can get? >> i think that was what i feel

like rubio was trying to say. >> i backed legislation that has the exceptions because that's the political reality. >> yes. >> that's how he should have said it. >> yes. >> i think suddenly obviously in light of all of these planned parenthood videos now we have these presidential candidates that have become pro life so i think it's important to look at their history. >> see if it's real. >> if it's real. >> i want to move on. the dynamic between rand paul and chris christie probably was the moment of the night. that's what everybody is talking about today. i'm wondering whether you thought -- raise your hand if you thought rand paul won that exchange. raise your hand if you thought chris christie won that exchange. >> i think both. >> play a little. let's see rand going after christie. >> i don't trust president obama with our records. i know you gave him a big hug and if you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead.

>> and, you know what senator paul senator paul the hugs that i remember are the families that lost their people on september 11th. those are the hugs i remember. >> what did you think of that moment? >> oh, they're all fired up about that one. yes. you over here. >> i'm a 9/11 family member and i have to say chris christie has been inconsistent with some of the -- some of the things he's done with 9/11 family members. i don't know why he's touting his 9/11 family member record. he's appointed judges that are radical to the bench in new jersey. i have real issues with him. but what i saw from him in this exchange. i've met chris christie. this is typical chris christie. this is what he is all the time. in your face. i'm not backing down. >> do you like donald trump?

>> i do. >> you don't like chris christie. i don't understand. >> you're on to her. >> trump is going to fade and a guy like chris christie is going to fill that vacuum. >> you think so? >> he echos donald trump. he's been a governor and attorney general. >> can you get past the bear hug that rand paul was referring to? >> i certainly can. >> how about bridgegate? >> i don't care. >> how many care about bridgegate? >> you don't live in new jersey. >> that's what i was about to mention, meghan. i think it was a draw because chris christie had bridgegate. that was something he was trying to come out of the shadows of. rand paul as a millennial myself i think the government should be collecting my records en masse. i think you should go get a record for it. in that sense they won something. >> i live a mile from george washington bridge. i commute to george washington university every day. he was great in the debate. it was a mic drop moment.

the truth of the matter is the new jersey transit trains are terrible. the bridgegate debate was very real and it was a significant amount of baggage. i can't imagine why chris christie would want to be president. he's great on tv but is he prepared? >> that's the point. >> what about rand? when he came out there the beginning moment of the debate when trump said he might run as an independent. rand said this is a problem. he came out swinging against christie. trying to make an impression. you in the back because we haven't heard from you. >> rand paul didn't have a choice. he had to make an impact in this debate and that's what he tried to do early. it was a put off. it diminished him in my eyes. >> is that right? >> the point is being missed. >> what you saw was christie and what you saw with rand paul was do we care about our laws in our country? do we care about our bill of rights? do we care about our privacy and protection versus how far are we

willing to go for another terrorist event? santorum said it in the earlier debate we're a nation of laws. our humanity charity, compassion comes from our laws. the fact is we do have a bill of rights in this country. the fact that we have a society where nobody knows what's in the bill of rights doesn't mean -- >> one of the reasons we lost that debate is it was substantive. let me ask you something else. so jeb bush had a couple of moments that people pointed to donald trump did. did anybody else have a moment that stood out in a negative way to you? >> hymns and hoars. >> i can't believe you said that. >> thank you, governor huckabee made a point when he took the great reagan saying trust but verify. >> do we have that cued up? do we have time to play it? they're not answering me.

they never do. anyway we don't have it. yes, keep going. >> you know the exchange that we're talking about with paul and christie that's it. the balance of liberty and security and that christie had to resort to emotion and insult told me he was losing on the facts. >> that's the whole irony. >> the irony is that christie should have been lecturing rand paul about the constitution and what our rights are but it was the other way around. rand paul was saying we had the mass privacy invasions of americans and governor christie is telling him the constitution. that's the whole point. everyone's talking about the exchange. >> i don't mean to be a downer but it's actually not a constitutional issue. there is no constitutional right that individuals have in their phone records. you might have a statutory right to the protection of them. sorry, getting a little legalistic. i had to do it. i've got to go. to be continued. to be continued. stand by. the primetime debate

generated thousands of tv and print stories earlier today, each with a slightly different take on who won and who lost but when it comes to the earlier debate they're calling it the happy hour debate which is kind of fun. do they feel happy? one person is clearly standing out and she's definitely happy today. up next our panel talks carly fiorina. >> hillary clinton lies about benghazi she lies about e-mails, she's still defending planned parenthood and she is still her party's front-runner.

♪ irresistible moments deserve irresistibles treats. new from meow mix with real salmon chicken or tuna. the only treat cats ask for by name. bass pro shops is the place for huge savings. like savings of 50% on redhead scent control wicking tee shirts. and save up to an additional $100 on a new bow or crossbow when you trade one in. bass pro shops.

♪ ♪ (ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh) (hush my darling...) (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) (hush my darling...) man snoring (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) woman snoring take the roar out of snore. yet another innovation only at a sleep number store.

benny's the oldest dog in the shelter. he needed help all day so i adopted him. when my back pain flared up, we both felt it. i tried tylenol but it was 6 pills a day. with aleve it's just two pills, all day. now i'm back! aleve. all day strong.

america's new headquarters i'm patricia stark. convicted colorado theater shooter james holmes sentenced to life in prison without parole. the jury reaching their decision after deliberating for 6 1/2 hours over the past two days. the verdict is a disappointment for prosecutors seeking the death penalty. a record breaking number of people turning in to the first gop presidential debate on fox news. an estimated 24 million people watched the primetime debate with the top ten candidates. the highest rated cable news program of all time and fox news

channel's most watched program ever. i'm patricia stark and now back to "the kelly file." i didn't get a phone call from bill clinton before i jumped in the race. did any of you get a phone call from bill clinton? i didn't. maybe it's because i haven't given money to the foundation or donated to his wife's senate campaign. >> one of the big stories from yesterday's debate was not on that 9:00 p.m. stage in cleveland last night. instead she took part in the earlier 5:00 p.m. showdown. carly fiorina turned in such a great performance that some are dubbing her as the winner of the day. here are some moments that won her new fans watch. >> i am not a member of the political class. i am a conservative. i can win this job. i can do this job.

i need your help. i need your support. i will with your help and your support lead the resurgence of this great nation. on day one i would make a phone call to my good friend b.b. netanyahu. the second would be to the supreme leader of iran. he might not take my phone call but he would get the message. hillary clinton lies about benghazi. she lies about e-mails. she is still defending planned parenthood and she is still her party's front-runner. we need a nominee who is going to throw every punch, not pull punches, and someone who cannot stumble before he even gets into the ring. not trustworthy, no accomplishments. 2016 is going to be a fight between conservativetism and a democratic party that is undermining the very character of this nation. >> whew! >> we definitely have the best woman. >> she's a combination of mayer,

margaret thatcher and al capone. >> she's a businesswoman and she has the foreign policy. >> she's the total package. >> she cuts with the precision of a surgeon. >> definitely did. >> because she brings to the issues. she's exactly what we need. she answers the questions. she's not shy to go after hillary. >> let me ask you this. why is she not higher in the polls. >> because she's a woman. >> go ahead. >> leadership. she instills confidence in you. when i listen to her talk i was like yes, i believe in you. she made may be part of the solution. i'm on tv. i'm like i want to be part of the solution. i'm passionate about america. i want our candidates to be passionate. >> wow. >> it came through. >> wow. >> here's the problem. in this country we want a

superstar. we want a rock star. who's getting ought the attention now? trump. why? he's out there saying what he has to say. doesn't matter what he says. he assaulted john mccain and he's still doing well in the polls. everybody wants a rock star. how do you think barack obama got elected. he came out as a rock star. everybody liked that about him, rah, rah, rah. the same thing with bill clinton. the first time he went on mtv, played a saxaphone. >> carly has the know how. just like trump. she knows what she's doing. but she doesn't have the rock star attitude. >> go ahead. >> i think 5:00 did her justice. trump was sucking everything out from the 9:00. that's how she got to sign. it was, oh, who are these people on at 5:00. she got more air time than she would have gotten. >> she was really great because

even though she doesn't have experience? office she showed she does have rapport with a lot of national leaders and she has a plan. we know what she wants to do. >> she was ready. >> i want to switch gears and ask you about another candidate at the 5 and that is governor rick perry. this may have been an opportunity for him to redeem himself from a poorer performance years ago in the debates. watch the clip. >> i will tell you one thing, i would whole lot rather have carly fiorina over there doing our negotiations rather than john kerry. maybe we would have gotten a deal where we didn't give everything away but the issue for us is to have a congress that stands up that says not only no but, hell no to money going to this regime to use it for ter zblor who likes rick

perry? okay. >> here's what i see. we have a lot of great candidates business men, business women, career politicians. rick perry is a career politician also. there are only one or two that can say they've done something, that they've lowered unemployment that they have stood up to barack obama, they stood up to the government. they can actually say that they've gone out and grabbed jobs from other states. rick perry has done that. >> one other question because we haven't got zwroen ted cruz. how many like ted cruz. >> i liked him as of last night. >> across the board. >> talking about him. >> john kasich was a rock star but he had the home court advantage. >> that's why we don't hear -- >> no you tell me. >> i thought he -- i described moments as reaganesque from john kasich. i think he's got, you know what you were talking about, a record

record. >> the one thing that i took away from john kasich's performance. he believes if god wants him to expand a government program, he will do it. i don't care how good he is on other questions. that makes him a nonstarter. >> great job, you guys. thanks a lot. >> more? >> not quite. ever wonder what it's really like for the candidates? up next we will ask dr. ben carson about his very first debate experience and the reaction he's been getting since. debate experience and the

everyone loves the picture

i posted of you. at&t reminds you it can wait. sargento people are real cheese people three generations spanning over 60 years. they don't believe in artificial this or superficial that. they know that in a world of over-processed there's no substitute for a piece of real. real cheese people believe every casserole deserves a shred of authenticity every sandwich a slice of legit. natural cheese off-the-block 100% real. sargento we're real cheese people. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening

again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

well last night marked dr. carson's first debate ever. he's getting a lot of attention, most of it positive due in part to moments like these. >> if hillary is the candidate, which i doubt, that would be a dream come true but she counts on the fact that people are uninformed. the alenski model. taking advantage of useful

idiots. well i just happen to believe that people are not stupid. we have the purveyors of hatred who take every single incident between people of two races and try to make a race war out of it. when i take someone to the operating room i'm actually operating on the thing that makes them who they are. the skin doesn't make them who they are, the hair doesn't make them who they are and it's time for us to move beyond that because -- well i haven't said anything about me being the only one to do anything so let me try that. i'm the only one to separate siamese twins. the only one to operate on babies while they were still in the mother's womb. the only one to take out half of a brain although you would think if you go to washington that someone had beat me to it. >> joining me now, retired pediatric neurosurgeon dr. ben

carson. doctor great to see you. thank you so much for coming back on the show tonight. what did you think about your own performance at last night's debate? >> i was -- i was very pleased with it. you know obviously, you know there was a lot of things to talk about and a lot of people there to try to talk about with them so it makes it a little difficult. >> what did you think of the other candidates? who stood out to you? >> well i thought -- i thought they were all pretty good. i was a little bit taken aback by the sharp exchange between governor christie and senator paul as that was a little surprising. >> how so? >> well i -- i really thought that perhaps the lesson had been learned that we shouldn't be trying to tear each other down. you know i thought that lesson was learned during the 2012 campaign but apparently it was not. >> you had a huge night on

facebook and online where you amassed tons of new -- thousands and thousands of new followers on twitter and people following you on facebook. do you feel like you've different. >> 250,000. >> it's incredible. >> 250,000 new ones yeah. >> do you feel like you did as well on the debate stage? unlike these other guys you haven't done that before. you and donald trump are newcomers to the political scene in that way. >> yeah. it's good training and i'll be even more ready for the next one but, you know the good thing is in the meantime i'm hoping that more people will begin to ask me you know about foreign policy and about economic policy not just about medical things and just about racial things. i think that will be a very good thing. >> although your stuff on medical policy last night, your line was terrific. it was funny about taking out half a brain and what you had

done and the others had not. we began this debate each of the moderators had candidates that we were going to ask lektbility questions of. i had you among others. i asked you about certain things that you had said and so on. speak to that issue. you really have been studying up, but how do you do it? how does one study up where you feel like you're fas siel ofcile? >> someone like me who has had to acquire hundreds of thousands of bits of information. you just give me the material. i asked people what is the stuff that i need to know and they gave it to me. and then i had an opportunity to talk to a lot of people who were experts in those areas, not a couple of times but many times and going into deep discussions. that's how you learn about anything.

some people like to think that this is something you can only acquire after years and years of political experience but, you know i hate to bust their bubble but it really is not that tough to acquire this information. >> what did you make of donald -- yes. sorry. go ahead. >> no i was just going to say not to mention the fact that you have the ability to surround yourself with people who have lived this stuff their entire lives and what becomes really important is your judgment. , the wisdom that you have to be able to utilize the information in a proper way. in washington who have been there for decades. and they don't seem to have very good judgment. and if you look at all the experience of people in congress it's almost 9,000 years and where has it gotten us. >> what do you make of donald trump saying he would not support the eventual nominee necessarily? >> i am hopeful he will reconsider that and recognize if he decides to run a third party

campaign he will be giving the election to the progressives who will get two or three supreme court picks and his empire will collapse. >> way to put it in economic terms. it's great to see you. >> you too, thank you. >> all the best to you. up next the big story you haven't heard from last night. and how yours truly almost did not make it to that debate at all. check this out we are in the arena where the presidential candidates will stand tomorrow night. look they have their marks, rubio. carson. walker and so on. i've smoked a lot and quit a lot but ended up nowhere. now i use this. the nicoderm cq patch, with unique extended release technology helps prevent the urge to smoke all day. i want this time to be my last time. that's why i choose nicoderm cq. heart health's important... ...so you may... take an omega-3 supplement... ...but it's the ingredients inside

that really matter for heart health. new bayer pro ultra omega-3 has two times the concentration of epa and dha as the leading omega-3 supplement. new bayer pro ultra omega-3. (v cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not honda. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. hey america, still not sure whether to stay or go to your people? ♪ well this summer, stay with choice hotels twice and get a $50 gift card you can use for just about anything. go you always have a choice. book now at choicehotels.com

♪ whoa what are you doing? putting on a movie. i'm trying to watch the game here. look i need this right now ok? come on i don't want to watch that. too bad this is happening. fine, what if i just put up the x1 sports app right here. ah jeez it's so close. he just loves her so much. do it. come on. do it. come on! yes! awww, yes! that is what i'm talking about. baby. call and upgrade to get x1 today. ♪

female announcer: right now at sleep train get up to 48 months interest-free financing on tempur-pedic. save hundreds on beautyrest. or choose $300 in free gifts with stearns & foster. the triple choice sale ends soon at

sleep train. so yesterday was the last day before the debate we're preparing. suddenly i get a splitting headache. then i start to feel nauseous. then nature took its course. i had to go back to the hotel room. i was in bed, nauseous and enter dr. david silverman. the doctor that gave me some pill that cures nausea and a stomach virus and i made it on the air.

yeah for modern medicine! you do all this research on the perfect car. gas mileage, horsepower torque ratios. three spreadsheets later you finally bring home the one. then smash it into a tree. your insurance company's all too happy to raise your rates. maybe you should've done a little more research on them. for drivers with accident forgiveness liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

you know, just because your bladder is changing, it doesn't mean that you have to. with tena, let yourself go. be the one with the crazy laugh. and keep being their favorite playmate. tena's unique super-absorbent microbeads lock in moisture and odor, tena - available at cvs

let's discuss medical supplies i'm kind of happy with my guys. i think you'll love our newest line the stuff my vendor sells works fine. and my budget's small, just so you know. ♪ should i stay or should i go ♪ when you choose to go for business go to the new choicehotels.com it makes finding the right room faster and easier than ever. book now at choicehotels.com

♪ it's a calling. a love affair. a quest. the next horizon. everyone loves the chase.

what did you think of last night debate? let me know what you think and thanks to our amazing pamnel. i'm megyn kelly, this is the kelly file. good night. tonight. >> our country is in serious trouble. we don't win anymore. >> reaction to the big gop debate. >> senator, you know when you're sitting in a subcommittee blowing hot air like this you can say things like that. >> who stood out and who could have done more? mark steyn is here with reaction. 2016 will be a fight. i'm a conservative. i can win this job, i can do this job. >> carly fiorina had a strong showing in the early debate. will this push her into the top ten? >> we need to secure the border. >> they don't want to enforce the immigration laws. >> immigration was front and