results. while you're there, read the great piece on the chris christie endorsement and what it means for the gop establishment. >> check that out, but for now, we say sayonara. >> coming up, "hardball with chris matthews." jersey boy, let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews, washington, four days to go to super tuesday, next tuesday, newly aggressive marco rubio unloading, donald trump pulled a stunner today. news conference earlier today, an endorsement, a huge one. new jersey chris christie. campaign said there was a quote, audible gasp from the room when christie walked in. >> i am proud to be here to endorse donald trump for president of the united states. i've been on that stage. i've gotten to know all the people on that stage.

there is no one who is better prepared to provide america with the strong leadership that is needs, both at home and around the world than donald trump. this is the only guy on that stage other than governor kasich who has made executive decisions. the confidence i have is that he is strong enough to take on the d.c. establishment, which is what is represented by senator rubio. >> well, the in us comes as senator rubio escalated his trash talk with trump. earlier this week, he said he didn't run for office to tear up republicans. but today, he tried to torch trump after an attack after an attack after attack. >> every business he has ever run that has gone bun bankrupt, do you bankrupt a casino. what about the people who signed up for the fake school. you got a paper certificate and a picture with a cardboard cutout of donald trump.

this guy inherited $200 million. he has never faced any struggle. he has never faced -- the told somebody protester, i'm going to punch you in the face. donald trump has never punched anyone in the face. donald trump was the first guy that begged for secret service protection. first guy. >> well, short time later, trump responded. >> i watched a part of his little act. he is is a desperate guy. i've been watching him over the last number of -- he is not presidential material that i can tell you. doesn't have the demean ner. he is a nervous nellie. backstage, he is a mess. a total mess. and you know, i joked recently, can you imagine putin sitting there waiting for a meeting and rubio walks in and totally drenched. i've never seen a man sweat like this man sweats. >> donald trump continued the attack. isn't it sophisticated, a short time later.

>> when they put marco on to refute president obama's speech, do you remember that catastrophe? he's like this? and we will -- and we'll -- i need water. help me, i need water. help. and he's -- this is on live television. it's rubio. unbelievable. >> well, the old line is don't get in a peeing match with a skunk and he has gotten into one. michael steele, the former chairman of the republican national committee. eugene robinson, political mvp, sounds like marco rubio, and finally, not arepeating. let me go with you, michael.

everyone said rubio won on points. it was the three stoojs last night. the three stoojs. nobody looked sophisticated as a presidential candidate. your thoughts? is rubio able to get back into the ring with this guy, or just desperate. >> i think after the announ announcement today, rubio is looking outside the window at, you know, trump and christie on the playground going maybe i'll play inside for a while. the reality from last night to me was disappointing. i thought that all decorum, any pretense they were running for president was lost. the only one who tried to maintain that stature was gov ni nor kasich was trying to pull it in a different direction. a stunner today, no doubt. >> how big is it? what does christie bring? the northeast, ethnicity,

jersey? >> he brings the fight. he brings the fight. remember, he was the one who stopped marco's momentum. he was the one who put marco in his place in a substantive way. i think coming back on to this field right now when everyone kind of thought that christie would take his marbles and go back to jersey, i think it's significant. he brings certainly into the campaign some of that northeast opportunity. i mean, you know, new york, new jersey, going up into new england where trump is already up big. so yeah, i think christie today really stepped all over the marco momentum coming out of last night. >> yeah, great guy to send out as your hatchet man you have to. this campaign doesn't need a hatchet man. christie wasted no time what he does best, going after rubio. here he is doing the job. >> desperate people in campaigns do desperate things, flailing punches in the last days of a losing campaign. i find it fascinating that

somebody who barely shows up for work six years as united states senator, talk about somebody else being unprepared. he has shown himself over the course of time to be unprepared to be president of the united states. >> well, he is prepared for every event he goes into. gene, you know the act. he is going, recitesed, prepared. >> scripted. >> i think the audience last night was also scripted. i've never seen an audience so dog trained to react at certain times. it was like frank sinatra or somebody. i didn't know what was going on. >> he had to do it right. he had to attack trump and he -- >> crystal told him to. >> which you know from -- >> everybody told him to. >> okay, but all -- punch. >> he tried. but you know, and look, he scored some points. he got -- >> to what effect? >> probably to no -- >> did he win? >> he won the verbal confrontation, but nonverbal,

trump. the two dogs on the side nipping at him. >> the two dogs. >> yaping at the side. >> this thing about trump, he is the worst -- the psychological assassin ever been. he makes you feel bad when he goes after you. he finds something. low energy has to do with impet impotent or something. the gertol ads. how about the big ears. he uses make jump to cover up his ears. >> just like the way the water thing is the one thing people know about marco rubio, he gets thirsty in his speech. >> what did he do? >> after obama and marco rubio gave his response, he could not -- >> he reached. >> he kept reaching for water, couldn't finish drinking, trump finds the one thing about you, hits on it.

today is so big, because trump is becoming the establishment's kind of joining him now. members of congress endorsed him this week. >> motivation, please. motivation. >> i assume he wants to be attorney general. >> exactly. >> that's because trump is about to win, you know. >> two senators from jersey going to be there a while. no room -- >> fun job. he'll be home. >> think about the job. >> more than that, this is also, remember, rubio was the first to go after christie in this campaign. his people with their super pac started taking bite sized chunking out of christie early in this fight. christie has not forgotten that, fellows, he has not forgotten at all. so whether or not he wants to be attorney general. right now, he has got marco rubio in his cross hairs. >> you know, the old italian expression years ago, it's a great line, revenge is a meal best served cold. >> right. >> but you know, rubio --

>> wait around until the right time comes. >> rubio lass to be playing for florida, right. that has to be his game at this point. >> yes. >> there is not enough time for him to have -- >> what is his game? >> before super tuesday. >> he has got to win florida. >> that's march 15th. everybody says if he wins there for what. he hasn't won -- >> it doesn't change anything. >> okay, is the goal to get to cleveland with -- >> yes. >> okay, former chair. tell me how it works. if trump goes from with most, plurality of the votes, but not enough for majority, goes in and there a ballot. he loses, because he don't get a majority, does your party risk denying him the nomination as the guy who comes to the convention with the most delegates, and give it to the guy that has the second most because the second and third gang up. then trump walks out the door and says that's the end of my republicanism and you lose the general? >> yeah, you just summed it up.

>> nominee if he has the most delegates. >> i warned that about them from the very beginning. don't mess with the process. don't tinker with the rules. changing the numbers of states to nominate from five to eight, knowing paul had the five states to hut his name in, even though didn't have the delegates to actually be on the first ballot. and they changed it to eight states, and that has come back to haunts them now. i think they've got to be very careful about how they deal with trump. if he goes in there as you say with the plurality of the delegates, just shy, maybe 300 or so shy of getting the nomination on the first ballot, this should be a matter of how they accommodate. >> do you know what the rubio game is? >> i think it's to win florida, force cruz out and get into a one-on-one and hope you win the california and new jersey.

>> win or take all. >> that's the real plan. >> he's not going to do it. >> i don't think he'll make it. >> meanwhile, talk about getting personal, rubio and trump personal conduct backstage at the debate. usually, by the way, gentlemen politicians, of the old order, if they went to the bathroom or said something stupid, that would be considered private. it isn't now. let's watch. >> he called me mr. meltdown. let me tell you something, last night during one of the breaks, two of the breaks, he went backstage, he was having meltdown. makeup thing applying makeup around his mustache, because one of those sweat mash tashustachee wa wanted a full-length mirror. >> putting on a pile of make jump. i said marco, easy with the makeup. you know the story, i've watched him with this man, he was right

over here, i actually looked at him. i said are you okay, he was a mess. >> this is the lowest. talk about a guy, peeing his pants, i mean, that is really high school. bad high school. >> the republican to this. this is like way blow the beelo. >> politicians, you work for the light touch. >> this is the opposite of the light touch. he doesn't have trump's staleto. >> he doesn't sting like a bee. >> okay, i have a problem with rubio, because i think he is a reciter. i don't think comes to mind. nothing is spontaneous with the guy. i do like spontaneous. it tells me the lights are on. what do you think of that? >> it's imitation. >> i was watching several live

feeds of rubio's speech today, and it was very clear at certain times, would he say a word and then realize, that's not the word and then he would change it to the word, and then finish the rest of the thought. so go with the flow. if the word, you know, comes out, go with it. but it is, it does come off scripted. again, number two, how do you then say i'm not here to attack republicans and then spend the next 24 hours doing that. again, credibility and in that authenticity is something that the voters are looking for right now. and it's a hard sell i think at this point. >> i think his audience has an authenticity problem. the people that did the screaming on queue. that's orchestrated. we agreed on that. >> too late. what was he waiting for? trump has won three states. what was he waiting for to attack him. >> a natural thing. any way, a moment of craziness, one sober republican who offered up. here is lindsey graham who left the race early.

here he is. >> the most dishonest person running is a woman. who is about to be president. how could that be? my party is going [ bleeping ] that crazy. >> well, there he is. >> enough said. >> hillary clinton, i mean, michael, sticking it to hillary clinton, i thought they were friends, whatever he said, liar, and then he's going to into the usual whatever word. >> yep. >> and i think the guy in the -- >> bat, yeah. >> he hit the nail on the head. he really did it goes back to what i said at the beginning of this, of this time with you that this was not the best performance. this was not best presentation by our candidates for president. i think lindsey graham summed that up very well. >> i don't understand why mr.

rie prebis hasn't been able to curve this. i don't know what chairman of the party means these days since you left. you did great. any way, michael steele, thank you. the former republican party. >> right. >> and i want to thank you perry. coming up, on to south carolina, 24 hours away from poll closing time down there. hillary clinton has an edge in polling down there, but is bernie sanders proved last night, "hardball" college dorm, he was not giving up without a fight. can the bern work down south. and tipping point perhaps as i said, chris christie becomes one of the biggest names in america. he is one of the biggest guys to endorse donald trump. his momentum carry the trump campaign through next tuesday on to domination. actually, the "hardball" round table dozen state contest, a lot happening next tuesday. plus privacy versus security. one of america's iconic companies goes head to head with

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>> i haven't asked you that. how do you pass it through the senate how do you get 60 votes? >> we'll pay for a tax on wall street. >> who is going to pass that tax. >> look, we look at the world differently. you look at it inside the belt way. i'm not an inside the belt way guy. i'm an outside the belt way guy. >> that was a little rough. any way, welcome back to "hardball." that was part of my interview last night during last night's college tour at the university of chicago. a beautiful place. i was pressing him on his tuition free. it moves south, when south carolina holds the primary. the latest poll out of south carolina shows hillary clinton with a strong lead. secretary clinton campaigned there today in charleston. here she is. >> when you run for office, i think you have an obligation to tell people what you intend to

do. that's why i've been playing out my plans. i want people to know what i intend to do and how much it will cost and to hold me accountable. i think if you were to talk to the people i represented in new york, they would tell you that i told folks what i would do, then i went about doing it, and then i asked them to hold me accountable. that's what i will do as president. >> joining me right now, tad devine, senior advisor, hasting weinman, democratic party. i've got to go to mr. chairman here. was stunned about, you know, blacks or minority in this country, african-american, but not in south carolina politics, right? >> chris, say that again. i didn't hear you. >> well, i said that the blacks are not a minority when it comes to the south carolina democratic politics? >> definitely. not here in south carolina. you know, in 2008, as you

mentioned earlier, african-american were 5% of t5%. so every election since then, the african-american share of the electorate has grown. so it's definitely a force here in south carolina. and i think, you know, senator sanders and secretary clinton will see they'll be a force in the southern states on super tuesday as well. >> hastings, every time i look at a map, i'm always impressed how much the agriculture of the country, drives cultural identity where we are, the large cotton culture, african-american, huge numbers, 40% sometimes, and that may explain the deep right wing feeling of some of the whites down there. you get up into the tobacco areas, much more african-american community. let's talk about the deep south. south carolina. how influential will that be in terms of the black voters to support the clinton family.

>> very influential. i think that hillary clinton is running very strongly there. not only there. the clintons have been involved in politics in south carolina for a long time. they're well-known in the african-american community, and i think that will really kick start how hillary clinton will do in the rest of the southern states next tuesday. >> it's tough being the newby. we've seen it forever. the first black president that taught from the old days. how do you beat it? how do you challenge hillary in her home turf. >> i think first of all, we recognize that. she has ee nonormous strength t. what we have to do with bernie is continue the process of making sure the african-american community, latino community, other people in the country who don't know him well get to know

him. we saw real progress. our own tracking poll had him six points ahead. so i think we've begun to see progress and great progress with african-american. >> the big names, you get the celebrity names. spike lee, appeals to young people. and of course, you have the naacp. how does that work? are you deploying them around the areas where the voting strength is? >> we are, you know, spike's radio ad has been down there, use it elsewhere as well. you know, danny glover has been campaigning with bernie along with ben jealous. >> morgan freeman, hillary. >> i'm jealous of that, so. >> let me go to jamie about the looks of this whole thing. getting into the general ee leks election, it's almost impossible to carry them in november. >> eventually. >> isn't it almost impossible? >> no, i don't think so it's almost impossible.

barack obama got 45% of the vote here in south carolina in 2008. i think if we spent the resources building an operation here, expanding the message, but what happens is every election cycle, all of the resources go to ohio and florida and these other places, but georgia and south carolina are very similar. they're right on the cusp. they just need the attention to build the infrastructure and get the message out. >> what do you make of the charges made by the sanders campaign, including the candidate that bill clinton in the '90s played it not quite on the level of the racial issue. he did things like, the welfare reform bill, played in the hands of conservative people. what do you make of the record? >> well, you also know, chris, that the democrats, a lot of democrats actually voted for some of that legislation as well? i think right now, there is a lot of regret for some of the things that took place during that period. and you're seeing that in some

of the statements from member of congress as well as president clinton. >> we'll see. thank you. thanks for helping us get your boss. >> i'm glad he got the chance to do it. >> he was great. the kids loved him. i had a tussle with him, which is my job, and i think he was ready for it and he took it. he accused me of being inside the belt way, and here we are, inside the belt way. he nailed me. tad devine, hastings. the bruise brothers, there they are. christie and trump. after marco rubio tries to take down donald trump, the brass new jersey comes out to endorse trump. political theater at its worst or best. is it a game changer? a lot of people including me there is something about chris christie that's bigger, not as a candidate. but as a backup guy, a supporter. you know? he looks like he is ready to go to war. any way, this is "hardball," the

place for politics. >> going now to oklahoma city where you see governor christie out there campaigning for donald trump. >> america needs a strong leader who is going to restore american strength around the world and donald trump is that man. america needs a strong leader at home to restore jobs and american confidence to our people, and donald trump is that man. the republican party needs a leader who will make sure that hillary rodham never gets within ten miles of the white house. donald trump is that man. i'm going to tell you, we've had a fun time. we were in fort worth this morning. things in texas are looking good. believe me, ted cruz is nervous.

now we come here to oklahoma, we come to oklahoma full of optimism, not only for elections on tuesday, but full of optimism for america's future when we get a strong leader in the white house and not the hand wringing guy we have in the white house right now. could you imagine the whiplash, the whiplash that america's enemies are going to feel when they go from a weakling like barack obama to a man of strength like donald trump? now, and let's have one more message for someone who has had a pretty big mouth today. marco rubio, your campaign is almost over, buddy.

showing a lot of desperation today. throwing punches from every angle, but none of them are landing, because america has made their decision. donald trump represents strength and marco rubio represents washington, d.c. we don't need any more dc politicians. and so i just want to remind senator rubio, confused about this, president of the united states is not a no show job like he has treated the united states senate. we need an executive on the job, and that man is donald trump. so i am proud to be part of the team. i'm proud to be part of the team that will restore strength and confidence and faith and hope in our country, and it's people again, nothing that has happened in america under barack obama is not able to be reversed by having a strong person in the

white house to lead us again, and donald trump is that man. so we're counting on you. we're counting you, oklahoma, when you go to the polls. we not just a win here. we need a trump size dollars win in oklahoma. i think you're going to give it to us. so it is my honor, my privilege, and my pleasure, to introduce to you the next president of the united states of america, donald j. trump.

♪ ♪ >> well, you know, think trump has what he has needed. up, up man, as they say in politics. somebody to make a big deal about him when he comes on. that was very effective by governor christie. here he is, trump. >> wow. wow. this is great. this is great. thank you. unbelievable.

we came here, we wanted 4,000 people, they have 7 or 8,000 people. unbelievable results. all over. all over. so we had an amazing, we had an amazing experience last night. and i'll tell you what. every single poll, i was being hit from both sides, every single online polling poll on the debate, did anybody watch that crazy debate last night? they have us winning by a lot. they have us winning by a lot. every single poll. and most of the people on television, but some of the pundits of course, never. no way. no way. but every poll in a lot of the people, we had an amazing time last night. it was very different. these are two desperate people. they're desperate. you know, the one guy in florida, he is down 20 points,

rubio. and i'll tell you what. they hate him in florida. they hate him. you know what, he defrauded florida, if you think about it. he runs, he becomes a senator, he never shows up to vote. he is never around. and they don't like him. he is not doing well. so it was interesting. one of the reasons i love chris. i was on the stage in new hampshire which we won, remember new hampshire, we love new hampshire. and we won south carolina, big. we won by double, double, double digits. and a few days ago, we won nevada, and that was amazing. big, big. we're doing great. and we have amazing people. it's a movement. i tell people, it's a movement. but i was on the stage in new hampshire during one of the debates, and i watched a meltdown like i've never seen anything like it. i watched a meltdown like i've never seen.

it was chris grilling marco rubio. this guy was sweating so badly, oh, he was sweating honestly, it was disgusting, all right. and i knew he had a problem, because before that, when he was doing the -- a little bit of an address to the president's speech, you remember, and they put him on, and he went for the water. do you remember that? during live television? but what i saw what chris did to him was incredible. then last night, i saw him backstage on makeup where he is putting it on with a trowel. he was soaking wet. he was out here, and you know, i only say it, because honestly, this is not a presidential guy. this is not a presidential guy. he has a situation in florida, where he buys a house. these are our politicians, and not the only one. i'm self-funding my campaign.

i'm putting in my own money, okay. i'm putting in my own money. even though i heard today my father gave me $200 million. believe me, i would love if he gave me $200 million. believe me. that is not true. that is way, way, way, way off. i love my father. my father did give me a lot of knowledge. but i wish he gave me $200 million. you know, these numbers, where they come from, well, they come from phony newspapers. because these people back here, the media, they are the most dishonest people any where that i've ever seen. so today, i heard little marco say $200 million. now he's talking about a got a $1 million loan, which by the way, i paid back. in the meantime, i made billions

and billions and billions of dollars. so pretty good job. not many could do that. so this guy, rubio, buy gs a house for $178,000. sells it for $380,000 to a lobbyist, okay, is the lobbyist in the room? is he here? makes his massive project. and is doing legislation for this guy at the same time. okay, tell me about this. right. then he has got a credit card problem, where he is taking from the republican party, having his driveway all of this. why is this not brought out. and from the republican party? and the man doing the investigation is furious that they're not listening to him i think i'll have to get up and interview him. then he has a foundation, but he doesn't, a rich guy has a foundation who does a lot of

business with florida. and who is the head of the foundation. does anybody know? that's right. his wife. big salary, big, big salary. then he has got a no-show professorship. he never shows up. and all of this, this guy is making a lot of money. and shouldn't be making this money. but all of this, and the state of florida can't stand him. i'm up by like 20 points. and we're going to win florida. we're going to win florida. let me tell you. we're going to win it, we're going to win it big. now, the other gentleman, on the other side, who is actually a smarter guy, i will say this. he is smarter than marco, but he was on the other side, and he has been hitting me left and right, and he's got a problem, because we're about tied in texas, and if i win texas, that's going to be embarrassing. if i win florida, that's going to be embarrassing.

how do you beat a sitting senator in florida, how do you beat a sitting senator in texas. they could have an embarrassing time. so tuesday, tuesday, big day, tuesday, we have to get out there. they could have a very embarr s embarrassing time. i will say this, marco is very, very weak on immigration. very weak. come on over, folks. come on over. marco is weak. gave amnesty, wants to give amnesty, the bill of eight. he is very weak. honestly, ted is pretty weak on -- he is is a little stronger, i have to say, but he is also weak on illegal immigration. if i didn't come down that escalator and start talking about illegal immigration, it wouldn't even be a subject. we wouldn't be talking about it right now. wouldn't be a subject. wow.

so we have a number of situations that when i made the decision to do this, and i'll never forget it. standing in trump tower, the press is downstairs, in the building. and it looked like the academy awards. it takes guts, believe me. it takes guts to run for president. not easy. not easy. i mean, as a non- -- think of it, i'm a non-politician. i've never done this before. so all of a sudden, i'm doing it. but i'm doing it because we're going to make america great again. and a politician, all talk, no action, is not going to happen. these guys, i know them. it's not going to happen. can't happen. it's not their thing. for instance, on the border, i love you too, darling. stand up. i love you too. i love you too. thank you. thank you. thank you. on the border -- thank you.

great group. i love oklahoma. and word is, your football team is going to be pretty good this year, right? right? that's what the word is. better be. we'll be rooting for you. it better be. i think it will. so i came down and i talked about illegal immigration. and did we get a stir from that. and all of a sudden, it became a mainstay of everybody. and some are were strong, some weak and i just got the endorsement as you know from sheriff joe arpaio, you can't get -- >> that's donald trump in the campaign rally down in oklahoma city. much more on the campaign trail coming up. this is "hardball," the place for politics.

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be sure to tune in tomorrow for the democratic primary down there. 6:00 p.m. i'll join brian williams and rachel maddow between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. and next week, i'll head to texas, brian rachel and i will be back in the big super tuesday contest on march 1st. all here on msnbc. we'll be right back.

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may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. welcome back to "hardball." a titan shift in the presidential race. new jersey governor chris christie endorsing donald trump. a friend from jersey, but a vocal enemy south of the border. president of mexico, vicente fox used colorful language about mexico building a wall between us and them. it came up in last night's debate. >> the former president of mexico vicente fox, said today and quoting him, he said i'm not going to pay for that, quote,

f'ing wall. so if you don't get an actual check from the mexican government for 8 or 10 or $12 billion, whatever it will cost, how are you going to make them pay for the wall? >> i will, and the wall just got 10 feet taller. believe me. it just got 10 feet taller. i saw him make the statement. i saw him use the word that he used. i can only tell you, if i would used even half of that word, it would have been national scandal. this guy used a filthy, disgusting word on television, he should be ashamed and apologize. >> wow. fox says he is not offering any apologies to mr. trump and doubled down on his position again today. >> i have to say we're not, i am not going to pay for that f'ing wall. i am not. he should know that. i'm not going to apologize on

the skcountry. a real public servant, joe biden, he said i have to apologize for this guy. i mean, it's not credible. >> well, trump went right out after the former pressed tidenty with christie by his side. >> chris can tell you, can you imagine if i used that language. >> terrible. >> if i used that language, it would be a major scandal, and as many people as we have today, you would have five times more. da disgraceful the way he went about saying it. mexico will pay for the wall. >> round table tonight, republican strategist, both with the "washington post." ann, i have to tell you, do you believe trump when he said how that awful word offended him. i think trump has been visited by the gods. every couple of days or weeks, he gets somebody like the pope or international adversary to

play his foil. it's not -- i've said this before. it's not about government or the president. it's about our country. the big shots in the world, the chinese, putin, the pope, the mexican government. he has taken them on. he doesn't talk about government. he talks about us. these guys do this stuff. they do him a favor every time. >> us against them rhetoric. the line in the playground dirt is working for him. i mean, in this case, i doubt there are a whole lot of americans who even know or remember who -- >> what's the line, you draw the line in the dirt and say cross that. >> cross that at your peril and he keeps drawing it, and then he keeps either inviting someone to cross it or frankly, he crosses it himself, right. and it cost him nothing. it is working for him. >> what is the message it sends to the average voter, up to 39% nationally. what does it bring to him? >> it brings the idea that he is a fighter, you know, a frontline

battler for them. people feel like they are a aligned with him. >> the country has been pushed around. >> politically incorrect. >> towards the middle east and israel. he sort of stuck to that sort of. no country is going to tell us to do anything. >> this whole joke really about offensive language, everyone is in on the gag. >> explain that because i think post modern i think. >> it's like we know that. >> this whole campaign. >> in the back room, we know what the language is like. >> it's kind of a gag, the whole campaign. i can't believe it. >> everybody is in on the gag. >> everybody is on the joke. he has to take them -- he is mocking everybody. it's everybody is in on it and laughing along with him. >> what is does he say, the less educated people. >> the poorly educated people. >> i love those poorly educated people. i mean, what is that? the people who didn't get a

college education, break in life, how do they react to that. they go i get it. i guess they say i get it. >> or they didn't get it, which is why they're supporting him. >> i talk to our reporters all the time on the air and off the air. it's almost become a 24-hour campaign, but that's it. anything beyond yesterday is history. you don't bring it up. you can say trump said two weeks ago you were pro-life, pro-choice and it doesn't work. >> it's true. two weeks ago is ancient history. iowa caucus was 24 days ago.

that seems like a lifetime ago. >> chris christie likes donald trump. look at this. now chris christie doesn't like marco rubio. here it is chris christie wasn't always a big fan of donald trump's wall concept. here he is back in january making fun of trump's wall. >> i don't care how beautiful it is. it will be a beautiful wall. it will be an incredible wall. the wall will be unbelievable. it'll have a big door and swing open and the good people will come back and the bad people will leave, and we'll have a great wall, and the mexicans will pay for it. >> this is a perfect example of it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter if there's video tape or nexus because we've moved on. >> tim used to go on meet the press and he used to do this thing where he would do a regular interview. it meant something in those days. it meant that you said

something. today you can pull that out and go, yeah, so what. >> trump said i'd have to know the context. the context, you're the one who said it. he gets away with it. >> we're not sure if that's going to work. we're not sure anything works. >> proving he's not a conservative doesn't work. he's not auditioning to be your father's -- he's for planned parenthood. he's running the general election now. he's running for president. >> it goes along with what you said a moment ago about his israel policy. he's carving out some interesting centrist with his previous views. >> it's a big mix which a lot of american politics is. >> why is it important for a conservative republican to say i like planned parenthood?

>> they provide a lot of health services to women across economic spectrum. >> what women would hear that and say he's not a bad guy. >> right. you can simultaneously be anti-abortion and pro-planned parenthood has many women are. he's saying why blow up planned parenthood entirely when they provide needed health services and young women on college campuses, that's where they go. that and young women on college campus, middle class republican voters. >> the daughters of the voters. >> the voters themselves. >> the polls are unbelievable in planned parenthood. >> he's running in the general election. >> he's not doing anything. it's amazing. >> he's not obedient. that's what they want. the roundtable is staying with us. it's been a busy week.

it's getting busier. you're watching hardball, the place for politics. try the superior hold...

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let me finish with this extraordinary situation of the

republican party. what we're seeing is a party in defeat. its leaders scrambling this retreat. you see chris christie joined donald trump today. it's a member of the party establishment joining with the attacking forces. christie's going outside the city's walls to join the man raging against it. look at what the other establishment republicans are doing. most are saying they want marco rubio to be their leader. are they really happy with that? >> i don't think so. there's something strange seeing the political heavy weights offering up their allegiance to rubio's stature. let's face facts, trump is heading toward the nomination or to the convention with the most delegates. rubio is doing what he can to stop him, trying to show he's trump's equal. even as i speak, i predict he will pay for this this personal humiliation. trump handy with nicknames is

saying rubio is using make up to cover up his years. how could he not know this stuff is coming. the problem for rubio and the rest of both parties is that trump stands out there with something they look, a compelling message. trump speaks, however you like it or not, as an american. he goes after putin and the chinese and the pope and the president of mexico. he speaks in and out about how he will handle the job of president and operate the job of governor and what bills he will sign and veto and how he will lead america and the world. he speaks of country, of this country. that makes all the difference. something like rubio cannot contest hit. it's too late to try or imagine what trump can be doing. he can match insult and slapstick. he can basic them look like the three stooges.

trump's got a winning strategy. it's in his slogan. the only any of us can remember. to make america great again. that's hardball for now. thanks for being with us. "all in" with chris hayes starts now. tonight on "all in". >> he want add full length mirror. make to make sure his pants weren't went. >> then. >> you remember that catastro e catastrophe. he's like, we will -- i need water. >> the republican party is officially a dumpster fire. >> my party is going bat [ bleep ] crazy. >> the fight between rubio and trump getting ugly. >> first he took out like this little make up compact like right here. he had a sweat mustache. >> you had to see him backstage. he was putting on make up with a trowel. >> the guy who said this about trump. >> he had no bus