Christie unleashed withering attacks against Rubio in Saturday’s debate, and the New Jersey governor tripped up Rubio by calling him out in real-time for his reliance on rehearsed talking points.
Advertisement
Get breaking news, weather and traffic on the go.
“I understand where you’re coming from”, Trump said before telling the man, 30-year-old Darren Ornitz, that there were other perspectives to look at.
On Sunday, the day after a dramatic Republican debate and two days before voters go to the polls in New Hampshire, during a swing around the state, Christie was throwing punches in every direction.
Donald Trump has given a list of reasons for his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, including a failure to invest in boosting voter-turnout and claiming that Ted Cruz “stole” the win.
Carson finished 4 in the February 1 Iowa caucus.
Still, Trump was running ahead in New Hampshire’s pre-primary polls, as was Sanders on the Democratic side.
Christie is crowing that his assault, which led a rattled Rubio to repeat the same line four times while playing into an impression that he is over-rehearsed, had changed the entire race and could stave off a predicted winnowing down of establishment candidates.
It doesn’t help that here’s some merit to the idea of Rubio repeating things from memory which he has no deep understanding of.
Rubio, who was roundly mocked for reciting rote talking points over and over in Saturday’s debate, was working to flip the script, arguing that if he sounded repetitive, it was only because he was consistent. In Iowa, Rubio beat expectations.
Jeb Bush speaks during the CNN Republican Presidential Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on September 16, 2015.
Christie was gleeful on Sunday. “Rubio”, Christie said on CNN’s State of the Union. But more importantly we’re ready to take on Hillary Clinton. They shook hands and she congratulated him on his debate performance. “I know all about expectations”, Trump told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. Wait. A national organization is there to extend one’s winning streak, to ensure one has the infrastructure so that popularity in early states is not overwhelmed by an opponent’s superior resources. Bush, who has blasted Trump for using eminent domain in business deals, called Trump a “loser”, while the billionaire businessman called Bush an “embarrassment to his family”. “He has not the first idea of how to run a government”.
“Because you want someone to tell you the truth”, Christie said.
Bush’s campaign debuted a new ad questioning Kasich’s conservative credentials, while an outside group backing Rubio pulled an ad attacking Cruz and replaced it with one assailing Bush. “I think it’s awful what happened last night”. “The prince of sunshine and light” is not one of them”. John McCain – who spent five years as a prisoner during the Vietnam War – is a war hero. “He’s a creature of that culture”, Christie said. “He’s just a guy – I mean, it’s really sad”. “O.K., great, but then what?” The debate at St. Anselm College was the last face-off of the candidates before the vote. “I think he could cause a World War Three”. Twenty-two percent of Republicans also believe Clinton is going to move in the White House, and 12 percent believe it will be Cruz. “You lose, you go home”. Until the field clears, Rubio won’t have a clean shot at Trump or Cruz – let alone Hillary Clinton. “Kasich goes away. Probably Christie goes away”.
Rubio insisted his repetitions were part of his plan. She’s undecided heading into Tuesday’s election, but leaning toward Rubio. The winners will gain momentum heading into the next contests in the more diverse SC and Nevada states.
Advertisement
At the end of the press conference, before he left Exeter in a motorcade of black Suburbans, he offered a final brag about how he had upended, or at least delayed, the Rubio coronation. Unless you’re now a politician. Christie asked the largest gathering of reporters he had faced in many weeks.
