center to deal with deep national problems has left the door open and this brash businessman from the big city has come barreling through. i'm chris matthews. thanks for watching. grudge matches. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in manchester, new hampshire. three days from a primary that could shift the political winds. and for all the candidates, except for ted cruz, it's all on the line up here. thanks to his big win in iowa,

cruz can probably skate in new hampshire. trump is at 35%. marco rubio is way down at 14%, followed by cruz, john kasich, and by the way jeb bush are tied at 10% each. trump needs to win here in new hampshire and should. only one establishment candidate can by placing second here. four men, bush, kasich, and rubio are fighting to be second place in new hampshire. which of them will head to south carolina with the wind at his back? seven republicans debate for the final time before tuesday's primary. i'll have all the highlights at 10:30 eastern. who won, who lost, who landed the toughest blows and who is hurting after tonight?

trump is making his return to the debate stage after sitting out that last round in iowa. trump, the runner-up, will be standing next to the man he says stole that election in iowa and committed fraud. that's trump's version. cruz has suggested on his part that donald trump is "losing it." in other words, he's going mad. then there's chris christie, who has taken to calling marco rubio my favorite of the year, the boy in the bubble. that's christie on rubio, the boy in the bubble. he also calls him an english king and other words. chances are, there will be some nashing of teeth tonight. we start with katie and howie at the debate site now. katie, you first. this battle, this is the first time that trump and cruz will be on the same stage together after trump has been out there

basically accusing him of fraud, of stealing the caucuses. cruz has come back and cutely accused trump of being nuts, of having lost it meantally or emotional. this will be an interesting reunion tonight. >> reporter: i think that's exactly right, lit be an interesting reunion. but we haven't seen donald trump hit back at ted cruz, not directly at least. they said he's a counterpuncher at these debates, he won't go on the astack first. but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. he was accusing him of fraud, saying he was going to sue him for it, and by the end of the week, he was saying he didn't care any longer, trying to look forward. we've seen in the trump campaign, it's more of a positive spin on his campaign, less attacks against his opponents and ted cruz. no attacks against marco rubio. and no attacks against the press. so i'm interested to see how he comes out on this stage, whether

he is on the offensive or if he takes the tack he's been taking, which is looking more presidential. not looking like he is the one on the offensive with the other candidates. but new hampshire is a state he needs to win. so we'll see how he acts on that stage. he missed the last debate, so we'll see if he comes out swinging or if he decides to take more of a backward -- not backward, a backstage approach to this. >> it seems to me that the number one thing he has to do tonight to cause less attrition, to keep the tire from losing its air as howard fineman said, is to convince his people that he's a winner, that he's going to win this darn thing. they don't want to vote for somebody who three weeks from now people realize they wasted their vote. how does he convince people he's going to win the nomination, i'm talking about donald trump? >> he has to come out looking

really strong and like somebody who is unaffected by the iowa results, by all the headlines that called him a loser. somebody who has maintained that momentum inside of his own head at least. somebody that doesn't look like he's been biased by what the media has been saying. so when he comes out on that stage, he needs to present himself as somebody who is presidential, somebody who doesn't need the media to sign off on his campaign. somebody who could stand up to ted cruz, stand up to marco rubio, stand up to the tough questioning of the moderators. that perhaps is the most important thing he has to do tonight, somebody who comes out looking strong and not afraid of tough questioning. >> okay. the other battle that's heated up this past week has been between chris christie and marco rubio. by the way, everybody is attacking rubio, because they're all going for second place up here. christie told "the washington post" "new hampshire folks are going to be watching and

deciding and i will put on a good show for them." christie has slammed rubio as a boy in the bubble, coddled and worse. let's watch him. >> i've run through the heat. senator rubio has run away from the heat. i've accomplished things. when the boy in the bubble gets here, i hope you guys ask him some questions. time for him to man up, step up, and stop letting his handlers write his speeches and handle him. he acts like the king of england. he has a press aide standing next to him preselecting which reporters that get to ask him questions. the problem with somebody like marco rubio who has not proven he can get anything done except to get up in the morning, you know, fix his hair, smile, and give the same speech he's given for six years. even when he's leveling insults at me, he has to read them from

a piece of paper. >> rubio used some trump-like language of his own to smack back against christie. >> it's been a tough couple of days for chris christie and sometimes people react badly. if they want to do that, that's fine. it will reflect on them, not me. i'm going to focus on the future of the united states of america. >> i have a sense that it's not a very tough night next week for cruz. because he can come in like fourth up here and he goes right to south carolina, where the others are really battling for second, having won in iowa i don't think he needs it up here. maybe i'm wrong. tell me. >> well, you're rarely wrong, chris. but trump versus cruz is not the showdown you're looking for tonight, because cruz doesn't necessarily need it.

for the campaign, second place they could be ecstatic, third place is very good, fourth place is fine. there's not a lot of pressure on ted cruz like iowa. if we're not talking about ted cruz tomorrow, that's good because that means marco rubio has taken all the fire. the christie campaign indicating he will be drawing contrasts tonight specifically on experience. and you can bet that marco rubio's team is preparing for that. the campaign team saying rubio will be ready to defend himself. and hearing chris christie's attacks and even jeb bush's attacks all week long have helped potentially to prepare rubio for what's to come. each side previewing where they might go tonight. >> thank you so much, katy and howie jackson. last night in south carolina, donald trump once again disputed the iowa caucus results. let's watch.

>> and i think we should have come in first, to be honest with you. a lot of things happened there. a lot of things happened. a lot of things happened there. so the person that came in third, they said, unbelievable result! unbelievable! this is a huge victory. but i came in second and they said, trump didn't do so well. [ laughter ] but you see, i don't think i kid come in second. i think i same in first, okay? >> michael steele, the former chair of the rnc, and robert costa, national political reporter for "the washington post." both are msnbc political analysts. let's start talking about the interesting fight here. this is what jeb bush said today about marco rubio. "i came in third, everybody else

must leave. this is rubio's account. it's like, come on, you get a bronze, a little red ribbon. this is what they said rubio got in iowa, and everybody else is supposed to just -- oh, the waters are supposed to part. they talk to him like he's a little prince and they despise him because in many ways he is robotic. he never seems spontaneous. >> the frustration is, even with all of that, he's beating them with a prerecorded announcement and it's gotten to the point where tonight you're going to see a lot of that boil over. jeb clearly will go after him. i think donald trump should go after him, because that's the biggest danger right now for trump. n not cruz. but for kasich and christie,

tonight is critical. they have to square that circle and close in on rubio and take him down a notch. they need to come third -- second or third. >> robert, can trump afford -- way down the road, he looks like everybody i know, including me, looks like the most logical winner of this whole festival. your thoughts? >> trump has been holding off all week. he needs to revive himself on immigration, on trade. his core issues. this is a state that's embraced pat buchanan in the past. trump campaign still feels good going into south carolina. they're looking for other people, jeb bush to go after rubio. bush wants to stay in the race until south carolina, as well.

>> will he attack rubio tonight? >> bush will. when you talk to bush allies, you get the sense that bush feels good about a south carolina operation. he's been working it for months. it's all about survival. if he wants to survive, he has to cut out rubio's momentum tonight at the debate and tuesday in the primary or else it may be over. >> so there's a again interest now between jeb bush, the old establishment candidate, and the hottest, wildest anti-establishment candidate in history, donald trump, to knock out rubio, the heir apparent, right? >> in an ironic twist, donald trump's best friend tonight is the guy with low energy, jeb bush. he's going to be looking to bush to do the thing that hasn't been done so far, that is to really bring the fight closer in to rubio. christie is already engaged to do that. kasich is the one to watch. kasich is going to look for a clear lane while all that

scuffling is going on to move out in position to take the lead away from rubio without having necessarily engaged directly. >> let's talk about that. everybody i know seems to like kasich. maybe they like him because he's an underdog. because he's a regular guy who has made it in politics in a world of inauthentic people. he seems to be the real john kasich at least. he's not somebody else. everybody roots for the guy. is he too much of an underdog to win on tuesday or come in second? >> it's going to be tough. i was just on the campaign bus and i said what are you going to do at this debate, are you going to counter bush or go after christie, your rivals? he said look, i'm going to stay positive. that's all i can do at this point. but he has to have a big night. if you're kasich or christie, your money may run out after tuesday. if you don't jump in new hampshire, i don't know where you jump. >> we're out of time. i have so many questions to ask you guys. you're fabulous guests.

thank you. robert costa, you're great. coming up, the final days of campaigning for the democrats, the clinton campaign is pushing the idea that bernie sanders isn't ready to be commander in chief. will it help? hillary clinton, can she close the gap in new hampshire? and i'll be back at 10:30 with post debate coverage. tune in for our interviews with candidates and advisers live in the spin room. we'll try to get as many of the runs we can tonight. plus, top moments from the republican debate. that's coming up at 10:30 eastern tonight. and this is "hardball," the place for politics, live from new hampshire. thank you, we'll call you. evening, film noir, smoke, atmosphere... bob... you're a young farmhand and e*trade is your cow.

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today in america, one family, the walton family, to you owns more wealth than the bottom 40%. and with that, i'm taking off my jacket. [ applause ] it has upset me -- [ laughter ] i feel like a rock 'n' roll star. >> bernie! bernie! >> nothing more is coming off. that's it. >> there's a guy enjoying his late in life celebrity if i ever saw one. welcome back to this special edition of "hardball," live from new hampshire. senator bernie sanders and his supporters, there are a lot of them out there, have a lot to cheer about. four different polls right now. they're synoptic as we say in our religion. he's forged a significant advantage, ranging from 9 to a 30 point lead.

the 30-point lead one is the latest poll. clinton is not running away from this fight. here she is in concord earlier today. >> we have to win in november. we've got to make sure we keep a democrat in the white house. you can either rail against the system, which is satisfying. venting is good. i'm a big believer in venting. or you can do what i did. i said all right, they knocked us down, we're getting back up. will we rise together? will we rise by lifting each other up and giving every american the chance to succeed again! >> senator sanders continues to hammer clinton over her ties to wall street, and the clinton counterpunches that, saying sanders isn't ready to be commander in chief. joining me are some experts, three reporters that are following the democrats' tight

fight. there they are. molly ball, sam stein, and heidi pressler. are you still covering trump? you put him on the funny pages, didn't you? let me ask you, hillary clinton is like trapped in a paper bag, and it's like how do you fight against the guy who says you're not progressive enough? using progressive to be enough real estate to cover socialist, social democrat, democratic socialist to moderate democrat -- not moderate, but it's an enormous amount of water front. how does she say, being further left is not better? >> well, there's that, which is a tough sell. [ inaudible ] >> democrats were hungry after

12 years out of power. they were willing to compromise. >> there was a majority of moderates in the democratic base. that may not be the case anymore. [ overlapping speakers ] >> they're dissatisfied, demanding more than obama has been able to give them. >> exactly -- i know what they want, more medicare and health care. >> when bernie sanders attacks hillary clinton for this whole progressivism thing, it's not just a matter of how far left you are, but he's saying that she does what's politically convenient and says what voters want to hear. it's not about issue left or center. it's just that one day she's left one day and center the other day. >> he's one of the most targeted individuals i know. >> but this frame of income

inequality is something he's been talking about for decades. >> why does it work with young people this >> because it's idealistic and anti-establishment? >> i buy the fact that older people are worried more about taxes. somebody that's 20 years old has never had to pay heavy taxes. their burden is student loans. that's the tax they have to pay, and he says i'm going to get rid of that. >> that's true, but you can make the argument that parents are burdened by the student loans their kids accumulate. >> more and more parents can't afford it and they load it on the kid. >> that's true too. bernie's appeal, and i think you alluded to it, which is there is an element of the progressive wing, that although they love obama and he's done a great job, they do feel -- >> define the term progressive. >> great question. people who generally on health care for instance felt like he

was too lenient with republicans, didn't fight for a public option. people, who when he made that tax cut deal -- >> they want more big government. >> people who thought he negotiated poorly when it came to getting rid of the bush tax cuts. >> they know they got as much as he could get with 60 votes in the senate? >> that's the interesting part about the bernie sanders revolution. he never talks about the hurdles he face. a filibuster will exist under a president sanders. i said listen, what happen it is you don't have 60 senate democrats or a house majority, which they likely won't have until 2022? he said, we will make the 2018 midterms the biggest referendum in the history of midterm elections. >> it will always be the next election. it's like the brooklyn dodgers. >> heidi? >> that's the difference between

older bernie supporters and younger supporters. i talked to a number of the older supporter, i sought them out last night. the younger voters really believe in the revolution. they think it's coming and these things bernie sanders has laid out are possible. >> you have nothing to lose but your student loans. >> the older voters say i know he can't do it. but i'm sending -- this is a protest vote, and i'm sending a message to my party and to the republicans, because something has to change. >> could it be all of you, that we've had so many years of nothing. we got the health care bill, obamacare. and then nothing for like six years. that people know there's going to be stasis. there's going to be a nothingness, and there ain't going to be a compromise. >> there's that. there's the feeling if republicans nominate trump, they're going to win the

election no matter who they nominate. >> who is the one they're afraid of, who do thinking -- i don't want to be superior, but thinking people, who are they afraid of? >> the clinton campaign is definitely afraid of rubio. >> they're all afraid of rubio, aren't they? rubio is a greased pig, you can't get your hands on the guy. >> the reason is, because for the obvious biographical details. he's young, attractive, hispanic senator. he could potentially bring the critical state of florida. >> he's obama reborn in terms of political talent. he can give a great speech on a dime. >> even though clinton -- >> he's very patriotic, too. i think a lot of people, everybody, finds that appealing. >> the question about rubio and the way he's different than

obama is the hawkishness that he brings to the table is completely at odds with where obama was in 2008. so perhaps although the country is not at that part where we're talking -- >> i'm not sure they're aggressively hawkish into going into battle. they're hawkish how we treat prisoners of war. he said we get prisoners, we take them down to guantanamo and get the truth out of them. we have ways of making them talk. that's an old phrase. molly, thank you. you may be right, i may be wrong. i have to argue. sam stein, heidi, and live coverage of tonight's debate, coming up at 10:30. and all the highlights and analysis of the final republican debate before the new hampshire primary. by the way, it's on abc, if you want to watch the debate. this is "hardball," live from new hampshire. ♪

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welcome back to "hardball." we're live now again from manchester, new hampshire. and we just watched the final republican debate. it's pretty much over, before tuesday's primary here in new hampshire. donald trump was back on stage after boycotting the last debate in iowa. but target number one tonight for many was senator marco rubio and the florida senator seemed to be off his game. chris christie has been knocking rubio for a week now as being a scripted being. senator rubio didn't help much

by repeating the same speech lines about president obama four separate times as if we were a broken doll on the ground. let's watch. >> let's dispel once and for all that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing. he knows what he's doing. let's dispel with this fiction that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing. this notion that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing -- >> there it is. there it is, the memorized 25 second speech. >> i thought it was four times. e did it four times tonight verbatim. we'll show it to you tonight. there's something strange going on where someone using the same words over and over again without suggesting a thought, simply a recitation. that's not all we heard here tonight. here's what rubio said about secretary clinton, another gift from the past. here it is.

>> and anyone who lies to the families of people who have lost their loved ones in the service of our country like she did in benghazi can never be the commander in chief of the united states of america. >> sound familiar? rubio said something, well, amazing similar in the last debate a week ago. >> and anyone who lies to the families of americans who have died in the service of this country can never be commander in chief of the united states. >> it's a robocall. i am stunned by this. michael steele is the former chair of the republican national committee, and he's sitting with me. i want to start with my friend here. i have never heard a politician imitate a robocall like this guy. he was calling it by christie, and he couldn't stop himself and kept repeating whole speech parts as if they were like one

word and they were all verbatim. >> he got clocked on that by chris christie. the thing that was so stunning, you would think that in that moment the brain would say okay, let's not do that again. and he would do it four more times. the reality is, once that got called out by christie, ever now began to look at it, to the point where he started to repeat the same response, the audience began to boo. that was not a good moment. i think it really hurt him. and now people are going to pay much more attention to what rubio is saying to see whether or not there is all this substance that's been playing, given that it's largely a script. >> i don't know if everybody caught this like we did, but your view of that strange phenomena? and i know that everybody thinks down the road rubio is the biggest danger, he'll probably win the nomination. but jonathan carl, who is commenting on it on abc said he heard what we heard here, this guy is a robocall.

he's using whole speech parts over and over again. katy? >> there's a link online that shows the four times he used the same phrase over and over again. i believe that's when you'll start seeing it on twitter popping up, this idea that marco rubio is reading from notes, that he's memorized his lines, that he only has these prepared remarks, and not the talking from his heart, not the talking from his hip the way that some of the other candidates have done. you saw john kasich come off well in that regard tonight. he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. he sounded like it was just flying off his tongue in a completely different way than marco rubio. >> like he was thinking. >> exactly, like he was answering the question. you can see that marco rubio was trying to turn it around. i think this is going to be remembered as a pretty bad debate for him. he had the target on his back, chris. he had the most to lose tonight. he was surging in the polls.

all the other candidates realize the road out of new hampshire is through marco rubio. so the campaign should have expected he would be attacked in this manner, especially when chris christie was telegraphing his punch all week long, this boy in the bubble line. >> it's interesting, it wasn't just a phrase -- it was a phrase, but it was a whole series of words. but as you point out, here is a longer version of what we saw the exchange between marco rubio and governor christie that seemed to throw the florida senator off whatever his game is, or it seemed to engage the recording machine. let's watch. >> i think the experience is not just what you did but how it worked out. under chris christie's governorship of new jersey, they've been downgraded nine times in their credit rating. this country already has a credit problem. but let's dispel with this pi fiction that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing.

he knows exactly what he's doing. >> that's what washington, d.c. does. the drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information, and then the memorized 25 second speech that is exactly what his advisers gave him. when you're a governor, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great america is, doesn't solve one problem for one person. >> your state got hit by a massive snowstorm two weeks ago and they had to shame you to go back, then you stayed for 36 hours and left and came back to campaign. this notion that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing -- >> there it is, the memorized 25-second speech. there it is, everybody. >> let me go back to howie jackson. i remember ronald reagan gave a big speech after he got sick for a alzheimer's entirely and

everybody felt bad for him. but here is a young guy repeating long pieces of script. what doesn't allow him to know that is cartoonish? >> here's the deal, chris. every candidate has a stump speech and repeats line from that and marco rubio is no exception. the big difference is he's been called out on this all week long. he had been called out by chris christie and it was clearly a rough start for marco rubio. the campaign is spin thing and he did better later in the night when he talked about foreign policy. but chris christie's campaign is feeling fantastic. they all said marco rubio came out looking bruised. we're waiting for somebody to come out and try to chat with some folks. >> gabe gutierrez, i just want to cite something from a

recently highly respected film "the lives of others." they pointed out that one of the ways you can tell if mb is telling the truth or not is whether they say the same thing over and over again verbatim. when you don't have a thought to convey, you simply have a recitation, you're verbatim. you're covering rubio, four times in a row, said the same verbatim speech. your thoughts? >> it was an incredibly bad situation, chris. hallie jackson is right. listening to marco rubio's stump speech, that was lifted directly from the stuff speech. i think what really was a problem here is that he could not counter what chris christie was trying to do. this was telegraphed for days. he had to know this was coming, right out of the gate, this was the first time that -- the first

answer that chris christie had, and went right after marco rubio. and yet he could not bounce back. throughout the debate, the first segment of the debate, he was completely rattled. by the end of the debate, you start to see beads of sweat develop. he did regain some of his footing later on with foreign policy. but he got off to such a bad start, he had to know the attack was coming. there were other parts that you just played there, there were other portions of his answers when he talked about hillary clinton should be disqualified from the presidency. that is another part of his stump speech. and it -- the answer that he gave as well with trying to turn it -- he tried to attack first. he tried to say that chris christie didn't return to new jersey in time for that snowstorm. he got the boos. and then gave christie the opening to pounce and pounce he did. he just did not let up.

>> okay. gabe, thank you for that. let's take a look again so those who didn't watch the debate get the gist of what we're saying. here is a candidate under attack for being a reciter of the same speech parts over and over again no matter the circumstance. he doesn't have thoughts to respond with, he simply gives back a recitation, almost a recording device in his head that he uses to respond to all questions. here it is the performance tonight, under that threat and he did it again. >> let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing. he knows exactly what he's doing. let's dispel with this fiction that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing. here's the bottom line. this notion that barack obama doesn't know what he's doing -- >> there it is, the memorized 25-second speech. >> you've got to wonder, michael, why a guy could do that. he's obviously capable of memorizing.

he comes across very smooth. but when you're charged with being a human robot, you don't act like a human robot. >> a lot of it has to do with how his team has approached this campaign. >> didn't they hear him doing that before? >> you would think. but this is the reality. when you get a candidate in a certain mode and you've molded that candidate to respond a certain way, it's hard to get them off of that track. he's well scripted and well rehearsed. he stays on his talking point. that's what they've drilled into him. >> but to repeat yourself four times? >> that's what i find most fascinating. you're a u.s. senator, you're in the chamber which big debate comes with the job. you kind of know on the senate floor when you get hit from the right or the left how to respond to that. this hurt marco tonight. the governors did effectively with chris christie in the lead somewhat they had to do. >> i'll tell you, it was strange. i want to go back to katy.

you guys watch these speeches all the time, you and hallie. does it amaze you -- not that he repeats his speech, but uses recited, memorized speech parts rather than giving an answer? >> this is what you see donald trump talk about so much on the campaign trail. he's always hitting president obama for reading off a teleprompter and claims he never does that. but even donald trump has notes h he reads off of. but trump looks like he is talking freely. he pretty much says the same thing in every trump speech. but he doesn't sound canned or rehearsed. he sounds like donald trump. marco rubio is so smooth that he just sounds too good to be true. as you said, he sounds like a robocall. will the voters understand that or see that? i'm not sure. it's one of those things that we in the media certainly attach

ourselves to pretty quickly and repeat over and over again. i think the voters need to -- when i talk to people about marco rubio, they say one of the things they like about him is that he's easy. he's a candidate that they can stomach and believe will have a good chance in a general election. the one concern is that he's not principled. they don't know if his words match his actions. he has no voting record, no real voting record in the senate. this whole rick santorum thing where he couldn't name an achievement. but tonight, this montage of him saying the same thing four times over and over and over again, you've got to bet that's going to be played on tv for the next three days and it's not going to play well for marco rubio and could affect his chances here in new hampshire. >> it does remind me of a broken doll on the ground that keeps repeating its recording. we'll be right back.

i want to thank everyone. michael will stick with us. much more to come and plenty more fireworks. the final republican debate before tuesday's new hampshire primary. you're watching "hardball," live from manchester, new hampshire. >> i like marco rubio. and he's a smart person and a good guy. but he simply does not have the experience to be president of the united states and make these decisions. we've watched it happen, everybody, for the last seven years. the people of new hampshire are smart. do not make the same mistake again. ♪ (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. 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.

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we're going to win with trump. we're going to win. we don't win anymore. our country doesn't win anymore. we're going to win with trump. >> that was repeated before. any way, welcome back to

"hardball" and live from manchester, new hampshire. site of tonight's final republican debate before this coming tuesday's primary in new hampshire. jeb bush and donald trump sparred a bit tonight over imminent domain. not the usual thing we talk about. it means the right of the government to say hey, the train is going down with your houses, get ready. sell the house, or we'll buy it, but you're not going to stop that train moving through. let's watch that. >> but without imminent domain, you don't have roads, highways, schools, bridges or anything. >> what donald trump did was use imminent domain to try to take the property of an elderly woman on the strip in atlantic city. that is not public purpose. that is down right wrong. here's the problem with that, the problem was -- >> jeb wants to be a tough guy. he wants to be a tough guy. i didn't take the property. >> the net result was -- you tried. and you lost in court. >> the woman didn't want to do that. >> that is not true. the simple fact is, to turn this

into a limousine parking lot for his casinos is not about public use. >> he wants to be a tough guy. a lot of times -- and it doesn't worth very well. >> how tough is it to take the property of an elderly woman? >> let me talk. be quiet. [ audience booing ] >> that's all his donors and special interests. >> it took this debate to expose some of these personality traits. here to talk about that, heidi writes for "usa today." jeremy peters writes for "the new york times." and megan murphy is with bloomberg. so how much did we expose about the true nature -- you're a "new york times" reporter. you know trump. >> it was trump reverting to his true nature. you saw chris christie doing the same thing. they both know how to hit.

>> trump says, i'm the boss, shut up. christie says, give me some answers, what's your problem with this repetition thing? he was interrogating the guy. >> it was a return to trump, telling bush to be quiet, saying he supported waterboarding and would do a hell of a lot more. >> didn't you think he was a bit bullying there at that point with jeb bush? >> you've got to face some of the toughest people attacking the united states, isis, and terrorists. you have to be tough. and to see how jeb bush can cowered to donald trump is the real story here. not that donald trump was tough, but because jeb bush is not tough enough, it seemed as though it was a bit aggressive. if you want to become commander in chief of this great nation, you're going have to take the heat. and jeb couldn't take the heat tonight. >> wait a minute, are you saying that behavior from trump was acceptable? >> absolutely. we're not playing hopscotch.

this isn't a game of jacks. this is not for children. this is for the grownups in the room, and jeb bush really needs to be tougher if he wants to face other leaders of great nations who will come after us. he's not tough enough. he should not still be in this race. >> is there anything wrong with donald trump? >> say that again? >> is there anything wrong with donald trump? >> you know, i think that trump is doing a great job tonight. i mean -- >> no, is there anything wrong with him? is there any flaw, does the man have any flaws? >> i think we all have flaws. >> give me one. omarosa, give me one flaw. >> the man did fire me twice. >> you've got to tell me where you don't defend him. where does he overdo it? >> i think one of the areas where trump can improve is focusing on his policy issues

opposed to just attacking everyone else's. he has details, he has great approaches to different policies, but people don't hear them. so expanding on those policy issues opposed to going after the candidates is what more people want to see and i would like to see more of that. >> well done. good response. of course it was. everybody watching knows that was a great response. the moderators tonight, david muir and martha radatz gave donald trump an opportunity to take trump's recent tack on him that if trump becomes president he would nuke denmark. let's watch. >> i actually think i have the best temperament. i built a massive corporation, i'm ployed thousands of people. i've gotten along with people for years and years. i'm the only one up here, when the war in iraq, i was the one that said don't go, don't do it. you're going to destabilize the

middle east. so i'm not one with the trigger. other people up here, believe me, would be a lot faster. >> senator cruz, you said mr. trump doesn't have the temperament to be the commander in chief. do you stand by that? >> i think that is an assessment the voters will make. >> i respect what ted just said, but if you noticed, he didn't answer your question. and that's what is going to happen -- [ applause ] that's what is going to happen with our enemies and the people we compete against. we're going to win with trump. we're going to win. we don't win anymore. our country doesn't win anymore. we're going to win with trump. and people back down with trump and that's what i like. >> why did he back down? >> i think -- >> is he afraid to say the guy is a little loose mentally? >> what they're more concerned about doing is making sure rubio took most of the beating. when donald trump and ted cruz are fighting, the attention is off of marco rubio. so tonight -- >> explain the -- all three of you, why is it important in the

common interest of mr. trump and mr. cruz that rubio go down? >> it's in everyone's interest. i think that was the one truce that you saw only the stage. >> why? >> because only one can come in second place right now, and right now marco rubio is in that second place. >> here? >> yeah. so everybody said it's going to be bumper cars, everybody is going after each other. no, they cut a truce that -- >> because cruz can't get second here? >> the longer the establishment lane is splintered in five different directions, the better trump and cruz is. >> could it be all the smart money in this town is that the ultimate threat, donald trump, if he stays in this race, is rubio. >> and you saw it tonight. you're going to have a big-time establishment gotcha. marco rubio was incredibly weak

and looked rattled. he picked up as the night went on, but make no mistake, that first hour he was rattled and they had him on the ropes. >> you're reading something, are you saying the reason he reverted to recitations, he got shook? >> no question. look at the tape. his face was rattled. his whole body posture changed. he had never seen that kind of attacks before and never experienced those kind of consolidated attacks throughout this campaign. >> if anything happens we won't know in the polls. if there are any numbers that move, lit be rubio coming down. >> omarosa, was that the strategy, the short-term threat to donald trump, if you look at the numbers, he's in second place, but both agreeing to

knock off rubio tonight? >> i think it would be a smart calculation and smart strategy. donald trump doesn't have to do anything at this debate but be donald trump. he doesn't have to do overly aggressive or go after anyone, because we knew that everybody was going to be going after rubio. and as you can see, rubio could not take it. and he just went into that broken record mode. donald trump is the real deal. he's authentic. he tells it like it is. and that's what the voters are looking for and you'll see that in new hampshire. >> you know, i was afraid if i used the phrase broken record it would age me. but thank you, young lady, for using that phrase, because that's what a record sounds like when it repeats the words over and over again. thank you all. we're coming back for another live hour of coverage of tonight's republican debate, the last one. you can tell that, last chance to pound the other guy before next tuesday's new hampshire

primary. you're watching "hardball," a police for politics, live from manchester, new hampshire. >> if i get elected president, head out tomorrow and buy a seat belt, because there's going to be so much happening in the first 100 days, it's going to make your head spin and we're going to move america forward. i promise you. want to get their hands on. if they could ever catch you. iand quit a lot,t 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.

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no annoying hold music. just a real person, real fast. whenever you need them. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business. welcome back from manchester, new hampshire. we're still here for the damage assessment. the top seven republican candidates went after each other tonight in the final republican debate. and you could tell it was the