best wishes, donald j. trump. and so, donald j. trump gets tonight's "last word." >> two weeks out, we're in the red zone. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington with just two weeks to go to iowa. donald trump and ted cruz have gone to total war. today, cruz is calling trump rattled. he already called him unstable. trump accuses cruz of being illegal as a presidential candidate. a fraud for mocking new york while grabbing a huge loan from goldman sachs. he also says he has a nasty personality and can't get deals made in washington.

let's watch. >> you have a big lawsuit over your head while you're running. and if you become the nominee, who the hell knows if you can even serve in office? >> to the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of cuba, remember that. >> he is a total hypocrite, how about his fundraising and does the financial disclosure form, and he doesn't put on there that he takes money from goldman sachs. he is a nasty guy, nobody likes him. nobody in congress likes him. nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. he is a very -- he has an edge that is not good. you have somebody that can't get along with anybody in washington you will not get deals done. you have to get deals done. we can't keep invoking the executive orders like obama does because he can't get deals. >> cruz says trump has values as a closet liberal and doesn't

have the temperament as commander-in-chief. >> donald comes from new york and embodies new york values. i would note that donald record doesn't match what he says as a candidate. given the fact that for much of his life donald was financially supporting those politicians, writing checks to hillary clinton and andrew cuomo. it's a fair inference that he supports their candidates. in a frantic tweet to the latest polls i think the american people are looking for a commander-in-chief who is stable and steady and a calm hand. >> katy tur is in richmond, virginia, howie jackson in concord, new hampshire. and robert costa.

did you watch "saturday night live," katie? >> no, unfortunately, i did not. >> well, maybe it was fortunate for you. they say the guy you were covering when ted cruz smiles it looks like he is taking a pee. i mean, that is probably the weirdest description, everybody i know says you know what, there is something weird about his face. there is something strange about cruz, and has trump got to him with the nasty comment that rush limbaugh is now defending him. and rush limbaugh saying oh, no, he is not nasty, this is rush limbaugh. >> i think rush limbaugh and mark levin are defending ted cruz -- >> mark levin is one of the most distasteful human beings out there. >> this is the conservative right, the base, who people listen to. >> base is a good word for it. >> there is a lot of influence that they have over voters, the ones that people are listening to on the radio and they're

driving to work, when they're driving their kids to school, various other times -- >> so rush limbaugh is brilliantly not on during drive time. let me tell you, katy, how his brilliance works. he is on at noon to 3:00, when people who wash cars and work in diners, i'm not knocking that. but rush limbaugh knows what he is doing, catering to them. >> i think trump going after cruz is quite normal. it's understandable. i think he is making a tactical error the way he is doing it. whatever you want, to say cruz is not a nasty guy, when you get into criticism it better be believable. trump is free to criticize cruz all he wants but going after him as a nasty guy on the birther business, he has to be worried

it will create more negatives in his support base rather than turn people off to cruz. >> all right, let me ask you about the guy you covered. that is of course donald trump. i do hear as everybody who works in washington does, nobody likes ted cruz. the word nasty is apparently not misapplied here. rush limbaugh doesn't know anything about washington, i don't think he knows the people who know cruz who don't like him. >> reporter: it's an open secret in washington, though, that ted cruz is not beloved by members of his own party, by the leadership of his own party. and cruz has thrown bombs in the senate before. that is kind of his reputation in washington, actually part of the reputation that is helping him in places here like new hampshire and iowa. when we talk to people who support him, one person at a diner said he liked the fact that ted cruz is not liked by the leaders in washington because he is looking for

somebody who will go and shake things up. >> shake things up, that is the interesting thing, robert costa, molly boyd, i think a candidate who shakes things up, everybody wants that, but a candidate who crashes and burns and a rant, i think ted cruz is -- >> the problem is that donald trump is so far out there you want to talk about crashing and burning and taking the place down, donald trump makes ted cruz look sane and reasonable. i talked to voters in south carolina last week who said you know trump, he is irresponsible, he is a narcissist. he is a grand-stander. >> i must be tone deaf. i don't see the appeal of ted cruz, i see the appeal of almost all of these guys from bernie sanders to trump and to some extent, marco rubio, especially the right, what does cruz happy

in terms of american happiness. a year after he is in how are people going to be happier or better off in their lives? what will improve in their lives? >> if you want an ideological candidate you're likely with cruz, if you're somebody who doesn't care about conservatism >> somebody who will torch the place, somebody defined like a conservative, who acts like they're one with this movement. okay, i'm open to opinions. and appearing at a university, donald trump made a prayer for the evangelical vote. he was introduced by gerry fallwell jr., who praised him as a candidate who can't be bought. then trump seemed to play to the crowd. well, you watch. >> we're going to protect christianity. and i can say that, i don't have to be politically correct. we're going to correct it. you go into a department store right? when was the last time you saw a

merry christmas? you don't see it anymore. they want to be politically correct. if i'm president, you're going to see merry christmas in the department stores. who has read the art of the deal in this room? everybody. i always say a deep, deep second to the bible. the bible is the best, the bible blows it away. there is nothing like the bible. >> i tell you, i kind of laughed. because he is out there with a very religious group of people who are totally fervent with their religion, and he is turning it into kind of a vaudeville act, and they were entertained. >> a student said they were entertained. one when he said 2 corinthians, and he laughed because he said most christians say second corinthians. and also there was a viral video out there where he says china

about 120 times throughout the course of a power-minute span. other than that, though, the students say they were interested in what he was saying. they thought he was an interesting guy, his ideas were interesting. they didn't necessarily believe he was a christian or somebody of devout faith. but they didn't necessarily think that that was a big deal either. and what i'm hearing is when i talk to evangelical leaders and trying to figure out why he appeals to evangelical voters, people say he appeals more to their fear than to their faith. they want somebody to go out there and say they will fix things, rather than somebody who goes out and holding the values of only getting married once, his frank attitude is politically incorrect, the words

appeal more to these evangelical voters than their faith does at the moment. so he is curting across all lines that the lines that other candidates have been hemmed in by. donald trump is able to wipe through that and be a candidate for all types of voters out there. >> he does an interesting kind of pander. >> a little reporting to share, i'm trying to get beyond the vaudeville act, what donald trump is doing is reaching out to jerry fallwell. and franklin graham, he kept in touch with billy graham. >> were you there when he went to the jewish group down in florida? >> i was, this was in d.c. >> well, that is right, he even made jokes, you can tell -- he said you guys are good at business and like to make deals. that would have offended some people, but he mixed it up in a sense of almost intimate terms,

such as we can laugh about these things inside here. so his pander is very nuanced. sometimes he panders like the bible is even a better book than mine. explain how he does it. give me the explanation of his pandering, it seems to be very nuanced, and almost weird. >> don't forget he brings his bible -- >> he knows how to charm a group of people and charm the person he is speaking with. when he is in the rooms they can feel very intimate. like he is speaking directly to you and using the audience as a foil. when i was at that meeting with a jewish group in d.c. they were laughing along with him. even though they were tried stereotypes and didn't necessarily play in print, the people in that room were enjoying the show. >> he listens with his tongue. hallie, your thoughts here, he knows, probes, finds a way to

connect. >> that is what people love about him. you go to the rallies like the one here in new hampshire that is where people connect. you talk about the issue of faith. donald trump will bring his bible and hold it up in the air and wave it around. there is no other candidate that does something quite that obvious, if you will. >> it's almost cartoony. >> for him, it's working. thank you, and martin o'malley here, i'm sorry about that, we have to go this segment. >> 30 more seconds for molly. >> oh, we have time for you, who is winning this fight? >> i would just like to inject a little bit of a reality check in this conversation about trump and the faith community. there are a lot of evangelical leaders who are deeply disturbed by his tone today and jerry fallwell slobbering all over him. and believes this is not a christian testament, and not something they should follow.

they want to see compassion and tolerance and being receptive to immigrants and refugees, that sort of thing. >> well said. coming up, hillary clinton and bernie sanders are toughening their attacks on each other. on full display last night during the debate, gun care, wall street, and home at last, five americans freed from iran. we'll get details on the release, and what this development means for the u.s./iranian relationship such as it is. and across the pond, the british parliament voting on whether or not to ban donald trump. are the allies coming around to the possibility they may have to accept trump. and finally, the presidential politics on both sides. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

and early forecasts for the iowa caucus. according to the analysis, they take the state and national polls into account, ted cruz has a 51% chance of winning the iowa caucuses, trump in at 28% chance. on the democratic side, some put hillary clinton at 80% to win the caucus with sanders coming in at 19. take it for what it's worth. we'll be right back.

well, i think secretary clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous. i have a d-minus voting record from the nra. what i said is i'll look at it, we'll re-look at it. >> i have made it clear that senator sanders, by his own record he has voted against the brady bill five times.

he voted for what he call the charleston loopholes. he voted for immunity from gun makers and sellers. he voted to let guns go onto amtrak, guns go onto national parks. he voted against doing research to figure out how we can save lives. >> that was a pretty good line by her. welcome back to "hardball." to was hillary clinton and bernie sanders facing off over the gun issues last night hosted by nbc. the last time the candidates will meet before the voting in iowa. as stated, she defended her record against obama and portrayed her the best successor to continue the issues like health care and financial regulations, things even got more heated over bernie sanders and hillary clinton over the strain on wall street, let's watch. >> i don't take money from big banks. i don't get personal speaking fees from goldman sachs.

>> the comments that senator sanders made that don't just affect me, i can take that, but he has criticized president obama for taking donations from wall street. and president obama has led our country out of the great recession. senator sanders called him weak and disappointing. he even in 2011 publicly sought someone to run in a primary against president obama. >> but i have doubts when people receive huge amounts of money from wall street. >> your profusion about comments and your feelings toward president obama are a little strange given what you said about him in 2011. >> you received over $600,000 in speaking fees from goldman sachs in one year. >> i think the operative phase here as woody allen would say, $600,000 from goldman sachs.

and democratic strategic, jim, i want to ask you about this. clearly he wanted to bury the idea about goldman sachs, she never responded to that particular point. the themes last night were so clear. hillary clinton is working for african-americans because they're the ones she is going to use as her firewall after the campaigns are over. part of that firewall is her support for president obama. part of her attack, you can attack me, don't say a word about president obama, like bill used to say about her. on her side, clearly going after the hard left, the young students, clearly going for dreamers, i don't mean the latin exchange, but people who like the word "revolution". >> absolutely, his words were almost pie in the sky. like let's talk about revolution and let's talk about really big ideas and change. all of that sort of pent-up frustration for young people who thought this change would come.

>> who don't have jobs and are out there with no real income or assets, no house, maybe no marriage and they're waiting for a life to begin. and here comes the guy who says it's not your fault. >> and he said i'm promising the moon, i'll give you -- >> no tuition. >> and that is why her attack was so interesting. because her attack was not just to embrace barack obama but it was to say we live in a reality. we have a republican congress, we have to work with them. i want to know the details of your plans, how will you pay for this education plan? >> you are talking about somebody who is not making much money as a young person out of school. maybe making a little money to survive on and may live at home. you say i'm going to give you free health insurance, medicaid for life. i'm going to give you free tuition at a great university. this is a hell of a deal and i'll pay for it by going after those people you don't know. you see them on tv, maybe. billionaires, they're going to

pay for all of this. it's an attractive offer. it won't happen, though. >> not just young people, but he is going after all sorts of atypical voters, so if you're an election leader or party voter, you will sign up with hillary clinton. but what she has not done is really give us a message. i'm not sure what it is she is running for president to do. i'm not sure she wants to fight for us, what does she want to do? >> he is grabbing issues, she is handling them. >> she is running the policy campaign like others have run and like her husband ran. she has all of these detailed things, saying here is what i would do. at the same time, it's totally uninspirational. >> male, female, a big split, maybe it's white guys. but men are going to bernie sanders. >> i don't know if that is true >> huge numbers, and why. i think women, there is still gender loyalty. >> studies shown that men

respond to data, women to narrative. this is interesting, because bernie has the narrative -- >> if you generalize anything more to the left they need good public education and child care and health care for their parents. they need social security and medicaid for their parents. the woman in the house generally focuses on those basic human needs and the guy is floating around thinking about something else. >> women do tend to be more democratic. but it is an age thing. younger women seem to be more democratic, older women, not so much. >> it's always great to have you guys. we'll talk about your book. >> on friday. >> and the books, we believe in getting you up there on amazon, the gender politics, the use of the word "broad" is interesting, not the frank sinatra meaning. and joining us, senator -- i

am sure you used polls in your own campaign, everybody does. there is a weird shift going on in iowa toward bernie sanders among men. and i don't quite get it, because women i always thought do believe in government and the role of public welfare programs. not only for poor people but for people who have to raise the middle class family. >> well, i have to say i don't focus a lot on the polls. but i do know that the race in iowa is tightening. hillary clinton always knew that it would be a tight race. but i was in iowa on friday and saturday this weekend with a few of my colleagues. and we had had rooms that were filled with people of all ages and certainly both men and women, really, really excited about her. and they do think she has a very clear message just like she said in her opening statement yesterday at the debate this weekend.

she said -- she is about jobs you equal pay and all the renewable energy jobs that we have the potential to create. she is about health care and about healing some of the deep divides we have in our nation. she has expressed that in her opening statement. and in her closing statement, it was not really a closing statement but the last question that is what really grabbed me the most in this debate. she talked about what happened in flint, michigan, and talked about the fact that poor children in a mainly poor and african-american city are literally being poisoned with lead in their water. and the governor of michigan would not let this happen in any other affluent community in michigan. and she went on your channel and called for the governor to declare a state of the emergency. what i felt in that answer was both powerful narrative, but also she knew what she wanted to get done and knew how to do it.

within hours the governor of michigan started taking more action. >> you know, i think you're right. and i think it is not partisan to say that hillary clinton, she has some bases missing, but the thing she is focused on in her whole career. child development, the concerns of regular families, women not just in an ideological since but she seems to be a good liberal that way, a real one. i think you're right. >> what you say about that, i think about when she first got her law degree and went out and worked for the children defense fund, she went door-to-door to go out and give educational opportunities to children with disabilities. that is what she was doing. it is that experience. >> experience, you're a great guest and a good advocate. i wish she found a way to find your voice, you're very good. up next, the statement with reince priebus. >> you're welcome to come any

time you want. >> any time, chris. and coming up, we'll talk to the journalist freed from iran, this is a place for "hardball" politics. today's progress, americans coming home, and an iran that rolled back its nuclear program and accepting unprecedented monitoring of that program. these things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and wisdom. with courage and resolve and patience and perhaps most important of all we achieved this historic progress through diplomacy. without resorting to another war in the middle east. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was of course president obama hailing two major victories over the weekend. his remarks concluding a dizzien four hours of diplomacy, unleashing an amount of criticism from his republican rivals, five americans released from iran, jason rezaian, the christian preacher, saeed abedini, and former u.s. marine, amir hekmati, all released. in addition, the european union unfroze same t las co w they cl le >> t for cruz when he let m scen that s >> most important is ec commitments -- >> they will get $54 billio opportunities. >> absolutely, the europeans are here has to be multi-dimensional it's not jus >> where are the roll the round table is coming up you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. dozens of national guard personnel arrived in flint, michigan, to help bring filtered >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. we have no choice. we have no choice. >> well, the brits did not keep a stiff upper lip during the parliament debate, they unloaded

on trump. let's listen. >> donald trump is pretty good at roasting beef. >> he is free to be a fool but not bonke old to mo >> is tha getting around -- that cruz is sort of coming in under trump >> i think we have been sayin tha i, i > to ded knot, especia we ask m well everybod howard fineman, penny lee, and paul singer. i love these predictions.% with tuiti off. so what's it going to be? a battle royal this summer between a bouncing billionaire and a socialist who gets up bell lowing at billionaires fo millionaires and billionaires? is this real, do you think do i don't think so. just might be ready to take a flyer on trump. he is, after all, a rich businessman, not dem am >> with two weeks until voting begins, the race is neck and neck. >> when this campaign began, she was 50 points ahead a bla large but last night the interactions between the two were far more contentious. trading blows on everything from already. consolidate his victories sanders, while having nothing but kind words for the president, is offering up a vision of mo b he even in 2011 publicly sought s against president obama. >> now hillary clinton and within 20 points nationally among white voters. in the two predo st he is spendin statistical tie with her in iowa and leading t population has beco so w we're on >> joi e ulti different issue. take obamacare, whi night. hillary clin have a plan for going from obamacare to univers does h on the o banks. a americ first b is this in he's doing better a voters who obama did well with in '08. he's doi independent-minded democrats. and he's doing well po really ne over the weekend. >> ezra, you wrote i thought a really perceptive piece about what kind of hillary clin o k of the problem, t 11-hour he it's hard to create those sorts of opportunities, right? to s and not in the p agree with, very good at building alliances that aren't

the b they i thi kind of dismissed the question, said the media's focused on this. i think the people do sort of resonate with certain things about the way sanders is a differen she w b i'll talk firs those stories he's a ve thing. some blowback from conservatives. at a tea party conventio college founded by televangelist jerry falwe de >> trump was introduced by liberty president jerry falwell jr., who had very nice things to say about the candidate. >> in my opinion, donald trump lives a life of loving and helping others, as jesus taught in the great commandment. he treats his friends, his employee where the spirit of the lord. where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty. is that the on >> if you listen closely there, you can hear a little laugh in the audience. that's because that quote from the second epistle to the corinthians from saint paul were the second corinthians. when he calls it joining me dartmouth universi in jeff, russ there's that a for a mome to pa least is going to put trump p

banning donald trump from their

germany, give us an update on how this all happened. >> reporter: well, you know,

chris inside this u.s. base behind me in germany i guess what we're seeing in these individual stories is the two sides of what happened this weekend playing out. you have the families of amir hekmati and jason rezaian reuniting tonight, uplifting really just fantastic scenes. the one congressman who was with amir and his family said he had not seen that family smile like that in the entire time he had known them. and yet, at the same time as jason rezaian, for example, talks about what really happened he is saying that he was in a room 15 x 20 feet. and at one point held in solitary confinement for 49 days. so what you're getting at the same time is a picture of how ruthless the iranian revolutionary guard who was holding him. and even through the weekend, we're learning that as jason was preparing to leave, the iranians, or at least some of the iranians were saying they

did not want to let him go with his wife and mother. they were put in a separate room and were not allowed to have their cell phones with them. last-minute diplomacy and talks were needed with the u.s. insisting that the entire family would have to leave together. and finally the iranians relent ed. and as we know we saw the scenes this weekend, kind of like a cold war this hostage situation while at the same time iranians were released over in texas. seven iranians altogether, let go, if you like, by the united states in this deal. >> well, keir, is it possible to tell whether the iranian guard actually believed these were bad guys or do they simply see them as westerners and therefore the bad guys? >> you know what? it's a good question, it goes to the heart of the criticism in all of this, what people were saying is hold up, what we're basically telling the world if they take prisoner americans

then they will be able to make demands and americans will bend as a result. difficult -- you know, it's really difficult to know what is going on in the minds of the iranian regime, particularly when you understand there is one iranian regime, but multiple factions, just as there are in any country, in washington, for example. did they intend by arresting these men to use them in a deal -- we can't know that. but what we do know, quite clearly, is that the u.s. is saying none of them were guilty of anything and so therefore, tonight, the fact that five of them are freed, three of them inside this u.s. base tonight undergoing medical and psychological evaluation before going home, that fact is nothing short of a great, great thing. >> reporting by keir simmons, and more on the diplomacy with iran from the republican

presidential field. let's listen to it. >> this administration doesn't seem to recognize that dealing with a country like iran you have to deal from strength rather than weakness. and these concessions only create a whole new set of concessions. he considers iran an emerging trend. >> i think i hit him hard. we give them essentially 22 people, 21-22 people, but these are people who really did have problems and we're getting back four people who didn't do anything wrong. that is the way we negotiate. that is the way we negotiate. it's so sad. it's so sad. >> that proves once again that now nations and enemies around the world know there is a price for americans. if you take an american hostage barack obama will cut a deal with you. >> the president lives in his own world, a fantasy land if he believes that is the product of strong american diplomacy that he pays ransom again to terrorists.

they pick this president's pocket day after day after day and they make a fool of him and a fool of our country. >> while we celebrate their return this deal serves as a piece of propaganda for both iran and the obama administration. >> saying about the face of ted cruz when he says he is happy. even, let's bring in the former ambassador, mark ginsberg, my friend and the state department spokesperson. let me ask you about this, how do you read this -- it seems to me that it's not the worse case scenario to get these guys back and to get a deal that is actually working. is that a worse case scenario. >> well, i would actually like to hear these candidates say we don't want these five people back, at the end of the day this deal was designed to end iran's nuclear program and we have that guarantee. it is not a deal that covers all assets of our relationship with iran so there are still things

we're going to be doing to curb the terrorist threat from iran. but we have successfully ended their nuclear program without launching a single bomb. i mean, this is what diplomacy is meant to be doing. >> i like that word. what is our strength, all the guys on the right? i understand politics, they say full fury and force over america, go to war over ten sailors, you don't do it over that stuff anymore. we didn't do it for 50 years. >> most important is economic, chris, the fact of the matter is in a few weeks there will be parliamentary elections, where president rouhani, the so-called moderate of iran, will vie for re-election. they need this money. it's one of the major commitments -- >> so they got hundred billions >> they will get $54 billion in cash --

>> and a huge amount of trade opportunities. >> absolutely, the europeans are already booking their tickets to tehran. >> what do we have to ability to do now, going forward, to discipline them? >> the only issue here is the snap-back election regime. secretary kerry and president obama have consistently argued before the american people that they can re-impose sanctions on iran if indeed they violate the terms of this agreement. but remember, chris, the issue here has to be multi-dimensional the way the iranians play it in the middle east. it's not just the irans and what is at stake -- >> where are they going to spend the hundred bill, will they buy more terrorists? >> they already are sharing more money with terrorists in hezbollah and yemen. part of this is the ability, with sanctions, should they violate any other agreements. so the ballistic arms agreement

we impose sanctions -- >> we're going to have to back up israel, i'm not knocking it but we're going to have to do it to balance it out. >> these are parts of a nuclear deal puzzle. now we're looking at the terrorist threat. they're still on the terrorist nation list. we sanctioned 11 people today. >> is there any chance they will moderate in the next ten years? any chance? >> the answer is as long as the revolutionary guards and the ayatollah regime essentially control everything -- no. >> but they have to be elected, too. >> the ayatollah, working the way up -- >> the fact of the matter is we hope they say look, we're rolling the dice -- >> and there is a serious demand for american consumer products and american businesses and culture that hopefully this new business will be the ones. >> i love the iranians here, i wish they were there and could run the place. up next, british parliament

debates, you have to hear these british accents talking about trump. this is a riot, they're ever so well -- unbritish, wait until you hear it. the round table is coming up next to weigh in. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics.

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we are back in london today, the british parliament debated whether to ban, i should say probably ban donald trump from entering the u.k. a petition to bar him started in december of last year and now has more than half a million signatures. after trump made this announcement following the attacks on paris, and in san bernardino, california. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. we have no choice. we have no choice.

>> well, the brits did not keep a stiff upper lip during the parliament debate, they unloaded on trump. let's listen. >> donald trump is pretty good at roasting beef. >> he is free to be a fool but not free to be a dangerous fool in britain. >> his policies to close borders if he is elected president is bonkers, and if he met one or two of my constituents in one of my consistency, they may tell him he is a wackert. >> and joining me, penny lee, an old pal. more global, usa today -- >> howard, it is almost bufoonery on their part to have this damn debate, he is not heading over there. >> all i can say is donald trump, broadway show has gone

international. or to use another analogy, he is a tsunami. >> but if i know his voters, they are going to like him more. the brits don't like him. >> they're trying to pick a bar fight for him. he doesn't want to be loved abroad, he wants to be loved here, they call him an idiot. >> is this good? >> look, any time you have someone kind of going after donald trump, especially trying to say that he is not of the world state absolutely helps ted cruz, because he can actually look like the sensible more moderate. >> is that something that is getting around -- that cruz is sort of coming in under trump? >> i think we have been saying that on this show. >> that cruz is the more reasonable. >> what happens, it's like stock car racing where cruz is drafting in the vacuum behind trump. sure, and the more outrageous

and sweeping trump's declarations, the more people react especially to see statement about muslims which is what have the people in britain truly upset. the more ted cruz can come along and seem more like the reasonable guy, even though he is the one with the track record of tearing things down here. >> in britain, many members of parliament say they would like to see donald trump come back to britain just to give him a tongue lashing. but some argue it's not up to britain to meddle in american politics, well said, sir. >> you're talking about a candidate for the presidency, it's up to the american people, not you guys. >> while i think this guy has no valid points to make, i will not be the one to silence his voice. >> well said.

>> stunning to me how much the world has focused on this presidential election campaign so far -- >> two weeks ago -- my wife and i, i got to tell you, it's everywhere. >> because of trump that they're having this conversation about american policies. >> and can i tell you, we have 15 versions of the huffington post, every one of them can't get enough news about donald trump. >> how about languages? let's hear them. >> arabic, german, french, italy, greece, spanish, portuguese, and i'm leaving out australia. >> do you get all the credit for all that you write in all of those languages? >> totally. up next, on a big martin luther king jr. monday, tell me something i don't know, this is "hardball," place for politics.

who do you see as a stronger opponent for donald trump? according to a new nbc news wall street journal poll clinton would beat trump by 10 points. 51-41, that is clinton over trump by 10. bernie sanders, however, would beat trump by 15. he would win that race 54-39. according to the polls. and we'll be right back.

welcome back to "hardball." we're back with the round table. howard, tell me something -- we've been together so many years. you don't know anything i don't know. but go ahead. >> i think i do know something you don't know. which is that rand paul is going to dedicate the rest of his campaign, however long his presidential campaign lasts, to trying to take down ted cruz. he's already out with an ad. >> what's the personal here? >> it's personal. it's the senate. it's -- he doesn't like the guy. he doesn't like the guy. and he thinks the guy's dangerous. >> does he think he's nasty? >> i thinks he's nasty. >> penny. >> we saw hillary clinton last night fully embrace barack obama. some say the embrace was so hard his ribs were cracked. this is not something that was new. this is a long-time internal discussion about when they were going to do it and it was less about hillary showing support

for obama and more about isolating bernie against his coalition. >> isolate -- they tied the knot, especially for african-americans. yeah. >> what you don't know is tomorrow our new gop power rankings will come out. we ask a bunch of experts who's the strongest in the field and there's a glimmer of hope for john kasich. we're seeing some traffic that makes it suggest he could do well in new hampshire -- >> endorsement this weekend in new hampshire. everybody knows him likes him. back to the round table and thanks to the round table. howard fineman, penny lee, and paul singer. i love these predictions. when we come back, let me finish with the explosive state of our presidential politics. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics.

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sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business. let me finish tonight with the explosive state of our presidential politics. on the right we're looking at the plausible nomination now of donald trump, a political tumbler like we've never known, a devilishly entertaining troubador who combines don rickles and larry david in a mix of insult and political incorrectness that only a mad alchemist could concoct. i admit to watching him with the same delight that when a wild kid in school dared to take on the teacher. it's fun for the precise reason it's not supposed to be. on the democratic left, and that's not a bad place to be these days, we're looking at all the excitement coming from a self-proclaimed socialist promoting what he calls medicare for all and free public college tuition and paying for it all with higher taxes on the better off. so what's it going to be? a battle royal this summer

between a bouncing billionaire and a socialist who gets up bell lowing at billionaires for breakfast? millionaires and billionaires? is this real, do you think, real? do you think we're going to go into the voting booth this november and see those two names, trump and sanders staring at us with nothing in between? is this what free will is going to come down to? let me say this. i don't think so. i think the republican party just might be ready to take a flyer on trump. he is, after all, a rich businessman, not exactly an odd demographic for the grand old party. but i doubt that the democratic party is going after a few tumbles to dump hillary clinton. the first woman with a real chance to sit in lincoln's chair. in favor of a guy who promises a revolution. and that's what bernie sanders promised last night, a revolution. mostly we go to the polls with humbler ambitions, to move the country a few steps forward to the kind of place we want to live in. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in" with chris hayes starts right now.

tonight on "all in" -- >> i think secretary clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous. >> he voted to let guns go onto amtrak, go-go into national parks. >> democrats square off in the most heated debate yet. with the obama legacy taking center stage. >> i want us to defend and build on the affordable care act and improve it. >> we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. >> with two weeks until voting begins, the race is neck and neck. >> when this campaign began, she was 50 points ahead of me. >> then, trump versus cruz gets downright nasty. >> he's a nasty guy. nobody likes him. >> donald seems to be a little rattled. he's a little testy about it. >> plus, american prisoners come home from iran. and guess who still isn't happy. >> this president lives in his own world. if he believes that's the product of strong american diplomacy. >> we're getting four back. the