>> trump. >> carson. >> trump. >> carson. >> carson. >> carson. >> trump. >> trump. >> carson. mark: carson or trump? mark: carson. >> carson. >> trump. >> i agree, trump. >> carson. >> carson as well. john: that was pretty interesting. a lot of enthusiasm for ben carson. still plenty of enthusiasm for trump, but less. what is the takeaway tween the difference of iowa and enhancer? mark: definitely more enthusiasm for carson in iowa, but a surprising amount of enthusiasm in new hampshire as well. you think you'd be a struggle candidate because of his faith. he is drawing bigger crowds there. at some point, could you imagine those two tangling? they tangled a little iffy weeks ago. -- a few weeks ago. they are in their respective corners. but it will be fascinating if they have a showdown in the next debate. john: in my iowa group, one of the things, one of the clear differences -- we know this is different between iowa and new venture -- evangelicals and much more bigger voting block. people talk about how ben carson is godly. when i thought would be a problem for trump in iowa

carson. also on the show, i will poll standings with rooms in ted cruz but first, just bad news. on bloomberg policy this morning we saw that jeb bush is correcting the course, and downsizing staff paid a lot more focused on time in the early voting states. what are the chances that this major change is going to work in reviving his candidacy? john: there is zero chance that this is going to revive his candidacy. this might allow him to continue to stay afloat. we have both seen candidates like john mccain who withdrew these kinds of things and then went on to be the nominee. but they went on to be the nominee because this is a necessity and not a good thing. it is the path to stay alive. mark: and also gives jeb bush in front of voters. not rushing coast-to-coast. he can raise all the money in the world, all the kings horses and all the kings king's men. this gives the campaign a chance to test your theory, which is if voters can talk to jeb bush and hear his message they will win. i think i

not so much ben carson. the interesting dynamic, though, eric, even if he doesn't answer the questions the way that some on the stage or the audience might want to hear, you know, ben carson, no matter what he says, it seems to improve his position in the polls. all the supposed controversys he has been in, over the last six weeks, pomsters say it's helped him, not hurt him. >> he comes across as a really gentle sort of genuine figure and so sometimes when he makes these controversial statements, i think the public, especially evangelical voters in states like iowa, where he is doing really well have a tendency to be dismissive of it. to sort of give him some leeway because of his personality, perhaps other candidates might not get. you mention cnbc, whiching will comfortable territory for trump and fiorina, the other two outsider type candidates. >> right. >> well, carson's never really even appeald to that audience, his appeal has always been through religion. it's been two evangelicals. it's sort of not b

over the weekend, he raised carson's faith and stance on immigration and he barbed carson's super low energy level. we have cnn's ryan nobles with latest from washington. >> reporter: john and christine, good morning. donald trump is in new hampshire after a weekend of tweaking his rival ben carson. during a rally in florida, trump tout his presbyterian faith and told the crowd in florida he did not know what a seventh day adventist is. trump said he is not attacking carson's religion and said he would not apologize. polls show him leading with evangelical voters. however a new poll in iowa shows carson with more support from the key voting block. during an interview on "state of the union", trump recycled an attack he used on jeb bush. >> i think ben carson is a low energy person. i think he is lower energy than jeb bush if you want to know the truth. >> reporter: carson has eclipsed or drawn even with trump in iowa caucus goers. trump sent attacks carson's way, carson avoided engaging the billionaire. >> i really refuse to really get into the mud pit. hillary actually was right when

carson. for dr. carson to say he is paid by the speakers bureau, they are not originating the check. it's coming from the main company. >> but the difference is, anderson, if you've given 250 speech as year, dr. carson, unfortunately, does not get into the details. he has no idea where these speeches are. he has no idea how it works. we don't get him involved in these details. he shows up and gives a speech -- listen, i know you're short on time. it was dr. carson in phoenix, arizona. he said, you know what, i'm comfortable with this, i want you to end this. in 2014, i spoke with richard till and said, look, the relationship is over. he's been spooked. he just doesn't want to deal with it because he doesn't feel right about it and it was over. >> but he was paid for four of those speeches but three was going to an affiliate that he was associated with. >> he was paid, yes. >> and paid by mannatech? >> yes. except in the phoenix speech because it was for pbs and he was doing it as a charity. >> armstr

ben carson? >> no. not here what's i'm going to do for you, you're going to love it. >> ben carson has got a box. and he's got a movie. >> he's got an iowa box. >> he's ahead in the latest poll. does that translate to wins in new hampshire, ohio, nevada. i don't think it does but you think i'm wrong, don't you? >> i think we'll see. >> stick around because "msnbc live" is coming up next. >> right now, the clash in colorado. the countdown is on to tomorrow's gop debate in boulder. this will be the first in which donald trump no longer has the commanding lead. it shows the businessman out of the top spot for the first time in a hundred days. we'll talk with the senior adviser to jeb bush to sort out what's true and what is not from that recent onslaught in headlines pointing to a campaign in crisis. good morning to you. i'm jose diaz-balart. correspondent peter alexander is in new york. katy, let's start with you. carson now on top nationally. how is trump handling the news? >> so trump is doing what you

trump sent attacks carson's way, carson avoided engaging the billionaire. >> i really refuse to really get into the mud pit. you know, hillary actually was right when the republicans are there trying to destroy each other. i really think that was a huge mistake in the last cycle. i'm certainly not going to get into that. no matter what anybody says. >> reporter: carson has closed the gap in iowa, trump has a healthy lead nationally and in new hampshire and south carolina. john and christine. >> ryan, thank you. ben carson says he is opposed to abortion even in cases of rape and insist. carson compared abortion to slavery. he wants to see roe v. wade overturned. >> do you want to see roe v. wade overturned? >> i would not be in favor of killing a baby because the baby came about in that way. >> marco rubio is defending against criticism for the senate votes he missed while campaigning for president. rivals for the republican nomination has criticized him for having the worst attendance record this year. senator has drawn charges of hypocrisy after saying federal workers who do not do th

carson and mr. trump entertaining figures with some type of talk outside of the conventional political arena and are not electable. i think most republicans will come to that conclusion in short order. >> susan, matt made the point it may not be a big surprise the evangelicals and are at this point supporting ben carson over donald trump. but the ad we played is also up as mentioned in four states including south carolina. here you have this whimsical music in the background. he is acting, you know, what's in the box? this whole kind of awe shucks kind of demeanor there but what do you expect to see from him tomorrow? >> to the point and the iowa poll, the other thing that's interesting is that for the first time carson picks up the support of men. he's winning men and women in that poll. he's always had a deficit with men to donald trump. the ad is an introductory ad and while everyone knows donald trump, not everyone knows ben carson. so i think it's actually a great friendly ad to put up. leading

it says ben candy carson, terrific. what about a real black president that can properly address the racial diindividual. >> there have been questions of this president's race and his legitimacy in office. we don't know if that's what murdoch is implying here but it sure sounds like it. i see people flabbergasted by this comment from one of the biggest media moguls in the world. they are confirming this is his twitter account. once in a while he steps into hot water. this is the kind of tweet that's in a whole other league. this is the kind of thing he's going to have to explain and respond to. >> and how old is rupert murdoch? >> 84 years old. and he once of the most powerful men in the media world. >> it seems to be questioning the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the obama administration, especially dealing with race. he said "read new york magazine for minority disappoint us with potus. >> it's an interesting article talking about whether the president has disappointed african-americans, whether the president has

does you go after carson, the -- does trump go after carson? the other big question is does anybody else go after carson? he is harder to attack then -- than trump. john: this entire republican race has been a season of denial. everyone has been in denial. i suspect that people, other candidates in the party, do not take ben carson seriously. they think he is a flash in the pan, they think it is ok for him to win iowa because iowa can be dismissed. and that his rise in the national polls is a phenomenon. they may be right and they may be wrong, but i think most of them will just leave him alone. mark: let's see, whether they can capitalize on getting more people to sign up because of the carson momentum, and fundraising. carson has been an extraordinary grassroots fundraising. most candidates can raise even more. since carson is reliant on donations, unlike trump, this could be a big moment if he could keep it up. john: the biggest problem for all of these guys, and we will talk about this tomorrow, still 10 people up on the stage. i think ther

we start with ben carson. he's the new 2016 front-runner, at least in iowa, where the first votes will be cast in less than 100 days. carson holds a commanding 14 point lead over donald trump in a new monmouth poll among iowa republican caucus goers. another iowa poll shows carson nine points up over trump. even in a best-case scenario for trump, they are now tied in another poll trump once led by four points. at an nbc news town hall this morning, donald trump dismissed those numbers as if they mean nothing. >> iowa is a problem all of a sudden. you've fallen behind ben carson why? >> i don't believe i've fallen behind. there were small polls. i was in iowa three days ago. we had a town hall unbelievable. it was packed. thousands of people standing outside. >> one poll said the des moines register. >> that is a terrible paper as far as i'm concerned. really is. very liberal paper. >> he's not pulling punches going right after the biggest challenger's religion this weekend. >> i'm presbyterian. boy, that's dow

long term about ben carson. but those comments about seventh-day adventist. he may be right that he didn't criticize him, but he's raising it for a reason. >> yes, well, there's no doubt he's raising it for a reason. two reasons to say, i don't know. donald trump on the air this morning with you said, i don't know about that. another way to hear that was i don't know about that. i just don't know he's on very strong footing, especially here in iowa, trying to get into a religious battle with ben carson. lot of iowa voters who have some questions about the authenticity of donald trump's religious commitments. >> jon karl, we'll see if he continues to rise after that. >> he won't get his apology. as for trump, this was a big milestone. trump is no longer the front-runner in at least two polls. but trump is still leading in roughly 49 other states. >> ana navarro, you're a big supporter of jeb bush, you raised money for jeb bush, we saw this week he had to cut his payroll. >> i was very happy to see that, i was ver

carson will be back in iowa this weekend. carson will be back in iowa this weekend. the a-g-r fraternity at iowa state is hosting a town hall breakfast with carson at 8... saturday morning. .the event is open to the public. donald trump has never been one to shy away controversy...but the presidential candidate is back peddling on a tweet that was sent out earlier today. after the poll showing ben carson had taken the lead in iowa....this trump's page retweeted this post... it "ben carson is now leading in the polls in iowa. too much monsanto in the corn creates issues in the brain?" after receiving some blow back for the post...it was deleted. trump later tweeted: young intern who accidentally did a retweet apologizes. hillary clinton took a break from campaigning to testify before congress today. s/hillary clinton / former secretary of state :23 "i'm here to honor the service of those four men, courage of the diplomatic security agency, and the cia officers who risked their lives that night, and the work their colleagues do every single day all over the world." cli

south carolina, trump is at 40%, carson's at 23%. nevada, trump 38%, carson 22%. that seems to be what the trump campaign is focused on now. >> it seems that way, lawrence, yes. but i think a good reminder for any of these presidential campaigns is all of those polls change after the results in iowa come in. and sometimes the voters in iowa -- i'm sorry, new hampshire will simply reject a candidate just because they won iowa on the republican side it's been particularly difficult to win both of those in a row. but you know on carson's religion i will say trump has hit on possibly the one thing that he could ultimately undercut carson with as e.j. was saying. it is pretty hard for these guys to go after carson. he's mild mannered, liked especially among older white women. but if his primary focus is going to be evangelicals, remember the romney campaign, there was a lot of private discussion about the fact that his religion ultimately was a problem for him winning there. for a long time in american politics being catholic could be something that you whispered about

he said that carson's position on abortion has evolved. in fact, trump's position on abortion has also evolved. the key to carson's success seems to be with born again christians in eye warks social convft avs and religious conservatives and tea partiers. ben carson has a hefty lead in some cases more than 2-1 over donald trump when it comes to those key core proimary voters in the republican race. that's the up ballot part of this. the down ballot part of it -- and it will all be fought out on the debate stage tomorrow -- how trump and carson will deal with each other. carson does not fight back, trump continues to attack. the battle will be between rubio and bush. rubio has been showing momentum and traction in the polls on the top of the second tier. jeb still having trouble. downsized his campaign just last week. has to explain all that. trump continues to pound him. jeb bush has changed his focus and is focusing on marco rubio. saying he has limited experience and not a lot of accomplishments compared to bush who is a florida governor

. >> trevor: ah, ben carson. for people who like donald trump's ideas but hate his charm and charisma. ( laughter ) ben carson's like the drug-free cocaine for people who don't want to get high but just like snorting white powder. ( laughter ) but it turns out that even the doctor's calm has become too crazy for some. you see, yesterday, ben carc ofns asked how he would respond if a gunman like the one in the oregon shooting confronted him and it didn't go well. >> rising g.o.p. star dr. ben carson is under fire after making controversial comments about gun control. >> i would not just stand there and let him shoot me. i would say, "hey, guys. everybody attack him. he may shoot me, but he can't get us all." >> take action. ( laughter ). >> trevor: i don't get it. you know what i also don't get is that ben carson really thinks that he could rally people against a mass shooter. ( laughter ) i think he's overestimating how inspiring his presence might be. ( laughter ) you're gonna shoot me? hey, guys, listen up. i n

ben carson. economic, business, tax-focused debate, donald trump's wheelhouse. we can expect to see him make a contrast and say, look, i'm a guy who's created jobs, understands the economy. how is ben carson qualified to deal with issues like this? >> appreciate the reporting. i want to get the latest on the polling. including the evangelical factor sarah mentioned as well as new results on the democratic side that could provide a boost for hillary clinton. chief national correspondent john king breaks it all down by the numbers. so, john, this is the first national poll since early july with trump not in the lead, right? >> it is. that's worth repeating for for t the first time since early july donald trump is not in the lead of a poll. the cbs/"new york times" poll has ben carson at 26%, trump at 22%. you have jeb bush, carly fiorina rounding out the pack. donald trump has said, i'm winning, i'm the winner. look at the trend line. when carson was at 6 %, then 23%, now 26%. trump is still consid

ben carson. it's an economic, business, tax-focused debate. this is donald trump's wheelhouse. i think we can expect to see him make a contrast and say, look, i'm a guy who's created jobs, i'm a guy who understands the economy. how is ben carson qualified to deal with issues like this? >> all right, sarah, appreciate the reporting. we want to get the latest now on the polling, drill down on this, including the evangelical factor as well as new results on the democratic side that could provide a boost for hillary clinton. chief national correspondent john king breaks it down by numbers. >> john, this is the first national poll since early july with trump not in the lead, right? >> it is, and that's worth repeating. for the first time since early july, donald trump is not in the lead of a national republican poll. now, it's within the margin of err error, so he can say statistically it's still a tie, but the cbs/"the new york times" poll has ben carson at 26%, trump at 22%, then rubio, jeb bush and

carson. for dr. carson to say he is paid by speakers burro, they are not originating the check. >> if you're giving 200 speeches, 250 speeches a year, dr. carson unfortunately does not get into the details. he has no idea where these speeches are. he does so many he has no idea how it works with corporations. we don't get him involved in the details. he shows up, gives the speech. and listen, let me say this because i know you're short on time. it was dr. carson in phoenix, arizona andd distributors were trying to get him to say things and he said i wasn't comfortable. in 2014 i said the relationship is over. he's been spooked. he doesn't want to deal with it because he doesn't feel right and it was over. >> but he was paid for the four speeches or three were money going to a charity that he's affiliated with and one was paid, correct? >> if the washington speakers burro was booking speeches, he was paid, yes. >> and he was paid by mannatech, it went through the burro but he was paid by mannatech rig

he's hitting carson on his religion. getting personal here. >> two days to go to the presidential debate in boulder, colorado. which candidate is under the most pressure? who would be the next dropout? might be bush. >> october surprise. this is "hardball." te when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop t

. >> carson is controlled by his past. bush. >> reporter: but it was this comment referencing carson's religion. >> i'm presbyterian, that's down the road, folks. i mean seventh day adventist. i don't know about. former neurosurgeon calling for an apology. >> you know, a couple of months ago i said something that he took as an attack on his faith i hope he will have the same grace. >> reporter: the trump/carson showdown one to watch. another, can jeb bush make a comeback? the man who just months ago was the front-runner, slashing his campaign's payroll by 40% on friday. >> we made an adjustment in our campaign. that's what leaders do. >> reporter: and finally, are senator ted cruz and senator marco rubio set to rise? but senator ted cruz said he will not attack trump at the debate because he's admires how trump has framed this race. trump still the clear front-runner when it comes to national polls. on the republican side. george? tom, thanks very much. >>> let's bring in mr. trump right now, thank you for joining us again

carson, and mr. trump, are very appealing to times that we find ourselves in. >> he's taking some time off of the trail, thinning out his campaign schedule in order to fit in a book tour. i say this with all due respect, is he running for president or to be president or is he running for president to promote his other enterprises? this looks like an attempt to run for president to promote another enterprise, in this case, a book. >> well, chuck, in all due respect, it's just not true. dr. carson has not suspended his campaign. while dr. carson may be on book tour, the media still asks questions about his campaign, about his policies. you can't give the media a different directive to talk about his book. when he's on the road, he's still talking to policy people, still on the phone daily with the campaign, working with voters. working on columns and es stays and newspapers. he's not the only person that has written a book on tour. it so happened dr. carson is on a book tour but does not take away he's

carson. 13% for trump. obviously a big difference there. is this because carson has been courting women voters or just because donald trump whiffs when it comes to this group. >> carson isn't on the ground in iowa as much as you would expect someone leading there. he does very well with women. the women you saw in that package down in texas while trailing him on the book tour, there are hundreds of them at these events. all they say is you know i trust him and believe him. ooeng he is thoughtful and i want to vote for him. >> let's hear how thoughtful he was in terms of his reaction at the book signing today in kansas when asked about the iowa polls. >> well, you know, i feel the same as i felt yesterday. i'm gratified by the fact that so many people are really paying attention to what i'm saying because none of the things i'm saying are wild, crazy things. they are very logical things. if people sat down and thought about them rather than allowing themselves to be whipped into a frenzy i think most people

carson in such absolute high esteem. when you can go to johns hopkins and do the things that he has done and be lauded by people whether they're black, white or female, there was such a sense of pride in the comments of carson. his comments about president obama, i think, are not only offensive by many members of the african-american community, but it's not just his comments about the president. it is his comments about, for example, people going into prison straight and coming out gay. his questioning evolution, his statements after the oregon shootings last week. you know, people want to hold him up in high esteem, and so many of the comments that he has made are, quite frankly, so silly that it is an embarrassment to the african-american community. >> but, amy, i hear many of those same comments, the type of things he's saying, frankly, from some of my talk radio callers. is it that he's being singled out because he's conservative or that he's republican? in other words, is this really about party idealogy more so tha

i think that will affect carson. liz: richard, if donald trump was not race, this is criticism from the democrats and hillary clinton's policies. that bill clinton would never have signed off on these policies. that is what is flying under radar screen, that hillary clinton policies are so left-wing the broad electorate may not sign on for it. >> we'll see. a single democrat who wouldn't relish the idea after hillary-trump, hillary-carson general election campaign. the problem with carson is, and i may be dating myself here, he is the character gardner from the movie, "being there." says inane things but people attach significance to it because he reknowned neurosurgeon. when i doesn't believe in evolution or conflates, you know, sort of bin laden with iraq, and just watch chris wallace trying to get out of him yesterday on the sunday show about what his health care policy was. it is inane. much the trump, problem with trump diet, if he had one, like his policies, ice cream, cake and candy. you will lose weight. be h

and ben carson is surging. a new loras college poll out just today finds carson in first place with a double-digit lead over trump. 12 points in that one. in addition to a new monmouth poll that has carson up over trump by 14 points. in fact, there are now four recent polls in that state that have trump sliding and carson pulling into a commanding lead. and perhaps feeling the heat now, trump heads to the hawkeye state tomorrow. but today, he was in new hampshire, that's where a "today" show town hall found trump trying to dispute those iowa numbers. >> i don't believe i did fall behind. it was one poll and a second poll. small polls. i was in iowa three days ago. we had a town hall that was unbelievable. it was packed. the des moines register is a terrible paper, as far as i'm concerned. no, it is. very liberal paper, by the way. and i have other polls in iowa that say i am winning. >> nbc's katy tur is on the trump beat and joins us now from atkins atkinson, new hampshire. katy, it was two polls when he said

carson, let's talk about taxes. you have a flat tax plan of does that is very appealing to a lot of voters, but of a tough time trying to make the math work. if you were to take a 10% tax with the numbers right now in total personal income, bringing in over $1 trillion. that is less than half of what we build -- bring in right now and by the way, it is going to leave us in the $2 trillion hole. lylysilygot you to the point this would work? >> first of all, i did not say the rate would be 10%. i used the tithing analogy. >> i understand that, but if you look at the numbers -- quick the rate is going to be much closer to 15%. you also have to get rid of all of the deductions and all the loopholes. you also have to do some strategic cutting in several places. remember, we have 645 federal agencies and subagencies. anybody who tells me that we need every penny and every one of those is in a fantasy world. can stimulate the economy. that is going to be the real growth engine. stimulating the economy -- because it's tethe

carson. i would like the moderators try to go after carson and try to let the moderators try to prove carson doesn't understand the debt ceiling and go after him on fiscal knowledge and monetary policy knowledge and let the moderators do that. you sell your game if i were trump i would do that. >> that's interesting because that is the other thing i am curious about. ben carson may be the most mild mannered presidential candidate i can remember seeing. when somebody attacks him he seems totally unphased by it. whether it is trump or other candidates taking a shot at him do you expect we see that very low key donald trump calls him low energy ben carson? now he is the front runner something different emerges? >> he is certainly an energy saver. i thought life was about showing you are alive. he is different. maybe there are a lot of people in the country that prefer people who talk slower and seem more deliberative and more reverent. something about him people find compelling. i don't think he

ben carson. he has a huge pastor network across the state. they are the three men to keep an eye on in the republican iowa caucus. >> carson compared abortion to slavery. listen to this. >> slavery, i know it's a word you are not supposed to say, but i'm saying it. during slavery, the slave owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave. anything that they chose to do. what if the abolitionist had said, you know, i don't believe in slavery. i think it's wrong. but you guys do whatever you want to do. >> paul, is that a successful line in iowa, at least? >> i think among iowa republican caucus attendees, yes. it's interesting. his manner, bedside, you can see why he was such a successful doc. he's got a lovely bedside manner, but he's saying the most remarkable things. he used slavery to compare health care. obamacare is like that. he says remarkable things, but in such a calm way. it's fascinating to me. >> we are going to see the next phase here of trump versus everyb

ben carson. suzanne malveaux is "outfront.." >> reporter: marco rubio setting the third gop debate on fire leading the media, hillary clinton and even his former mentor now rival jeb bush scorched. >> my campaign is going to be about the future of america. it's not going to be about attacking anyone else on this stage. >> reporter: his performance widely seen as a win that could be his breakout moment. >> i think he appeals to everybody on all sides of the spectrum. you know, there is something maybe kennedy-esque. he's a young, dynamic guy. he has an inspirational story. he makes you feel good about voting for marco rubio and good about the country in the same way that obama did for a lot of people. >> reporter: his father, a bartender and mother a hotel maid, he has four children. he ran for city commissioner at age 26 and received a $50 donation from none other than jeb bush. as the years passed, the former florida governor became rubio's close friend and mentor when he became statehouse speak

carson is leading in the polls. he is hitting ben carson on a few areas. one is abofrmgts. >> ben was pro-abortion not so long ago as everybody has told me. i don't know personaly, but that's what i'm told. all of a sudden he's so hard on abortion, under no circumstances virtually no exceptions. >> ben carson is not the only one who would have had a change of heart. here is donald trump. >> would president trump ban partial birth abortion? >> i'm very pro-choice. i hate the concept of abortion. i hate it. i hate everything it stands for. i cringe when i listen to people debating the subject, but still i just believe in choice. >> donald trump says he is pro-life. how is that different from ben carson? >> what mr. trump's policies are as far as abortion or any of the other important social issues that are important to the folks not just in iowa but in all the states, that's not what americans right now are even looking for. they are looking for leadership. they are looking for somebody that can actually do for america what only donald trump can do. >> are t

ben carson ridesing

ben carson. at a town hall meeting with nbc's matt lauer, trump dismissed the latest polls out of iowa which show him losing his lead to ben carson. >> iowa's a problem all of a sudden. you have fallen behind ben carson why? >> i don't believe i did fall behind i was one poll, and a second poll, small polls, and i was in iowa three days ago. we had a town hall that was unbelievable. it was packed. thousands of people standing outside. >> one poll is the des moines register which you said is a good poll. >> the des moines register is a terrible paper as far as i'm concerned. it really is. very liberal paper, by the way. >> trump's attacks, subtle and otherwise, have taken various forms including a much-maligned retweet which the campaign removed and which appeared to question the mental capacity of carson's iowa voters. here's what trump had to say about that retweet this morning. >> i have five people and they are very smart people and it was actually a little bit of a joke, the person thought it

ben carson 21. everyone else in single digits. >> just put it up there for a second and breathe it in. look at the single digits. thguy i heard the republican establishment swoon over, scott walker, out of the race. >> i happened to run into a couple senior republicans last night who moved beyond to a certain acceptance of the possibility and just of what's going on. for a long time they couldn't believe the numbers and believe what they were seeing. they couldn't look at those numbers. it's up 55, 56, 57% of the party want someone whose never held office. just getting that into their heads and getting their minds around that has been very difficult. i think they're finally getting there and saying gee, this is a real. >> when you're on the trail and talk to the voters, boy, do they hear that forcefully. >> this is some of the right wing people who thought a cruz or rubio. now they're saying if ben carson stays at 21 or 22 -- >> between ted cruz and donald trump who is actually winning among evangel

he does have a problem with ben carson right now. i will saban carson wins iowa. i don't see ben carson winning any other states. maybe he does. maybe he wins it all. you look at a new pole in north carolina, trump in first place. a new pole out of texas, trump in first place, carson is a close second. new poles all across america, trump in first place. carson close second. here is the most important thing. even else in single digits. everybody else irrelevant and the republican establishment keeps waiting for that hero to rise from the streets. it's not going to happen as long as they're in single digits because they're not going to make money. everybody is going to run out of money soon. ted cruz is in third place in his own state. jeb is in third place in his own state, i think. marco in third or fourth place. they got to get moving or they're out. >> donald trump wins 41%, carson 21% and it falls off. >> is that the cbs? >> that's the cbs new york times pole. when they're asked who do you think can win, donald trump is still ahead. nobody can name a single sta

carson?! i don't think carson's going to negotiate really well with china, folks, in all fairness, okay, i don't think so. and i like him. i don't think so. >> i think the big thing, also, is he's just not going to be able to do with deals with china. to do deals with japan. these companies are all ripping us like nobody has ever ripped us before. >> i will make some of the great trade deals. i will bring our jobs back. i'll bring our money back. i'll bring our manufacturing back. ben cannot do that. >> you know, i wondered, paul, whether people who are voting in these primary polls are really voting novemberish. even with bernie sanders, i would say, you really want bernie sanders, a co. in the vietnam war to be head of our force? are you thinking of that job description, or are you trying to send a message of populist politics and progressive politics, which would be a fair excuse. but you picking a president? is dr. carson an actual candidate for president of our armed forces, to deal with

he is all in for carson. i've never seen anything like it, the involvement the i am .eeing they like his style. they like his soft-spoken. they feel he is honest. for years, it has been a challenge to get christians involved in quote unquote dirty politics to clean it up. now, we really got something. cruz.ll in for ted i do like carson, but something is really going on at the evangelical base in iowa. i'm very close to it. thank you. host: j is on our line for those that support dr. carson. from maryland, hello. caller: hi. i like carson because of the fact that he seems to take a logical approach to things, not trying to ride the tide of the he is trying to approach things logically. we really need to do that in this country. host: as far as these recent polls, do you think this will bear itself out as far as in leading and i what? -- in iowa? caller: it is hard to say. i do stand there is a portion of evangelicals that support him perhaps i dohat not. i'm not a good barometer for the rest of the country, b

ben carson. ben carson, i thought we had trump bringing it up at the podium. but we have dr. carson responding to trump here. >> i really refuse to really get into the mud pit. you know hillary was right when she said the republicans are there trying to destroy each other. i think that was a mistake in the last cycle and i am not going to get into that. >> jamie, does he have a point? republicans are tearing each other apart. >> he has a point. but the largest point of donald trump bringing it up. he was talking about political issues and he brings up ben carson's religion. the idea of him not raising as a point of attack, that is Ñi interesting. ben carson might not be in the best position to fire back to donald trump considering what ben carson said that faith matters in evaluating presidential candidates, especially a muslim president. i don't know how ben carson said his faith is out of bounds. he believes that you should evaluate their faith. >> trump suggested that carson could be a vice-presidential running mate. is that off of the table be? >> we'll see trump and car

thing that carson starts out with. low name identification, no political experience, no organization, and he also looks like he is half asleep, he is drewsing through. lou: and often sounds that way, too. >> he will say this, and he's a cooke and he's this. so the effort to dismiss carson over and over and over again, he's been written out of play several times. and yet here he is. and i will tell you why. people like entrust him. what do you know about that? voters like, entrust him and that's working in his advantage. lou: i didn't know how big the move was, but this was all presaged, i'm going throw a big word or two out, myself. by the "washington post" columnist saying he's a crazy man. when they start that stuff as the national liberal media is, he is starting to show real strength, isn't it? >> there is something in the republican electorate that responds so well to the press, this guy may be okay, if the "new york times," "washington post" is going after him. if chris matthews gets frothed over this person, the