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Republican Presidential Candidates' Performances at Recent Debate Assessed; Christie on Last Night's Debate. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 29, 2015 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:59:57] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: But we saw the big names, Trump, Carson, quiet, not really in the limelight. Other names now getting a chance -- Rubio, Christie, Cruz, all because of the CNBC debates. So what is the state of play now?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Not a lot of fireworks from Ben Carson and Donald Trump. So will they hold their lead in the top of the polls? And where does the 2016 race go from here. So this hour we speak with Governor Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee about their debate performances and what they think is next.

First, though, CNN's coverage begins with John Berman. He stays up so we don't have to.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It was hard to sleep because there was serious drama last night. I felt on edge the whole time with these candidates seizing the spotlight, taking control of the stage, and they did so at the expense of the media and also Jeb Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: One stage, 10 candidates, a world of prickly, squirm in your seat tension.

JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Folks we got to wake up. We cannot elect somebody that doesn't know how to do the job.

BERMAN: John Kasich swinging at Donald Trump, who swung back.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He was so nice. He was such a nice guy. And he said, oh, I'm never going to attack. But then his poll numbers tanked, that's why he's on the edge.

BERMAN: Jeb Bush swinging and perhaps missing at his friend and one time protege Marco Rubio on the senator's spotty attendance record.

JEB BUSH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you signed up this was a six year term. And you should be showing up to work. Literally the Senate, what is it a French workweek? You get like three days where you have to show up?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you. BERMAN: Ben Carson against what he calls political correctness.

BEN CARSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They shouldn't automatically assume that because you believe that marriage is between one man and one woman that you are a homophobe.

BERMAN: But above all, way above all, it was everyone hitting the media.

RUBIO: The Democrats have the ultimate super PAC. It's called the mainstream media.

BERMAN: Especially the debate moderators and the questions the candidates deemed confrontational.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your board fired you. I just wonder why you think we should hire you now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not slow down, get a few things done first, or at least finish what you start?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this a comic book version of the presidential campaign?

TRUMP: It's not a comic book, and it's not a very nicely question the way you say that.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: Even in New Jersey what you're doing is called rude.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus agreed.

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think it was one gotcha question, one personal low blow after the other.

BERMAN: But beyond the umbrage perhaps a new trend in new faces. For long stretches the debate did not focus on frontrunners Donald Trump or Ben Carson. An opening for Marco Rubio.

RUBIO: I'm against anything that's bad for my mother.

BERMAN: And Ted Cruz, who offered to patch things up with the moderators with now legal in Colorado products.

CRUZ: I'll buy you tequila, or even some famous Colorado brownies.

BERMAN: And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie much more central to the mix this time, again going after the moderators for the subject of their questions. CHRISTIE: Wait a second. We have $19 trillion in debt. We have

people out of work. We have ISIS and Al Qaeda attacking us. And we're talking about fantasy football?

(APPLAUSE)

BERMAN: And on a night where many thought Jeb Bush needed to break out, he spoke less than the other candidates, a performance that left some cold, despite one hot offer.

BUSH: You find a democrat that's for cutting taxes, cutting spending $10, I'm give them a warm kiss.

BERMAN: And if some candidates did not leave wearing a warm smile, at least Governor Mike Huckabee left wearing something memorable.

MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump, he's a good man. I'm wearing a Trump tie tonight. Get over that one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You can tell the Bush campaign not happy with how that debate went. During the debate the campaign manager Danny Diaz, we hear was outside the CNBC control room door, banging on the door because the campaign very unhappy with the time that Jeb Bush was being given.

CAMEROTA: Stay with us if you would, John. Thanks for all after that breakdown. We also want to bring in our CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp and CNN political commentators Ana Navarro. Ana is a Jeb Bush supporter.

CUOMO: How do you know?

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: I don't know. I only see "eb" on her shirt.

CUOMO: Oh.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I still believe in a man called Jeb.

CAMEROTA: OK. Ana, let's talk about that.

NAVARRO: All right.

CAMEROTA: How are you feeling this morning? What did you think of his performance?

NAVARRO: Well, sleep deprived would be one word that comes to mind. But listen, I didn't like that performance yesterday. I didn't like the entire debate. Certainly for me it makes my teeth hurt to see Jeb and Marco go at each other. I think he didn't get enough time. And it's frustrating for me. [08:05:00] Jeb Bush is the most qualified man to be president on that

stage. He's got the best record, and he's getting outdebated by people who have no record, who have done nothing, who have no legislative accomplishments. Jeb has got the best policies. He's been rolling out policies. He's been campaigning his, you know, tail off. But he has got to figure a way how to slay and kill this debate boogie monster dead.

CUOMO: It's not just the boogie monster. Where is he this morning, Ana? We'll take you every day. You're a friend of the family. But why isn't he out there making the case for himself? He's never been on this show. He doesn't go on a lot of the shows. The other guys are all going on the shows. Carly Fiorina is one the show. Where is he? Why is he hiding from the race?

NAVARRO: I don't think he's hiding from the race. He gave Dana a fairly extensive interview right after the debate last night. This morning I suspect he's in transit to New Hampshire.

CAMEROTA: That is what his campaign did say, that he's in transition to New Hampshire and they thought that was more important than doing national media. S.E., what did you see last night?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I saw Marco Rubio doing what it seems as if conservative and Republican voters in this election really want. They want you to win. And Marco showed last night that whatever attack comes his way, whether it's a legitimate criticism or illegitimate criticism -- and he got a bunch of them last night -- he was ready, and he found the way to win the point.

And contrasting that with Jeb Bush, it looked almost like McEnroe and Federer out there. McEnroe will complain and Federer will just win the shot. And I think that's what a lot of voters really liked about Marco's performance last night. Jeb didn't seem to understand the political theater of what was happening. When Marco Rubio scores a huge applause line on an issue, don't then attack him for that issue and expect to win it.

So I think people who were worried about Marco Rubio's ability to go the distance, to fight up against someone like Hillary Clinton, for example. I think those fears were allayed last night. He was ready.

CUPP: I think S.E. is completely right. And the Jeb does not like the political theater part of it. He has said it himself. He said it to Dana Bash yesterday. But he has an aversion to being not authentic. He has an aversion to performing. But it's part of the job description. So he has got to tackle it and he's got to get it done. There's, what, 10, 11, 12 days before the next debate. I think it's very important that he get this managed and he be able to clock in a very good performance on November 10th.

CUOMO: He said to Dana last night, if you want an entertainer in chief, I'm not your guy. I don't think that is what this is about. This is not about just Trump. This is about your passion to make your own message. Last night many of our guests today are saying, you know what, Carson and Trump did OK just to let it go. And they will stay fine. And with Carson somehow that may even benefit.

But in reality you are only as good as your performance in terms of convincing people that you believe what you believe, you are who you are, and you are the right person.

BERMAN: What is Jeb Bush's connection right now with the Republican voting base? What he has to do is connect with Republican voters, and there is little evidence right now based on polls, based on the performances that that's happening at all.

You have Donald Trump and Ben Carson. You can see the results in the polls. You have Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz who last night I think you saw a generational change in the Republican Party. You saw these 43, 44-year-old guys seize that moment in a way from their uncles and fathers like Jeb Bush who had been running the party for a long time.

You have Paul Ryan, by the way, 44 years old, who is going to take over as speaker of the House today. This is a change in the party. They're taking the moment. And Jeb Bush has to prove that he's either part of this new movement or get out. I mean, 2006 in the Florida governor's chair isn't enough anymore.

CAMEROTA: Ana, what I hear you saying is that there are two different skill sets. One is sort of the performer, and that is being a candidate and that's being on the campaign trail. That's not his necessarily his strong suit, but governing may be his strong suit, and that is of course a different skill set, being president. So what is Jeb going to do, Ana? I mean, where does he go from here?

NAVARRO: I think he's got to focus the next 10 days on being able to debate very well on November 10th. He's got practically every other part down pat. He's got the finances. He's got the structure. He's got the best team on the ground. He has got great policies that he's been rolling out week after week. But, you know, this thing is really causing him some harm, and he has got to tackle it. He's got to get over this idea that doing performances is in a way selling out. It's not. It's part of the job description. Embrace it. Go out there, have fun with it, and learn how to do it.

CUOMO: The concern is, it's like saying they have got the best facilities, they've got the best team, they've got the best coaches, but every time they go on the field they get their butts whooped. What they have to figure out is how to play the game. That's a big task.

[08:10:00] S.E., one thing to point out. John made a very smart point about this generational shift that you saw on the stage last night. But to put Rubio and Cruz in the same camp other than ethnic identify probably doesn't go anywhere. Marco Rubio was just on the show talking about entitlements and he had a much more progressive look about incremental change unlike what you usually hear about the GOP and entitlements, which is usually in some form of scrap it.

CUPP: Yes. And that's been a problem for Marco Rubio on this and other issues like immigration with the base for his, you know, career in the Senate. This might finally start to pay dividends now that he's running for president if he can get through a primary.

Look, Ted Cruz had a great night last night. And if Ben Carson's numbers deflate, I imagine a lot of those voters go to Ted Cruz. So he will be formidable. And those two are very interesting, good contrast to each other. They both I think offer positive, optimistic solutions for the future, but in very, very different ways. And they have a different tone as well. They speak to different people. So it is possible that a Marco's, you know, moderate label which used to be a slam could end up helping him inch closer towards a general election. It all really just depends on which kind of conservative voters come out in this primary.

CAMEROTA: John, you studied this stuff. Has the landscape shifted this morning?

BERMAN: Well the big unknown is this. Donald Trump and Ben Carson, we're not even talking about the two out in front of the polls. Out in front not by a little, but by a lot.

CUOMO: That's because they weren't talking last night John. Although Trump says 62 percent say he won.

BERMAN: I understand that. What does last night mean for Donald Trump and Ben Carson. I don't know that we know yet, because Donald Trump -- sorry, Ben Carson, first of all, he never comes to these debates. He's on the stage there but it doesn't appear that he wants to engage with the people asking questions, the audiences. He's not really campaigning all that much in traditional ways either. So we don't know why he's up over 20 percent right now and potentially growing. Will he be affected by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio? We have no idea.

And Donald Trump is still going very strong right now and did not have a bad debate. He may not be in the center of the debate last night, but what he said in some ways a lot less controversial than we've seen in last debates.

CAMEROTA: Right. It may be just fine that he had that 28 minute silence.

BERMAN: But there will be a new focus absolutely on Cruz and Rubio going forward. And a new focus on Jeb Bush, not the kind that Ana Navarro likes.

CUOMO: Although she does look very fetching.

NAVARRO: I'll tell you something, I think Jeb still has time to turn this around, but he has got to do it. And the next 11 days before the next debate are crucial. He needs to hone down and just tackle this. Kill it dead, Jeb.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

NAVARRO: Kill it dead, Jeb.

CAMEROTA: Slay the dragon, Ana. Ana, S.E., John, thanks so much. Great to get your analysis.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie getting strong reviews for his debate performance. Will that give his campaign some new life? We're talking to him live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:41] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Big night last night. No question about that. But the issue is, why? OK? What worked last night? Whom did it work for?

They certainly weren't going after each other that much and they went after the moderators for trying to encourage that direction. They did go after Hillary Clinton, though not as much as I expected, but enough to discuss the impact on her and the benefit to those who did it.

David Axelrod joins us now, CNN senior political commentator, former senior adviser to President Obama, all around good man.

Good to have you with us this morning, Ax.

When you look at it last night, they went after her. There was the V.A. stuff. There was the idea of her with jobs as an extension of the Obama administration. What did you see in terms of targeting Hillary Clinton and where it was effective?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, obviously the vulnerability that people have been working is the consistency piece. I don't think she was particularly dusted up in that debate last night. I think they were much more intent on going after each other. Obviously what they did to do is affirm they believe she's going to be the nominee and she probably is going to be the nominee.

I did hear Marco Rubio on your broadcast a little earlier and I have to say one point about the Benghazi thing. I was the senior strategist for the campaign in 2012 and I remember distinctly, I used to brief all of the administration figures for Sunday shows. I remember after that event I was asked not to go on a briefing with Susan Rice because they didn't feel it was appropriate for the political guy to go on there.

And honestly, Chris, if they had wanted to talk about Benghazi from that date all the way to the election we would have said fine, because the economy was the issue that we were concerned about in that election. So, I really don't -- you know, there is a lot of mythology about what happened back then --

CUOMO: What's the answer though to Rubio's concern?

(CROSSTALK)

AXELROD: -- the political guys were -- what's the answer what?

CUOMO: What is the answer to Rubio's concern? Which is the GOP spin is, it was proven in the committee hearing. She lied. Right after Benghazi, she was telling friends, close associates family, it was a terrorist attack and then she switched. The left says, well, she didn't switch. The CIA gave her guidance and that's why she changed.

Rubio today was making the point, he doesn't buy it in terms of timing or in terms of inclination.

AXELROD: Look, but the premise is you have to go to the motive. The motive he suggested was that the Obama administration didn't want to concede that there was an al Qaeda involvement or that there was a terrorist involvement. And I'm just telling you that is nonsense. There wasn't that concern.

I think that the situation was very, very confused at the time because of the nature of these events and the place and where it happened. You know, I think they are trying to manufacture a story to go -- to back up a charge.

You know, Hillary can speak for herself. I'm not here as the spokesperson for here. But I was a witness to what happened at that time. And as the political person, I could tell you there was no great -- there was great concern about what happened to Ambassador Stevens and those poor people who are with him, but there is no great concern about the politics of that at the moment. That wasn't driving what was going on there.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: You used the term that Hillary wasn't do dusted up about anything that happened last night.

[08:20:03] And funny that you should say that, because she put out a little video about her take on the debate in which appears to be dusting off her shoulders as though it's sort of just lint on her. I was saving it for the kicker. But I don't --

CUOMO: No, this is the gift of her at the hearing where she kind of brushing off her lapel and people said, you know, she was brushing off the questioning.

CAMEROTA: Oh, I see. I thought that, I see, the hashtag is GOP debate.

Let's talk about who might have been dusted up, though, David, and that's Jeb Bush. What do you think last night did for him?

AXELROD: Yes, terrible night.

I think it put him in a really dangerous position. He already had a confidence problem among his supporters and every bit of evidence has pointed to a flagging campaign. There was a "New York Times" poll this week that showed that just 18 percent of Republicans said they would be enthusiastic if he were the nominee of the party.

And so, he needed to do something last night to energize people and to make them believe that he could actually do this. And he failed spectacularly.

And the worst was that he tried to tackle his protege Marco Rubio and he landed up face down on the field. And Rubio was just too agile for him. And he looked very weak in that moment. So, I think he's got a big problem. I appreciate Ana's valiant effort

to try and buck him up there. But really you have one more debate as mentioned in a couple of weeks. I mean, he really needs to turn this around in a hurry or I think he's going to have a major kind of out migration of support and he's not going to be able to raise money moving forward.

CUOMO: Also known as an exodus of support.

CAMEROTA: Thank you. That's an Axelrod term.

CUOMO: I actually took it from --

AXELROD: One thing I will tell you guys that we learned last night from Donald Trump was that he packs, right? He carries a gun. So, I think having heard your interviews with him, you should be happy he calls in. That was my first reaction to that.

CAMEROTA: Thank you David.

He's inveigling us.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: David Axelrod, thanks so much. We always appreciate your inveigling.

AXELROD: Nice to see you guys.

CAMEROTA: Let's get over to Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: I'm really blown away by your excellent call back. I really do. These long words, Alisyn.

CUOMO: She loves big words.

PEREIRA: It's awesome. That's an $11 one I'm going to say.

CUOMO: Inveigling.

PEREIRA: I'm keeping track.

All right. Governor Chris Christie getting high marks for taking on the debate moderators last night. So, is it a turning point for his campaign? We'll ask him himself. He joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:26:44] CAMEROTA: Last night's GOP debate allowed some candidates to come to the fore who have not been fairing well in the polls to come to the fore. One of those is our next guest, Governor Chris Christie.

Governor, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. Great to see you this morning.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning. Good to be back.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, your poll numbers before this debate have not been stellar. I think you were at 3 percent. You narrowly made the main debate stage.

What do you think happened last night that might have ignited some momentum?

CHRISTIE: Well, I think once again we talked about the issues that American people truly care about. And we showed that I'm tested, I'm ready, I'm mature and I'm a fighter.

And I'm the kind of person you are going to want on the stage, you are going to need on the stage to take on Hillary Clinton next September because the differences I have with her are profound, much more than the ones I have on the stage with the other folks last night. And so, they need someone who's going to be tough, who's going to be a fighter, but also who has been tested. And I think we've showed that we can hold our own much more than the other folks on the stage last night.

CAMEROTA: So, Governor, fact checkers have been working over time to check what the candidates said. And I want to play one of -- a clip of what you said last night that they believe is a mischaracterization. So, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: The president's appointed FBI director has said this week that because of a lack of support from politicians like the president of the United States, that police officers are afraid to get out of their cars, that they are afraid to enforce the law and he says -- the president's appointee -- that crime is going up because this. And when the president of the United States goes out to speak about it, does he support police officers? Does he stand for law enforcement? No, he doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. So the fact checkers, Governor, say that they're not afraid to get out of their car, it's the advent of cell phone video and then being captured on cell phone that is having this effect on them of not wanting to be caught on cell phone. Not that they are afraid of crime. And they consider that a mischaracterization.

CHRISTIE: Well they are wrong. They are wrong and they should read what the FBI director said.

CAMEROTA: He did say cell phone --

CHRISTIE: And he said they were fearful to get out of their cars.

CAMEROTA: But what he used was he said that he had -- there was anecdotal evidence that somebody had told him that kids -- high school kids had their cell phones raised at their shoulders and the cops didn't want to get out and be caught on cell phone. That is what Director Comey said.

CHRISTIE: That's not -- that's not all he said. That's not all he said. And I'm sorry, I just disagree.

And you know what? Fact checkers have shown themselves to be wrong just as often as they have been right. I know Jim Comey. I know what he said. I worked with him. He was my colleague, he was my boss at one time.

And I can tell you this, law enforcement officers in this country do not feel supported. When crime is going up, murder is going up 19 percent in Chicago, murder is going 11 percent in New York, we have police officer killed in New York this past week, I wonder if Mayor De Blasio still thinks New York is safer now that it's ever been. It's a fantasy.

And it's politicians like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill De Blasio who coddle those, who are causing these problems that are making our law enforcement officers feel less safe in this country and it's causing crime to increase.

When I'm president of the United States, I will support law enforcement. If there's a bad police officer who does something wrong, they deserve to be prosecuted and they will be. But we are not going to leave law enforcement unprotected and unsupported.