that state of the race less than six weeks out from the iowa caucus. kevin mccarthy officially stepping down. what his departure means amid chaos on capitol hill. then, pop megastar taylor swift named time magazine's person of the year. her global impact far beyond the charts, as the 11th hour gets underway on this wednesday night. ♪ ♪ ♪ good evening once again, i'm stephanie ruhle at headquarters here in new york city. tonight, some of the republicans running for president held for fourth and final debate before the iowa caucuses, now less than six weeks away. ron desantis, nikki haley, vivek ramaswamy, and chris christie came out swinging, facing off at tuscaloosa, alabama at a trump free event. trump free, why? because the former president was a no-show once again. but despite him not being there, things got heated and he did quickly. >> i am sick of republicans who are not willing to stand up and fight back against what the lift is doing to this country. you have other candidates up here like nikki haley. she calfs anytime that left comes after her. anytime that media comes after her. >> aren't you too tight with the banks and billionaires to win over the gop's working class base? >> and reference to donors coming on board, we will take support from anybody we can take support from. i have been a conservator all my life. >> nikki, you were bankrupt when you left fit you in. after you became -- left that you, anybody can military contractor and now you're a multimillionaire. that math does not act up. it adds up to the fact you are corrupt. >> we've had these three acting as the race is between the floor of us. the fifth guy, who doesn't have the guts to show up and stand here, he's unfit to be president. and there is no bigger issue in this race, megan, then donald trump. >> were you saying it's time to bomb iran? >> no, i was not saying it's time to bump around. but i will tell you, i dealt with iran every day when i was at that enough nations. and they only respond to. strength >> they reject this myth -- somebody had a cup of coffee stand at the u. n. and makes a billion bucks after his real foreign policy experience. it takes an outsider to look at the black expression -- >> the fourth debate. you'll be voting and the first 20 minutes as the most open ulcers boulevard in america. >> all of them finish. >> i want to say something else. we are now 25 minutes into this debate. and he has insulted nikki haley's basic intelligence, not her positions, her basic intelligence. this is a smart, accomplished woman, you should stop insulting her. >> -- close an average from new jersey to new york. so do yourself a favor, walk yourself let off the stage. >> governor christie, trump was asked last night if he would be a dictator in a second term in office. he said, no, except for tonight. one pledging to seal the southern border. he's also pledging to begin the largest deportation in american history, saying, migrants are poisoning the blood of american history. he's expected to round up an estimated 11 million immigrants in the united states. what do you make of that plant? >> there is no mystery of what he wants to do. he started off his campaign by saying, i am retribution. these guys on the stage make it seem like his conduct is acceptable. let me make it clear. his conduct is unacceptable. >> your campaign is running ads showing trump confused and you've said he's, quote, lost the zip on his fastball. you seem to be saying donald trump is not long mentally fit to be president. is that what you think? >> father time is undefeated. let me just respond to some of the things they're. the media is making a big deal about what he said about some of his colleagues. jusremind people, that's not how he governed. he didn't even fire dr. fauci. he didn't fire christopher wray. he didn't clean up the swamp. >> the question was very fit -- direct. is he front to be president or isn't he? the rest of the speech is interesting but completely nonresponsive. >> we have an opportunity to nominate someone for two terms will be spitting nails for two terms -- >> that you think he's fit? >> we should not nominate somebody -- >> he's not going to answer. he's afraid to answer. >> here is my issue with all three of my other colleagues on this debate stage. all three of them have been licking donald trump's boots for years, for money and endorsements. i'm the only person -- >> thank you. >> that's what it's going to take, not people looking his boots one-time and now criticize him when it's convenient. >> i told you they came out swinging. so let's get smarter with the help of our lead off panel. nbc capitol hill correspondent ali vitali, who's lucky enough to be at the debate. msnbc senior political analyst matthew dowd, he's also a former george w. bush's strategist and founder of country over party. and stuart stevens, is here. veteran of the mitt romney and george w. bush presidential campaigns, now with lincoln project. his new book, get it for the holidays, the conspiracy to end america, five was my own party's driven our democracy to autocracy. okay, matthew. i was tote, this debate, there are going to talk about donald trump. every day this week, we keep hearing, the threat of what a second term would look like. the looming idea of that dictator. yet, it took 17 minutes into that debate, and chris christie alone, to be the only person to take on the one thing that matters and that one thing keeping all of them from the nomination. donald trump. >> well, i thought chris christie might and and augment of the other thing, as clear as any can make in this. there are too afraid and they wouldn't do it. i thought it was fairly clear and i didn't see any of the three denying his indictment. what i don't understand, and i haven't understood from the start of this race, i would love stuart's perspective on this. adrian think why they think fighting for second is a. when it's as if they want to lead that lollipop guild or that lullaby lead and that's what their goal is. and they're leaving that wicked witch of the west alone. they think by leaving that lollipop killed there somehow want this. right there all and munchkin lands. they haven't removed themselves from munchkin land. chris christie is the only one who's trying to step up and slight wicket which in the course of this. i mean, he's at two or 3% right now, he's not going anywhere. i don't understand nikki haley, ron desantis, and vivek ramaswamy. he is the tenant from back to the future -- >> oh my god. >> he is, he's the tenant without a personality and he's going nowhere. >> probably not as athletic. either stuart, weigh in here. i saw mike murphy's tweet after the debate that said that chris christie's best not, he should drop out. >> i don't get this. chris christie is the only one speaking the truth. i worked for chris christie -- i was proud of him tonight. the greatest threat to america isn't muslims coming over the southern border, it's donald trump. it's obvious. everybody should know that. i just understand how someone like nikki haley, she can sound like some echoes of a party that i once joined, particularly on foreign policy. but the angels say that donald trump is convicted of a felony for basically overthrow the united states government, he'll support him. i don't understand what that is not disqualifying. i think it is disqualify. anytime it goes to the core of this counter at the republican party, it isn't interesting that number one issue in this country, which is the threat to democracy that donald trump and trumpism faces. >> elie, you are in the spin room. what are you hearing? what stood out? >> i think this is clearly the point in the race we are starting to see that knives come out and a much more efficient fashion. that was the case on the debate night tonight. if you watch nothing else, and nothing else about this race, it would know nikki haley was the person on that stage everyone wanted to take down. that's for obvious reason. she surging in the polls. i want to make it whatever mode of is saying. i appreciate chris christie reminding us were still on earth day. the idea donald trump is very much in this race, leading the pack, and you don't become president or even that nominee by coming in second in the primaries. that's a real problem for all these people on the stage. as is the fact that i think as much as it's coming for us to what chris christie basing as out of step with his party for pointing out and crippling effect their front-runner is under multiple felony indictments and is facing multiple felony allegations in court, that puts chris christie out of step with the quote unquote law and order republican party. that is stunning, and i think it's also incumbent on us to remember the fact, as much as it's bizarre the party doesn't want to seem to fix this or contained with her anti-small d democratic values, voters don't care. when i talk to them, those who are still hung up on the big lie don't care to hear the truth of that situation, that trump actually lost the election. this is where the party is. so, chris christie is out of step with the party. and that is probably why people are saying he should drop out of that performance, because he's clearly not nobody that represents where republicans are at right now. but that's a larger problem for the party itself. it's the same one they've been contending with, frankly, since 2015 and 2016. >> matthew, what do you think chris christie's strategy is? i spoke to a big chris christie dinner when he first entered the race. i spoke to them recently, they said listen. we don't expect him to get that nomination. we expect him to pull a chris christie and be a human wrecking ball. that guy who goes for it, and potentially clears a path for someone like nikki haley. and then he's in her good graces. tonight, we certainly saw him defending her every chance he could, or most chances, certainly went and came to vivek. what do you think christie's game plan is? >> you know, i have criticized chris christie in the past, and i've been on various things with chris christie and i've been critical of his enabling of donald trump for too long. but i have to give him a praise for even though it's late, commit to the table and telling the truth. and i think, if the only person's -- purpose he serve is to get on a debate stage and tell the truth when everybody else won't is a good thing for our country. because he's going to go on fox news and on news nation, which is like an a. i. version of fox news with amateurs, i didn't get the production of it, and my guess is not many republican primary voters didn't get that debate because they couldn't find it on the cable list of the channel actually was. chris christie is like liz cheng and a different way. trying to tell the truth to the american public. chris christie is doing a really hard job which is telling the truth to people that don't want to believe. it and fit serves a purpose. and he might not be successful. personally, he's likely not going to be successful, personally, and this. but he's willing to take the boos, take that hits, and tell the truth on state with no one else is willing to do. and i think that's a good thing. >> and stuart, where are his supporters? all of us can say, man, those george bush republicans, republicans like that to have you, and all these republicans out there saying, we need something new, we're sick of this, we need to get away from donald trump. are there more than 2% of republican voters out there? >> no. that's the answer. look, chattanooga lost to alabama earlier in the season and they had a better evening than the republican party did. the party is in a very, very bad place. at the core of it is a refusal to acknowledge the essence of democracy. which is somebody has to be willing to lose. and that republican party has decided, as the president said, it's -- when they lose. i'm with matthew. i was incredibly disappointed when chris christie, a guy i love, endorsed donald trump. it broke my heart. but this is somebody who's up there speak the truth and i guess we have to meet people who are they are in the moment. and if it wasn't for him up there, he's giving the party an alternative. at least, he can't say at the end of the day, when they nominate trump, there wasn't someone up there who gave them no choice. and i think that's incredibly important for the country to see. and i think donald trump is going to lose this race and it's going to be part of the process of the republican party collapsing. >> he gave america another choice, but almost no republicans wanted to make that choice. ali, for nikki haley tonight, did she put ron desantis behind her and show people that she should be the person in second? but >> i think, she showed people she is a person in second. that's kind of what you showed,? right you touch when anything by being in second. i think we can't underscore that enough. but she showed she's the person in second, at least right now, because everyone was attacking her. if you are desantis, you had to have a big night tonight. and i think he's more than held his own. his campaign has been hemorrhaging. drama behind the scenes has been the mainstay narrative. it's not been him on the stump. in fact, there is still been a problem with him on the, stump connecting with voters. it's partly what you're seeing him continue to fall in the polls, as people like kelly continue to surge. but i also think nikki haley is someone, and you let me, i love to dig into dinner dynamics on debates like this, it's fascinating to watch the only woman on the stage be the person drawing all the attacks. research will show you, woman have to stay above the fray because they can't be seen as too aggressive, but they're also expected to defend themselves and hold their own. the fact chris christie was able to jump in and give her a boost against vivek ramaswamy, that's helpful in that way voters will metabolized haley as someone who's clearly intelligence, clearly has foreign policy chops, but also has people on the stage will act as validators. even her opponents. that being said, as someone who's watched daily no for the better part of the year, she -- wasn't able to capture her regular cadence of getting into her stump stage points and that was problematic. it was clear she was playing defense tonight. at the end of the day, i'm not sure how many people are going to be watching this debate. it's happening in such a vacuum. because this isn't that real primary. it's a subset of the real primary. but as long as donald trump is not on that stage, he doesn't have to defend himself, he doesn't have to attack anyone, and the whole stage will lose something if they want the debate to mean anything. >> stuart, ready for this? i understand who donald trump voter. is i understand nikki haley's voter is. i understand woodpeckers christie. who is voting for vivek ramaswamy and who is picking ron desantis? >> you know, they're both just weird guys. these are not people who interact in a normal way -- >> i want to know what voter is saying that's my boy? >> look, i think it's easier to answer for desantis. there was a police out there that he fit that model of republicans who've done well getting the nomination, big state governors. reagan, bush, romney won the nomination. the difference is, he really isn't like them. he's a big government conservative. just think about it. someone is running for president of the united states who is governor of a state and happiness company ani mean, hown possible? because he thin really good to the st analywe're also trackin, very serious news to.late breaks tonight. another deadly shooting on a college at l a hospital and the suspect has man in his oat this, put on what has mumost police respon so campus putting. students and faculty shelter in place for hours. >> we heard the clips of semi automatic weapons just going through what felt like about 30 seconds. it was a very, very disturbing thing to hear. >> in a statement, president biden said, he was praying for families of the victims and said this. this is not normal and we can never let it become normal. here is the problem, though. it is. coming up, after losing the gavel, kevin mccarthy is not leaving the house altogether. max rose and luke broadwater are here on what is next for a congress as retirements mount and gridlock continues. and later, the important lawsuit out of texas on abortion. you need to hear about this one. joyce vance joins us to explain what exactly is going on and why it matters for abortion rights around this company. the 11th hour getting underway on a very serious wednesday night. get life insurance," hm. i have a few minutes. i can do that now. oh, that fast? 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