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Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump; Rubio Attacks Trump; Christie Introduces Trump Speaking in Texas. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired February 26, 2016 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00] MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: But certain moments in a campaign where think ire crucial and critical and I think this is one of those moments. And it's because of two reasons. One, you have a short clock right now for Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz to try to take over the lead for the Republican presidential nomination. Going to Super Tuesday, so many delegates on the table. And then we are going to roll in to March 15th of a winner-take-all. The clock is short and Chris Christie gives a little bit of validity to Donald Trump's campaign. A sitting governor. He has won twice now and ran for president and had to drop out a few weeks ago, but I think that from a valid standpoint at a time of a lot of talk about the Republican establishment to push back against Donald Trump, Chris Christie is part of the establishment.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Scottie, a Marco Rubio, who really went on the offensive against Donald Trump last night, as did Ted Cruz, he spoke this morning and he continued to ridicule Donald Trump. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: All right, so you want to have a little fun?
(CHEERING)
RUBIO: All right, what is Donald Trump do when things go wrong? He takes to Twitter. I have him right here. Let' read some. You'll have fun.
(CHEERING)
RUBIO: All right, number one, here's the first one, "Lightweight Marco Rubio was working hard last night." This is true. "The problem is, he is a chocker. And once a chocker, always a choker." I guess that's what he meant to say. He spelled choker, C-H-O-C-K-E-R, chocker. He called me Mr. Meltdown. Let me tell you something, during one of the breaks, two of the breaks, he went backstage, he was having a meltdown. First, he had this little makeup thing applying, like, makeup around his mustache, because he had one of those sweat mustaches. He wanted a full-length mirror. Maybe to make sure his pants weren't wet. I don't know.
(LAUGHTER)
Then I see him pacing back and forth, and then he is huddled in the corner talking to somebody, waiving his arm up and down and the person trying to calm him down. Any way, but I'm a chocker.
[11:05:12] All right, next tweet. "Leight weight chocker, Marco Rubio, looks like a little boy on stage, not presidential material." He meant to say lightweight, but he spelled it L-E-I-G-H T, so he got it wrong.
(LAUGHTER)
"Looks like a little boy on stage." It's not that I look like a little boy, it's not that I would be the youngest president but he would be the oldest president ever elected. So you start to worry.
(LAUGHTER)
All right, last one, "Wow, every poll said I won the debate last night." Now, this is him about himself, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
"Great honer." I think he meant to say "honor." I don't know how he got that wrong, because the "E" and "O" are nowhere near each other oh there on the keyboard.
(LAUGHTER)
That's what I'm thinking. So how do this guy three tweets misspell words so badly? I only reach two conclusions. Number one, that's how they spell those words at the Wharton School of Business where he went.
(LAUGHTER)
Or number two, just like Trump Tower, he must have hired a foreign worker to do his own tweets.
(LAUGHTER)
All right, so, guys, we have a con artist as the front-runner in the Republican Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right. Scottie, I want to get your reaction. For months, he was holding back, but last night no holding back, and you see it's continuing today.
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, USA RADIO NETWORK: Yeah. You have to wonder what actually flipped him out. What made this change? It comes to the point that I think you realize because he had very little delegates and support. Only way that he has a chance in the nomination to cause chaos in the Republican Party and have a brokered convention going to the RNC. Only way and we're about to suffer through seven more months of that type of low blows there that reminds me about my life at the sorority house because that's the way that sisters sometimes talk to each other. But I go to the people that actually have to trust this man who know
the man the most and go to Florida and a reason he is leading him 44- 28. I think because like around Lake Okeechobee people feel like they're left, betrayed by Marco Rubio's ties to seeing the waters polluted and Marco Rubio's done nothing about it or maybe nose within the Florida Republican party believing that somehow, speaker of the house, Rubio, got a personal charges mixed up with the campaign charges and just, you know, wrote a check back later on once he was caught. The people of Florida know Marco Rubio because I guess he spent more time there than Washington, D.C., voting and representing them. So I just have to wonder right now, going forward on this, Senator Rubio, welcome to the big game. If you want to sit there and play with the big boys, be prepared. The low blows like this morning get a few laugh lines and maybe an "SNL" skit.
BLITZER: Congressman Kinzinger, you're a Marco Rubio supporter. Go ahead.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER, (R), ILLINOIS: I love it. Trump people are offended because of what are called low blows. My goodness. First, that was hilarious. Secondly, a minor percent of what -- Trump yesterday, sweating, whatever. I mean, childish. Fourth grade. And then to see his tweets, what that is showing is not just that he can't spell which is important, but he reacts so emotionally and angry and shakes like a fourth grader. He has to just blast stuff out on Twitter. Let's have a real discussion about this not talking about, you know, Rubio's sweating but then getting angry and people do what you do. Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
HUGHES: OK. I gave you the facts. Answer that.
KINZINGER: A lot of Trump's businesses have failed. He can't take it.
HUGHES: Four.
KINZINGER: Instead, he just throws back childish insults. Funny.
BLITZER: Why is he doing --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Hold on, Scottie.
Why is Donald Trump doing so amazingly well? He's won decisively the last three contests.
KINZINGER: Look, there's something about the tone people are attracted to. They feel disaffected and angry and bombastically standing up with the pronouncements. But when people realize Trump can't be the nominee, a majority of Republicans, and realize that and we have consolidation, I hope and think it will be behind Marco Rubio and see that the months we had was a bad dream.
[13:35:] BLITZER: Ken Cuccinelli, is the clock ticking, though? Time may be running out.
KENNETH CUCCINELLI, FORMER VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Clock's always ticking, Wolf. Always ticking and, you know, Ted won off the top. We'll win next Tuesday. I don't know whether --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Texas?
CUCCINELLI: No, no, no. Somewhere between 11 and 12 states.
BLITZER: How many do you think he'll win?
CUCCINELLI: I don't have that kind of insight. But where -- this is the day that we have invested the most time in, that Ted spent the most time in. He'll perform well next Tuesday and he's going to go on in this election and I don't know -- candidly, I don't know if Marco can. You have to have won a state.
(CROSSTALK)
CUCCINELLI: And we'll have won multiple states by next Tuesday.
BLITZER: So far you've won Iowa.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: And let's see --
(CROSSTALK)
CUCCINELLI: Out of four.
BLITZER: We'll see what happens on Tuesday as you point out 11 contests, including Cruz's home state of Texas.
Cruz went on the offensive against Trump today, as well. Just like Marco Rubio. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Donald Trump had a tough night.
(CHEERING)
CRUZ: I think we saw last night on issue after issue after issue Donald's positions are identical to Hillary.
For those 65 percent of Republicans that say Donald's not the right guy, I would encourage everyone here in Tennessee, everyone across Super Tuesday, if you don't want to see Donald Trump as the nominee, we need to unite, and the candidate who is running neck and neck with Donald in the states across Super Tuesday is me.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CUCCINELLI: Let me tell you what I like about that. He's focusing on issues that tie to Hillary. No openness. We talked about it on taxes. Supporting the intervention in Libya. Big mistake. Donald denied it last night and that was false.
BLITZER: All right. Hold up for a moment.
CUCCINELLI: Single-payer health care. Again, one after another. Let's beat him on substance. Ted Cruz, a consistent conservative to do this.
BLITZER: Chris Christie is now speaking at that Donald Trump rally. Just endorsed Donald Trump. I want to listen in briefly.
CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R), NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: -- and confidence, and Donald Trump is just the man to do it!
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: America needs someone to make sure that Hillary Clinton - doesn't get within 10 miles of the White House!
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: Donald Trump can do it!
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: America needs someone who's going to make sure that when we give our word around the world that America's word means business. Donald Trump is just the man to do it.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: And here's what we don't need. We don't need another Washington politician in the White House, do we?
(SHOUTING)
CHRISTIE: Do we need a first term United States Senator in the White House?
(SHOUTING)
CHRISTIE: Do we need a United States Senator from Florida who doesn't show up for work?
(SHOUTING)
CHRISTIE: Let me tell you something, Marco Rubio. President of the United States is not a no-show job like you treated the United States Senate.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: Simple fact is this. America wants strong, tough leadership. America's tired of being walked on. America's tired of being treated second class around the world. We need a first-class president and we are going to have it in Donald Trump!
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: And all the political pundits and all the chattering class of Washington, D.C., want to tell you you're wrong. The American people, we the people, are right. And we the people are supporting Donald J. Trump.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: Now listen. Texas has a big role to play on Tuesday. Is Texas going to be Trump country?
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: Are you going to send a message to the Washington, D.C., establishment that you are tired of their failing the American people?
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: Well, I'll be right clear with you. I joined this campaign because I care deeply about our country. I love our children. I want the best for your children, as well. And we need to have a leader who will stand up for the American people first, not the rest of the world first. America first. Donald Trump is that man!
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: And last night, last night, you just saw one strong man on that stage, and that was Donald Trump.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: So Texas, you got a big job to do. You have a really big job to do. I am proud and happy to be part of this team. I want Texas to be Trump country on Tuesday.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTIE: And so, so ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and my privilege to introduce the next president of the United States, Donald Trump!
(CHEERING)
(MUSIC)
[13:40:18] BLITZER: All right. That was a rousing endorsement from Chris Christie. Donald Trump up on the stage now. We're going to listen briefly in to what he has to say. Obviously, very pleased.
Let's get some quick reaction, though, from some of the rivals before -- Donald Trump is about to speak. Stand by for a moment.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: We love you, folks. We love you.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: We love you. It's a movement. It's a movement.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: It's really a movement.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHANTING)
TRUMP: Well, I want to thank everybody. I have to start by thanking Governor Chris Christie because --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I was telling the press a little while ago, everybody was really surprised. Sort of a shocker. We kept it secret. Chris and I met the other day. He said, this whole thing, he called it the same thing. Donald, I have never seen anything like this it. It's a movement. I've never seen anything like this, so we shook hands, and I said, let's keep it as a secret for the people in Texas. Let's do it!
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And when we walked in to that press room, they went, whoa. And then we walk in and you people went, whoa. So it's really good. With all the people, we have a lot of endorsements happening. It is amazing when you're number one place for a long period of time, the endorsements are coming in but the one I was happy with is this one right here.
Chris, thank you. We love you, man.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: So we had a debate last night.
(SHOUTING)
TRUMP: No, I have to say because I don't hear it from pundits as much. Some of the pundits are honest and say Trump won the debate and Trump did well. Some of the people are so dishonest. It's incredible. On the online polls where hundreds of thousands of people voting, we won every single online poll.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: We won Drudge who, by the way, a fantastic guy. Won the online polls. This means so much to me.
Somebody says, what does that mean? Hundreds of thousands of people calling in, believe me, I can't have my secretary sitting in, calling in for a couple of extras. So that was an honor. It's been an honor and we have been winning those polls literally from the first debate. Obviously, something is going very good in the debates because the big poll is really the polls that are coming out. In Texas, they just came out with a poll that we're effectively tied. The Emerson poll.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And I have so many friends in Texas. We are -- we are loaded up with friends in Texas. And I think --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I think we're going to surprise a lot of people. I tell you.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: We are going to surprise a lot of people. And it's going to be great.
So, I'll talk a little bit about the competition. Then we'll talk about our borders, which we will build the wall, and it will be --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: it will be a great wall. And can you only imagine your ex- president of Mexico, Vincente Fox --
(BOOING)
TRUMP: You, that's the way other countries are used to talking to the United States. No more. No more.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: He couldn't belief that somebody would say, Mexico has to do something. And by the way, it's that way with Japan. It's that way with India. It's that way with China. It's that way with Vietnam. A new one coming along. They want to be treated with tremendous respect, even though they don't treat us with respect. It's going to change, folk. It's going to change.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Not going to be this way anymore.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: So he dropped the F-bomb and I said to myself, can you imagine if I said that? And nobody mentioned it. Not a big deal. Not a big deal. For him, it's OK. I wouldn't use that. I would not go there, by the way. But when he did it, it was absolutely fine because that's the way it is. Double standards. But here's the story. We're being ripped on trade by every nation
that we do business with in the world. We are going to become so good. We are going to negotiate so strong and so tough. We are not going to have a $58 billion trade deficit with Mexico. We're not going to have a $500 billion trade deficit with China. $500 billion. Not going to happen. We are not going to be billions of dollars behind with Japan and we are going to talk about that in a second.
But let's talk about our lightweight Senator from Florida who's losing big in the polls.
(CHEERING)
[13:45:52] TRUMP: So, I heard he was on television saying negative things. I see him. It all started about three or four weeks in New Hampshire, which I won. I love the people of New Hampshire. We won it big.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: We won it big. And we won South Carolina. Big, big, big. In all fairness, that was going to be your Senator's place. He was going to win it. He said he'll win South Carolina. And I won women, men, evangelicals, military, vets.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I won everything. We won every category. And we won with Hispanics! I love the Hispanics.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Because people that are in our country legally, they don't want our jobs taken away and they don't want their jobs taken away, and I'm going to bring a lot of jobs back to this country.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Remember that.
But I saw with Rubio, I saw and he's a nervous wreck because here's a guy -- no. He's a basket case. Here's a guy -- you ought to see him, see him backstage. He was putting on makeup with a trowel. Like --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: No. I don't want to say that. I will not say that he was trying to cover up his ears. I will not say that.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: No. He was just trying to cover up -- he was just trying to cover up the sweat that pours -- I never saw -- did you ever see a guy sweat like this? So, a number of weeks ago we were in New Hampshire and I've got to tell you Chris was just so wild. What he did. One of the great prosecutions I have ever seen. (CHEERING)
TRUMP: And I'm standing in the middle, which, by the way, I've been for every middle debate. The middle.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I said to CNN, I'm in the middle all the time and I say to these networks, CNN in this case, so I'm in the middle number one. You announce me at number one? Oh no, sir. Really, good. Who knows you're in the middle. Big deal, right? But I watch Chris take a man apart and I looked at him and honestly I thought he was going to die, Rubio.
(LAUGHTER)
He was so scared like a little frightened puppy.
(LAUGHTER)
And he kept saying the Obama phrase over and over. So then I heard it once. And I said, that's fine, big deal. I'm standing here. He's right here. Chris is over here. And Chris was sort of cool, because he was like this.
(LAUGHTER)
I could don't that. You know? I want to stand up straight. I don't know. But this looked like Perry Mason. That's what it was.
(LAUGHTER)
And Chris started going into him. So he said the Obama phrase once. I was fine. Twice. I said, he just said that. That was strange. But that's OK. Right? Twice. And then a third time. And I said, it was like a robot. And then a fourth time and a fifth time. I said this guy's cracking up on us.
(LAUGHTER)
And he was sweating so badly. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like he just jumped into a swimming pool with his clothing on.
(LAUGHTER)
I've never -- and I said to myself, we have tough people to negotiate with. We have Putin. We have the Chinese. We have wars that we're in that we are -- by the way we're going to build up the military and knock out ISIS.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: We're going to knock out ISIS fast. Remember the great days? General George Patton. General Douglas Macarthur.
(CHEERING) TRUMP: Do you think they would even be thinking about ISIS? By the time they pick up the telephone, it's over. What is wrong? You know, we don't win anymore and we're getting to that.
But I have to finish with this clown over here. So I watch this and I thought something bad was going to happen to him. He got through it, but barely. Barely. I was almost going to go over and hold him up. Now, think of this, think of this. So we have Putin, and Putin's going to meet our president, and let's assume it's Marco.
(BOOING)
[13:50:32] TRUMP: Let's assume it's Marco. No, I agree with you, we don't want him, boo, boo.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: And Putin's sitting there waiting for a kill. And he knows all about Marco because, when they put Marco on to refute President Obama's speech, do you remember that catastrophe? And he's like this, and we will, ah, ah, I need water, help me, I need water. Help. This on live television. This total choke artist is refuting -- you know, I tell you, you know about sports. Do I love sports? We love sports. We're athletes.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: So you notice in sports, almost always true, when you're a choke artist, you're always a choke artist. It doesn't really change. You know, sadly the guy that misses the kick and the coach says, I'm going to give him another chance. Unfortunately, the following year, he misses the kick again. So choke artists, they choke, they choke. So what's going to happen is we look at this and he goes in to see Putin and he walks in and he's soaking wet and Putin looks at him and goes what's wrong with this guy, this is going to be easy pickings. And believe me, it will be. But I'll never forget the scene.
Then we're going to go to something else that's actually more interesting. Just remember this, remember this. Really, really weak on illegal immigration Marco.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: Totally in favor of amnesty. Totally. Totally in favor of amnesty. Totally in favor. So he's getting the thing. He's doing the speech. I notice he's -- live television. You just don't see it. I mean, Nikki Haley did it last time and she was good. At least she wasn't sweating like that. She was, like, fine. She did say we're angry people. When I was at the debate, they asked me about it, are you and your people angry?
(SHOUTING)
TRUMP: No, I was supposed to say no, we're not angry. We're thrilled with the Iran deal. We're thrilled with all of the problems. We're thrilled with -- our education is terrible, with Obamacare, which is terrible, no, we're not angry at all. But they asked me the question and I said, yeah, we're really angry, we are.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And we're not angry people. And we're not angry people.
I'll just finish off with confidence. And then out of nowhere, he goes, on live television, here's our response, he choked. He's a choker. He choked with Chris. I watched it both times. But the one time I'm right next to him, and I looked at the puddle on the ground and I said, what is that, what is it? I wanted to know, what is that? But this time, this wise guy, this lightweight, is going over and, all of a sudden, he goes like this, remember? I said, where is he? And then he comes back with water. And honestly, water's fine, but it should be in a glass. He's got the label of the company here. And he's drinking -- honestly, I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen anything like it.
So we are going to beat guys like that. See, it's guys like this -- and he's a nasty guy. I called him a nasty little guy, but I wouldn't say that because -- he's a nasty guy. And we don't need nasty. We don't need nasty. Honestly, there's no place for it. You know, there's no place.
He said specifics on Obamacare. Let me tell you something, we're going to knock out Obamacare.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Remember this, when we get the insurance companies, who are taking care of all these people -- I'm self-funding my campaign. I'm putting up my own money.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: So when the insurance companies come to me, because they want to keep it the way it is, by the way, they're making a fortune. Because there's like a monopoly in every state. I was watching in Texas, there's a practical monopoly, because companies aren't allowed to come in very easily. They practically can't come in. They said, oh, be more specific. I don't have to be specific. What's going to happen is you're going to create open bidding by getting rid of the borders around each state and the lines, restrictive lines around each state. You are going to have so much competition, you're going to have so much bidding, that you can't really say it's one plan. You are going to have hundreds of different options. You're going to have hundreds different plans. It's going to be so beautiful. And you're going to pay far less money, far less money.
(CHEERING)
[13:55:31] TRUMP: So I want to just mention Senator Cruz, who was -- I thought --
(BOOING)
TRUMP: I thought he was better. (BOOING)
TRUMP: Last night, I thought the deal of the night was when I looked over to Rubio, and I said, you remember, you're a joker and we don't want jokers in the administration. I said, you're a joker and you're a liar.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I have had a lot of difficulties with Ted, because he does lie. You know, I've dealt with much tougher. A guy like Rubio is a baby. But a guy like Ted is tougher, I well tell you. He's tougher. And he's smarter. And in all fairness, Ted is actually smarter. Ted is actually smarter. I have to give that to him. He's a smarter person than Rubio. But I deal with people. Last night, it was mentioned -- by the way, it was mentioned, my father gave me $200 million. Oh, I wish. I wish.
(LAUGHTER)
I'd be right now worth $500 trillion if that were the case. You know, first thing I did, get back, get a call from my sister, who's a fantastic person, then I get a call from my brother, who's a fantastic person. They said, hey, Donald, that's not true, why did they say that? And he copied it -- you know, you have the failing "New York Times." It's a failing newspaper. I hate to tell you. Like seriously failing. They wrote an article, and they put something in, about $200 million. Believe me, I got very, very little. And I built it into many, many, many billions dollars, and I'm very proud of it. But --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I just think -- I just think we have to correct -- we just have to correct the record.
Thank you. I love you. Thank you.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: It's Rubio!
(CHEERING)
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Unbelievable.
But we like to correct the record.
But you know, I spend a lot of time in Laredo, Texas. Right on the border.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I was invited by the border guards. By the way, I got endorsed, -- talking about Chris -- by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: The one thing you know about Sheriff Joe, he's the toughest guy on the border. There's no games to be played with Sheriff Joe. Who puts pink "you know what" on his people that are there illegally. Sheriff Joe does not play games. Everybody wanted his endorsement. But the toughest one on the border was endorsed by Sheriff Joe. And I think it's incredible.
I was called by our Border Patrol. Unbelievable people. I got to know them well. They said, Mr. Trump -- I was running, I was doing very well. You know, since I've started this whole thing, I've been practically number one for the whole trip.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And now we have big leagues. Please, Texas. Let's win Texas. I want to win Texas.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I was called by the Border Control. These people are incredible. And they want to do their job. That's why they called me. They said, would it be possible for you to come to Texas to Laredo. I said, yes, I'll do it. I went to Laredo and I met with a lot of the Border Patrol folks and some of the top people. Man, they are just incredible, smart, tough, great people. You know who are great people? Our police are great people.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: They're being abused. Our police are being abused. Our police are incredible people. In fact, I just took pictures backstage. They're incredible people. I just want to -- we have to put out the plug, everyone, throughout. One bad incident, whether it's a mistake or somebody was just a bad apple, and it's played for weeks and weeks on the news, and the thousands and tens of thousands --
