bring in people from syria, we have no idea who they are, or where they are, et cetera, it's a disaster, we can't afford to do that. it gives money for illegal immigration, you know, for letting people come in illegally into this country. the whole thing is a disaster and the republicans passed it. with health care, we have to repeal and replace obamacare. >> what would you replace it with? >> a health care savings accounts, which are great. we will do that, or we're going to have -- and probably and -- you can say and/or. what i really like is the insurance -- i'm a self-funder. i'm not take anything money, okay? i'm not taking money from the insurance companies, so i can do what's right. i can do what is right for the people. this is something i think i've been credit for. i don't think i've been given enough credit. because i've turned down hundreds of millions of dollars. jeb bush raised $148 million to put it in a fund, it's like throwing it out the window what he did with it. i would have had 500 -- i would have had a billion dollars. i had people asking me please let me give you. i'm doing it all myself. what happened is we have lines around each state. it makes it impossible for people to bid for insurance companies to bid within those states. the insurance company would monopoly, would rather have a monopoly on here or new york or on iowa or on any other place than be able to bid all over the united states. because they make much more money that way. what we do, and the insurance companies take care of the politicians. they're giving the politicians, most of the guys i'm running against are getting money from the insurance companies, and they're getting money from, by the way, other companies, drug company, pharmaceutical companies. they give tremendous amounts of money to the people that i'm negotiating against, that i'm debating against, the people that are on the stage, the people that are in congress, the senators. so what i'm saying is this. we have to get rid of the lines. we have to create competition. when you do that, you will have the best health care you've ever, ever had. and it will bat a reasonable cost. they almost got rid of the lines when they were doing obamacare. but it didn't happen, because the insurance companies have too many of the senators under control. >> let me ask, todd, to follow up. >> you understand what i mean, there's no competition. >> did you get your answer, is that specific enough for you? >> it sounds fair enough, yes. >> i have one question. if obamacare -- >> thank you. >> -- is repealed and there is no mandate for everybody to have insurance, what's -- why would an insurance company not have a preexisting -- ensure somebody with preexisting. >> i like the mandate. here is where i'm a little bit different. i don't want people dying on the streets i say this all the time. i say this, look, i did five speeches maybe six speeches today, we had a lot of rallies, we had thousands and thousands of people. i mean, we get big crowds. every time i talk about this i get standing ovations. the republican people they're wonderful people. they don't want people dying on the streets. sometimes they'll say donald trump wants single payer because there is a group of people, as good as these plans are, and by the way, your insurance will go way down, you'll have better plans. you'll get your own doctor. obama lied. >> to be able to get insurance? >> yes. obama lied when he said you'll be able to keep your plan, keep your doctor. it was a pure lie. frankly, many democrats went along, because they believed him. he lied 28 times he said it. 28 times, if that were in the private sector you'd be sued for fraud. he lied to get the plan through, he got it through, and it's turned out to be a disaster, the wrong people are buying it, it's dead. you know, look, obama care is dead, it's going to be repealed, it's going to be replaced, i will say this, anderson. if we don't do something quickly, you're going to have a health care problem like you've never seen before in this country. now, the new plan is good, it's going to be inexpensive, it's going to be much better for the people. there's going to be a group of people at the bottom, people that haven't done well, people that don't have any money that won't be able to be taken care of, we're going to take through them through maybe concepts of medicare. we have hospitals that aren't doing well. we have doctors that aren't doing well. you cannot let people die on the street, now, some people say that's not a very republican thing to say. every time i say this at a rally, or even today i said it, i got a standing ovation. i said, you know, the problem is everybody thinks that you people as republicans hate the concept of taking care of people that are really, really sick and are going to die. that's not single payer, by the way. that's called heart. we've got to take care of people that can't take care of themselves. but the plans will be much less expensive. they'll be much better than obamacare. you'll get your doctor. you'll get everything you want to get. it will be unbelievable. but you have to get rid of the lines. you have to have competition. those people, everybody liking it when i say it, an that includes republicans. single payer. >> i want you to meet orrin smith. he's undecided. >> hello. i think it's about five years ago, i sat in your office, and you said you were thinking about running for president then, and you didn't run then, man are you -- >> i should have done it, we would have had obama for four years instead of eight years. >> right, rights. man, are you running now. >> i am running, yes. this may be better timing for me, if you want to know. >> you've made a lot of statements about a lot of issues, and covered a lot of ground in a very short period of time. >> right. >> one statement you made i'm having trouble getting over, frankly. i wanted to ask you about it, as a matter of fact, i was watching the debate and you made this statement, i had to apologize to my children for the words that came out of my mouth when you said what you said, and that was -- i don't want to put words in your mouth, so correct me if i'm wrong. >> go ahead. >> when you said that george w. bush which was our last republican president, a man i respect greatly, a person that we really fought for when he was up against a lot of pressure, that he lied to get us in the war in iraq. that stung me very deeply. i don't believe that. i'm just wondering, given some time passing, perhaps you've rethought that. would you be willing to rethink that? >> well, a lot of people agree with what i said, and i'm not talking about lying, i'm not talking about not lying, nobody really knows why we went into iraq, the iraqis did not knock down -- it was not saddam hussein who knocked down the world trade center, okay. >> what you said was, they lied, there were no weapons of mass destruction. there were none, and they knew there were none. they knew that, they lied. >> they said there are weapons of mass destruction. i was against the war when it started. >> do you think the president of the united states, george w. bush lied -- >> i'm not going to get your vote, but that's okay. >> i'm just giving you another shot at it. >> i'll tell you simply, it may have been the worst decision going into iraq, it may have been the worst decision anybody has made, any president has made in the history of this country, that's how bad it is, okay? the migration you see today, the destruction of europe with angela merkel allowing millions of people coming into germany, i have people from germany who want to leave germany. these are people two years ago who did nothing but talked about how they loved their country, germany. they're going to leave germany. many, many people are going to leave germany. you're going to end up with big problems in germany. you look at sweden the other day, brussels, i was in brussels years ago. it was one of the most beautiful places. now it's like an armed camp. it's so crazy what they have done. everything that's happening started with stupidly going into the war in iraq. now, iraq. we have -- and people talk about me with the button. i'm the one that doesn't want to do this, okay? and i went from 2002-2003 said you shouldn't be doing it. here's what happens, we have to spend $2 trillion in iraq, in fighting iraq. $2 trillion. thousands of lives, we have wounded warriors who i love all over the place. these are incredible -- braver than all of us in this room put together. i look at the attitude, i work with a lot of them, these are great people. we got nothing. we have nothing. we're not even there. we can't make a phone call right now. >> but to his question -- >> i'm trying to separate. >> let me tell you. >> i can tell you this, whether he lied or not, he went into iraq, it was a horrible decision. okay? and iraq did not knock down the world trade center. where did these people go when they got on the airplanes. do you know where they went? do you know where they went? a lot of them went to saudi arabia, they didn't go back to iraq, they within to saudi arabia. there are sealed documents right now, that no one wants to allow to be open, that talk about this subject. i'd like to see what it says, i will say this, bush felt very -- saddam hussein overplayed his hand because he was -- you know, he -- senior bush did the right thing, he knocked the heck out of him and then he pulled back, he didn't get into the quagmire, that was okay to do, the problem is, saddam hussein said, i drove them back, i drove the americans back, he really overplayed his hand, and frankly i think the son, being loyal to the father, i think he really wanted to go into iraq, even if it wasn't the right thing to do. he went into iraq, he started something that destroyed the middle east, and i said, don't go in, because you're going to ruin the balance in the middle east. you're going to have a total imbalance, you're going to have iran taking over iraq, everything i said turned out to be true. iran is now taking over iraq. they wanted to do it for years and years and years, they're going to walk in. not only do we make a horrible horrible deal where we're giving iran $150 billion, we got nothing for it. we get our prisoners back. they should have been given back to us three years ago, four years ago. we shouldn't even have started negotiating until we got our prisoners back, and we would have had it that way. but here's the problem. we make all a bad deals. the war in iraq started the whole destabilization of the middle east. it started isis. it started libya. it started syria. that was one of the worst decisions ever made by any government at any time. president bush made the decision. and barack obama -- barack obama as bad as he is, and he's bad. he got us out the wrong way. he should have left people there, and he should have done it differently, and he shouldn't have said, we're getting out at a specific time. he gave a specific date as you know, to get out. so bad. so bad. >> just to his question, one more chance, either you believe he either lied or he did not lie. are you willing to say -- >> i don't know what he did, i just know it was a terrible mistake. >> was it a mistake for you to say in that debate he lied? >> i'd have to see the exact wording. look, i'd probably say that something was going on. i don't know why he went. in i don't know why he went in. because, honestly, there was no reason to go in. they didn't knock down the world trade center. it wasn't iraq that knocked it down. >> you would not say again that george w. bush lied? >> i don't know. i can't tell you. i'd have to look at some documents. >> okay. i want you to meet craig caldwell. he is undecided. he is a small business owner. craig? >> mr. trump. >> yes. >> you're considered the political outsider in this race, a lot of people attribute your over all success so far to that. if you go on to win this nomination and are elected in november, a trump administration cabinet would consist of people outside of politics. if so, who would you -- can you give us examples of who you would consider and for what posts they would -- >> you talked about carl icahn already. >> i don't necessarily. carl is a very successful businessman. what i'd love for him to do is how are we doing in trade with china. >> you'd like him to negotiate -- >> i have some great businessman friends, they're all calling me because they're saying wow, this could happen. they're all calling me. we have the greatest people in the world in this country. we don't use them. we use political hacks to negotiate with china, with japan. we have carolyn kennedy negotiating car deals and trade dales. and she doesn't even know. carolyn kennedy got to be the ambassador of japan. >> would you want republicans on your cabinet? >> i want the best people. honestly. i want the greatest negotiators. we can't lose $505 billion next year with china. >> do you fined it valuable to have people with different opinions give you different thoughts. >> i like that, and then you make the decision. i think i'm very open to that, i like that, i always like that. and i'm fine with it. i want the most talented people. we have the greatest negotiators in the world. i tell you before. we have a trade deficit with mexico. $58 billion. they say, you won't build a wall, the wall is going to cost $12 million, it's peanuts compared to what we lose, that's why mexico's going to pay. >> they say they're not going to pay. >> i know they do. and calderon the other day, who is the past president, the other day said we will not pay. so the newspapers called me up and sid calderon said we will not pay. i said what you doing to say? the wall just got ten feet higher. >> we have to take a break, back in a minute with more questions for donald trump. type 2 diabetes doesn't care who you are. man woman or where you're from. city country we're just everyday people fighting high blood sugar. ♪i am everyday people. farxiga may help in that fight every day. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. one pill a day helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug, farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, low blood sugar, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. common side effects include urinary tract infections, changes in urination, and runny nose. farxiga. we are everyday people. ♪i am everyday people. yeah. yeah.♪ ask your doctor if farxiga is right for you and visit farxiga.com to learn how you can get it for free. people love me for saving them over half a grand when they switch to progressive. so i'm dabbling in new ventures. it was board-game night with the dalai lama. great guy. terrible player. ♪ go paperless ♪ don't stress, girl ♪ i got the discounts that you need ♪ it's a balancing act, but i got to give the people what they want -- more box. any words for the critics? what can i say? critties gonna neg. [ applause ] the what?! [ laughs ] ♪ no, you're not ♪ yogonna watch it! ♪tch it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download on the goooooo! ♪ ♪ you'll just have to miss it! ♪ yeah, you'll just have to miss it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download... uh, no thanks. i have x1 from xfinity so... don't fall for directv. xfinity lets you download your shows from anywhere. i used to like that song. welcome back. we're here at the campus of the university of south carolina here in columbia. less than two days to go until primary day. donald trump taking questions from the voters right now. thanks for being here. again. >> thank you. >> continuing on. i literally was just handed this. there's a report out on buzz feed that includes an audio clip of what appears to be you on howard stern talking on the radio on september 11th, 2002. he asked you are you for invading iraq. yeah, i guess so, i wish the first time it was done correctly. is that accurate? do you remember saying that? >> no, but i could have said that. nobody asked me. i wasn't a politician. it was probably the first time anybody asked me the question. but by the time the war started, that was quite a bit different. >> yeah, this was 2002. >> by the time the war started, i was against the war. and there were headlines in 2003-2004 that i was totally against the war. actually, a couple of people in your world in terms of the pundits said there is definite proof in 2003-2004 trump was against it. >> right, but in 2004 there was a reuters article, those were a couple weeks after the war began. >> which is okay. a lot of people said it was so early that even if it was a little bit after the war, he was totally against the war. i was very much against it. that was probably the first time i was ever even asked about the war. howard, who's a great guy by the way. a lot of people don't understand that. >> he's a great interview. >> he's a great interviewer, a talented guy and a good guy. it was probably the first time i was asked about it it. >> okay. i haven't heard it, but you may have said this? >> yeah, i may have. when you're in the private sector, you get asked things. you're not a politician, probably the first time i was asked by the time the war started i was against it, shortly thereafter, i was really against it. >> i want you to meet another voter, ryan parsons, an aspiring entrepreneur here in south carolina. he is a registered republican fright now. he is undecided. >> hi, mr. trump. it's an honor to speak to you. >> thank you. >> thanks for coming to columbia. my girlfriend who is a lobbyist who advised me not say this, but since you're here i'm going to say it anyway. muhammad ali's greatest fault is that he didn't know how great he was. what is your greatest fault, and how will you continue to overcome it in order to win the general election. >> i don't know that it has to do with the general election. i have found this process amazingly interesting, i've never done this. i've been doing this for seven months. i've been given credit, we're doing really nicely. it's been interesting for me. i will tell you, i've said a couple of times, one of my faults is i will put up with people and deception even though i know they're deceiving too long. and but when i get -- when i, you know, get to it, i'm too tough. in other words, too long and then instead of just forgetting about it, and especially things that don't matter that much, i never forget. i don't forget. i don't think you forget either to be honest with you, i don't forget. my wife will tell me sometimes, you're -- sometimes you'll go too long. but then when it gets bad, it's like -- >> you hold on to stuff. >> i do, i hold on to stuff. i would rather not hold on to stuff. if i've been deceived in anyway, or something happens, i don't forget. sometimes you're better off forgetting. in other cases it's not such a bad happening. you learn. usually with people, and i talk about success, a lot of my friends ask me to speak about success. a lot of people pay me a lot of money to do it, and we give to it charity and we have a lot of fun with it. but a lot of people ask me that. you don't want to necessarily -- you want to remember. when people deceive you once, usually that same person will do it again, because that's a trait that they have. it's not so bad, but i would say i hold on too long, and i never forget. and sometimes forgetting is not a bad thing. if that makes sense. >> this is michael letz, he's been a republican activist for over 30 years, he's also undecided. so like many niam the state. michael? >> good evening mr. trump, welcome to the capital of southern hospitality. the tea's sweet, it looks like the questions are even sweeter. i'd like to have you address a particular issue that i've not seen any of our republican candidates address to this point. in the numerous incidents recently, police involved shootings and the questions that have been led about racism and the racial tensions that have been caused, i'd like to ask what your administration would do to be able to for future situations make sure that our law enforcement and our first responders have the kind of support that they feel that they need. because quite frankly, mr. trump, first responders' lives truly matter. >> you're right. i am a big, big supporter of the police. i think the police are being treated horribly in this country. and certainly have you some bad acts and bad mistakes made on occasion. it's a tiny fraction compared to the great work they do. and i am without question a huge supporter of the police. we wouldn't be sitting here right now. we wouldn't have a safe society, really. you look at what's happening around the world, we wouldn't have a safe society. so i can tell you right now, i assume you are also with me on this. i'm a tremendous supporter of the police, and i think they are mistreated and misunderstood. and i think we should give them much more credit than we have given them. >> i want to ask you, at the end of these, we like to ask a couple personal questions to let viewers get to know you in a different way. last night, we did a town hall. senator cruz, i talked to him. he said, he was claiming that you had suggested your sister as a supreme court justice. you had not actually done that. >> i have not. >> she would be great. >> she's very smart. >> you would have to rule that out because she's your sister. what he said was, it's great to support your sister, but that's a nice thing, if you're suggesting someone for the supreme court, his sister is a radical pro-abortion judge. she struck down new jersey's ban on partial birth abortion, is irrational. that's an extreme position. that's who he suggested as a supreme court justice last year? what's your reaction? >> my sister is a brilliant woman, who was always a fabulous student, very, very smart. she was appointed by ronald reagan, he said appointed by bill clinton, she was elevated to the court of appeals, very high position, right under the supreme court as you know, she was elevated to the court of appeals by clinton. appointed by reagan, elevated -- the reason she was elevated, she was an outstanding intellect and outstanding judge. i don't even know what her views are on abortion, i don't. she's certainly not a radical anything, because that's not her thing. this is the kind of thing, he said radical this, this, this, on abortion. not radical. she may have made a decision one way or another. i never asked her. i wouldn't ask her. she wouldn't want to tell me. i got a very big call from a great reporter at the new york times, they wanted to do a major piece on my sister. and they called me, could i possibly get her to do the piece. i called her, she said, no, no, i don't do that. i don't want a piece, i don't want anything to do with it. and they did the piece anyway. it was a very nice piece on her. but she refused to participate. i said, are you sure, you're my sister. the reporter said -- >> a trump who doesn't like publicity, i don't know -- >> i don't like -- i get a lot of publicity, i don't necessarily like it. >> come on. wait a minute. i got to call you on that. what? >> it's true. you know what, it's true. i don't love that, i can't stand -- for the most part, i find the press is extremely dishonest. very dishonest. i find the political press to be unbelievably dishonest, and 25% agree, of course, you're in that category. he did a great interview with me two weeks ago, that i really liked. i thought it was a great interview because based on an article a little bit on "the wall street journal" by monica, who is a terrific person. my sister is a great intellect, terrific person. she's not radical anything i don't know what she did having to do with abortion, but she's a great judge. i would have such a conflict of interest, and i think you probably went back and you checked, i do say sometimes, and i joke, my sister should be on the supreme court. i'm laughing and having fun. i would never do a thing like that, it's a conflict of interest. >> i want to read the quote, i visit on the record. i think she would be phenomenal. i think she would be one of the best. but frankly, we'd have to rule that out. >> i don't think she'd want to do it either. >> last night after the town hall, i went to celebrate at mcdonald's. i had a number one meal. which is my favorite meal. i understand you bring fast food to your plane sometimes? >> i do. styles. >> what do you eat? when you roll up at a mcdonald's, what does donald trump order? >> a fish delight sometimes. the big macs are great, the quarter pounders with cheese. it's great stuff. >> are people at the windows like? >> i'm a person that can't sort of believe it, i like cleanliness, i like clean, the one thing about the big franchises, you have to have a certain -- you know, because of the importance. one bad hamburger you can destroy mcdonald's. one bad hamburger you take wendy's and all these other places and they're out of business. you can't do it. i don't want to mention the firm, but a firm is going through that now. do they make it, do they not make it? so i'm a very -- i'm a very clean person. i like cleanliness. i think you're probably better going there than maybe some place you have no idea where the food is coming from. it's a certain standard. but i think all of those places, burger king, mcdonald's, i can live with them. the other night i had kentucky fried chicken. not the worst thing in the world. >> what's your favorite kind of music, what music do you like? >> i think elton john is great, i think the stones are great, the beatles i love, michael jackson was actually a very good friend of mine. i knew michael jackson very well. lived in trump tower for a long period of time. would go down mara lago. he got married, lisa marie presley, they got married in mira lago. he was up there for a week with her never came down. a lot of people say they -- he was up there for a week. they never, ever came down. i say where the hell is michael? but he was a very talented guy. one of the truly most talented people. i knew imvery well. i knew the real story of michael jackson, you know, when he died, i would watch people get on -- i don't want to mention names, but people you know very well, people you interview, they would talk about michael jackson, they didn't even know him. i mean, very few people got to know michael jackson. he was an unbelievably talented guy, he lost his confidence. and he lost tremendous confidence because of -- honestly, bad, bad, bad, bad surgery, he had the worst -- he had people that did numbers on him that were just unbelievable, facially, and, you know, the plastic surgeons, michael was an unbelievable talent who actually lost his confidence, and, you know, believe it or not, when you lose your confidence in something, you can lose your talent. >> you talked about working hard as president. you don't sleep a lot. how many hours a night do you sleep? and how much television news do you watch? >> i do like it. i watch -- >> you seem to know everything that's being said about you. i actually get criticized for it. but i watch it. i watch you a lot. you learn. especially with what i'm doing. somebody said you watch, you get your generals through television. no, i don't. i read a lot, okay? i love to read. when i see you interviewing a general or a -- some security adviser or somebody, i mean, you learn a lot from that -- >> how much do you sleep? >> about three to four hours a night. >> that's all you need? >> that's all i need luckily. i mean -- >> have you always been like that? >> pretty much. i honestly believe this. i love what i do, i love my business, i love the apprentice, it was such a tremendous success, nbc would have done anything to renew it with me. i mean anything. steve burke came up to my office of comcast and said please do it, do it. i'm going to run for president. i can't do it. no, steve, i'm not going to do it. they couldn't believe it. nobody believed i was going to run. my wife actually said, if you run, you will win, but you have to actually run. you can't just say you're going to run, you won't do well. the original polls, nobody believed i was going to run. even when they say if he runs. and they wouldn't even do polls. but she said if you run, you'll win. and steve burke came up to the office, he said, i really -- they wanted to renew the apprentice, because it was doing phenomenally well. can you believe it? after a 14 seasons. 14 seasons and "the apprentice" still did well. i have that with mark burnett and we have arnold schwarzenegger. and hopefully arnold will do well. is arnold going to do well? will he beat trump? >> are you concerned about that? >> he is no trump. >> what kind of a parent are you? your kids, a lot of people speak glowingly about your kids. they speak glowingly about you. were you a tough dad? and are you different as grandfather? >> i get credit for my children, they were very good children. they were smart, they went to good schools they did well, ivanka, everybody knows, don and eric, tiffany is a terrific young woman, she's just greated graduated from penn and mostly a's. and baron is doing really good. i have five children, one thing, i think i was really really a good parent, i put my children above everything, above business and above everything. and ivanka speaks to it very well, and so do the others. when people come up and they say why? i have so much experience with alcohol. i have a brother who is a phenomenal guy, the best looking guy you've ever seen. but he became -- he started drinking and so from a young age. he was quite a bit older than me. my brother fred. he was a very talented flyer of planes. great pilots would go to him to study. it was a real ability he had. but the alcohol was -- i mean, it taught me a tremendous lessen. and he taught me -- >> that's why you don't drink? >> he said don't you ever smoke. don't you ever drink. and i've never had a drink, i've never had a cigarette. those are the good things, i don't want to tell you the bad things. there are plenty of bad things. i've never had a drink, i never had -- you. >> were never tempted to -- >> i mean, zip, i never liked the taste. i've had friends when i went to the wharton school of finance, i had friends that didn't like scotch. they hated the taste. one in particular became pretty successful, but ultimately alcohol would destroy him. he would be with me and like 18 or 19 years old, he was trying to develop a taste for scotch. he became quite successful. the one thing i can say, if you don't drink, there's no temptation. people come up to me and say, could you see my children -- my children are doing a good job, famous last words, is that wood? yes. i'm going to knock on wood. because who knows. but my children are doing a good job and they're solid. but i would tell them from a very young age, no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. i say this so -- over and over, in fact, ivanka would go, sometimes dad you're driving me crazy. she's 4 years old, she didn't know what it was, no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. i put it into their -- i've seen people that are brilliant people that, you know, the top people in the industry that have children. they're very smart children. they have all the aptitude in the world. but they get hooked on drugs. they get hooked on alcohol. and they cannot -- alcohol believe it or not is almost harder than drugs. it's harder to get away from it. they get hooked on alcohol and drugs, as smart as they are, they never make it. >> what is one thing you wish you didn't do. advice or? are you watching tv late at night? well, i mean, look -- advice. i work very hard, maybe i work too hard. i had two very wonderful women, frankly, that i -- i'm a worker, i love to work. i don't consider myself a workaholic. i don't consider that a bad thing. i think i have probably would have had -- i have had a very good marriage now. melania is fantastic. i had two women i never blamed. i worked so hard. my job came first. never came first with my children. i was a better father than a husband. but i worked very, very hard and i love doing it, and you know what, i'm very happy about it, i have tens of thousands of employees, i put so many -- thousands and thousands of employees, it takes care of health care, education, so many things. so not that i would change anything. but if i did a little bit less, i probably wouldn't have had two marriages that didn't work out. >> donald trump, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> that's all the time we have, our thanks to donald trump, governor kasich and governor bush. i want to thank everybody in the audience who had questions. thanks to the voters and viewers at home. everyone in columbia for their help and hospitality. nds on. if they could ever catch you. [music] [splat] [evil laugh] [grunt] [page tearing] [grunt] [music] think of it as a seven seat for an action packed thriller. breaking news now, you just saw the second night of the republican town hall in columbia, south carolina, this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. we're just two days away from the south carolina republican primary by the way, and donald trump, jeb bush, john kasich, each trying to make their case to voters tonight, who's up, whose down, and what happens next. my political dream team is here next to talk about it. that is david gergen, anna navarro, katie packer. we're going to get to all of us. a lot to unpack, katie packer and the rest of the gang. first i want to get to the man who moderated tonight's town hall, and that's anderson cooper. anderson, not many people will take on the pope, but donald trump did, and you got to ask him about it. that was a fascinating moment to watch. >> yeah, it was interesting. obviously, that's what we started off with donald trump. it's probably the biggest story of the day. it was interesting, trump walking back, some of the comments he made earlier in the day, clearly not wanting to really go toe to toe with the pope. saying the pope was misunderstood and his comments were a little softer than perhaps were being reported, even though i read him his comments. i think we put together some of that exchange. >> here it is, let's listen. >> well, i didn't think it was a good thing for him to say, frankly. he was talking about the border. as you know, oom very strong on border security. we have to have a border in this country. and we certainly don't have one right now, and as you know, we're talking about building a wall. we're going to build a wall, and mexico's going to pay for the wall, that's the way it is. we have a trade balance and if you look at it, imbalance of about $58 billion with mexico. it's really more than that because we also subsidize, et cetera, et cetera. so they're going to pay for the wall. somehow the government of mexico spoke with the pope -- they spent a lot of time with the pope. by the time he left, he made a statement. i don't know. >> wait a minute, you think the government of mexico somehow got the pope to say this? >> i don't think they said it that way. but they probably talked about isn't it terrible that mr. trump wants to have border security, et cetera, et cetera. and the pope made the statement. it was probably nicer than what you folks in the media reported. after i read it, it was a little bit softer. but the bottom line is we've got to have a border. we've got to have security. we have tremendous illegal immigration in the country. >> i'll just say, the pope did go on to say, this is not the gospel as far as what you said about whether i would have advised to vote or not to vote. i'm not going to get involved in that i only say this man is not christian. if he has said things like that. we must see if he has said things in that way and awill give him the benefit of the doubt. >> he talked about not having a wall is not christian. he has a very big wall at the vatican. i will tell you. it's going to be interesting. >> people do come and go through the vatican. it's open to tourists. >> and they're going to come and go through the wall, they're going to do it legally. and that's what i want and that's what a lot of people want obviously, they agree with me. >> you've been in fights with a lot of people. but with the pope, does it give you pause? >> i don't like fighting with the pope, actually. >> one of the other comments he made was that he was not willing -- based on an audience question, an audience member who said he liked donald trump, but was concerned about what donald trump said during the last weekend's debate, saying that george w. bush lied about wmd. interestingly enough, trump would not repeat that, he did not back up what he had previously said. he essentially said he didn't know. he would have to kind of look at it again. but he also didn't in any way apologize for that. >> even though you did, and you read what he said back to him. be he said i'll have to look at the transcript or look at it again. anderson a, we talk to maine much, you and i and everyone here, the format of the town half. it's much more relaxing. it's much more engaging. you saw the former first lady in the audience and the family members are there. you get to learn more about the candidates. i don't think it's an uncomfortable format. it's just a more revealing format. >> it's less confrontational. it's more conversational. it's certainly an opportunity for the candidates not just to speak in sound bite, not to just have 30 seconds or 60 seconds, but to actually talk as much possible like human beings and just let voters know who they are. it's the kind of thing voters in iowa, new hampshire and south carolina get to see from the candidates. they get to go to town hauls if they want to. john kasich has done more than 100 town halls in new hampshire alone. and so i think it's an opportunity to let the rest of the country and frankly the world see these candidates in a way they otherwise might not. >> anderson, thanks very much. we appreciate it. now let's get to our dream team tonight. i want to bring them in tonight. last night i asked and i looked around. donna brazile one of the only democrats answered. i want the republicans to answer tonight. democrats, hold your fire. i'm going go first to amanda. who do you think knocked it out of the park tonight? >> i think the bigger story is donald trump's remarks about whether or not he supported the iraq war. the biggest decision a president will make is whether to send troops into harm's way. he's said multiple times he opposed the iraq war. there's a breaking news story while this debate was going on. where buzzfeed found an audio interviewed that donald trump did with howard stern saying in 2002, yes, we should invade. anderson, huge props to the team, asked him than. and trump said yeah, may have said that. somehow his position is now that he opposed the war or -- he was for the invasion until it started. >> this is what he said. he said that may have been the first time someone asked me that question. >> yes. >> i was not a politician then. >> yep. >> i was a business person then. so i may have said it. he didn't deny it. let's listen in and then we'll respond. >> there's a report now out tonight out on buzzfeed, have i not heard it, it includes an audio clip of what appears to be you on howard stern talking on the radio on september 11th, 2002. he asked you, are you for invading iraq. yeah, i guess so, i wish the first time it was done correctly, is that accurate, do you remember saying that? >> no, but i could have said that, nobody asked me, i wasn't a politician, it was probably the first time anybody asked me that question. by the time the war started. by the time the war started, i >> that was 2000. >> by the time the war started, there are articles, i mean there are headlines in 2003, 2004 that i was totally against the war. a couple people in your world, in terms of the pundits said, you know, there's definite proof in 2003, 2004 trump was against it. >> 2004 there is a reuters article that you pointed to a lot. a "vanity fair" and one other comment, those were a couple of weeks after the war began. >> which is okay. a lot of people said, it was so early, even if it was after the war. that was probably the first time i was asked about the war, howard, who's a great guy by the way, a lot of people don't understand that. >> he's a great interview. >> he's a great interviewer, a talented guy and a great guy. it was probably the first time -- i don't remember that, but it was probably the first time i was asked about it. >> i vnd heard it, but you may have said this. >> yeah, may have. when you're in the private sector, you get asked things. you're not a politician, probably the first time i was asked -- by the time the war started i was against it, and shortly thereafter i was really against it. >> amanda carpenter, that's not satisfactory? >> no, that is so muddled. we're talking about sending troops in to harm's way. he said over and over again i was against the war. now he's running away from this statement. no, this is a matter of life and death for americans. you can't be unequivocal about this. for him to act like he's an expert, when he stands up and says, bush lied. this is a topic he wants to talk about. but once again, he doesn't want to be accountable for his words. anderson cooper a liar tomorrow. >> the point is in 2003 when hillary clinton supported the iraq war, when virtually every senator, both democrat and republican alike supported the iraq war, donald trump publicly opposed it in 2003, when the war had just begun. he was on the right side of history. not only was he on the right side of history. he was on the right side of history when he had no intelligence at his disposal. those senators had intelligence at their disposal, and they made that decision. he made the right decision without being a commander in chief. >> the man has changed his -- the guy's changed his mind on everything, and i give him props for being consistent about basically saying, hey, look, back then i was a businessman and a tv star. and i behaved like a businessman and a tv star. >> was that satisfactory to you, his answer? >> no. but it's consistent. it's consistent in that he says judge me then by what i was then, a tv star and a businessman. judge me now by what i am now, a politician. >> is that so wrong? is that so sfwlong. >> i think it's refreshingly honest. he's changed his mind on everything, and goes back to that same line over and over again. >> what's really wrong with it, don, he throws out this notion that he's not a politician. but the reality is, going back to when reagan was running, he was talking about potentially running for president. he changed parties back in the '80s and filed as a reform party candidate. this is not a guy that's been in the business world not paying attention to current events and politics. for the last three decades he's behaved as a politician, and been bandying about this idea of running for president. so to suggest he was ignorant about what was going on at that time, i do think is pretty disingenuous. >> mr. gergen? >> i disagree. look, i found his answer entirely satisfactory, it's fairly consistent with the way people live their lives. i imagine i have -- i bet everyone on this stage has taken a view in public as a commentator, and things change, things evolve, and you change your mind what you're looking at. >> i'll let you bring it home, bob. show of hands for people who have changed their opinion or evolved over time. >> sure, but we remember. >> you've never done that? you have. i know you. >> i change my mind about things i was thinking about this morning. and that's what i find refreshing about donald trump. he says i changed my mind. i'm a different person, a different career profession now. >> i have to say, to say that i oppose it after our troops were in harm's way. after soldiers were out there in the field. >> that's not what he said. >> that's not what he said. >> the first time he was questioned about it, the first time it was on the record as -- was then. go ahead, bob. bring it home. >> look, trump once again tonight got away with backing off his comments about bush being a liar. did that -- typical trump way, and of course follow-up was not frankly all that good in the audience about that. he got away with the pope thing by backing off on the pope deal, even though he had the thing read to him and what the pope said about him. and he got away with this iraq thing. what's going to happen, it's going to go down in the hole some place, nobody's going to follow it up. trump is going to back himself out of something. i mean, the guy is a genius at doing that. honest to god, it's amazing to me. he's like a magician. it's going to catch up with him eventually. you can't pull this bull [ bleep ]. >> bob beckel, you have set up my tease in the next couple of segments. we're going to talk about the bush thing, the bush lying thing with barbara bush right in the audience, right? and i thought maybe her being in the audience, did that sort of change what he would like to have said? maybe he was being respectful, maybe he wasn't. and we'll also talk about. >> you're assuming that barbara bush stayed around. >> maybe so. and then we'll talk about the pope as well. we'll be right back with our all star panel. t...to help sense danger before7 was engiyou do. . because when you live to innovate, you innovate to live. the all-new audi q7. a higher form of intelligence has arrived. choose, choose, choose. but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. you like the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store, right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. know better sleep with sleep number. welcome back. you're looking live. we had our town hall. this is columbia, south carolina. a room most everybody has left. you saw the town hall. my political dream team is back with me to discuss everyone that hased. amanda carpenter, david gergen, and katie packer. and bob beckel. the whole idea of liar again tonight. remember the discussion last night about liar, liar, liar. this is tonight about ted cruz, donald trump responding to ted cruz being a liar. >> he has a problem with the truth. and even marco rubio, i guess today there was something about, he was -- a picture was manufactured and it was not -- >> photo shopped. >> it was totally photo shopped, i could see by just looking at it. in fact, they even made marco a lot shorter than he is, if you look at it really. i'm sure that's the thing that bothered him the most. he was a hell of a lot -- he was very small. he's not that small. not too big, but it's he's not that small. but i will tell you, i looked at that photo. i said immediately it was photo shopped. if you look at what he did, i'm talking about cruz to carson, he said, he's out of the race. that was so dishonest, and then he did something else, you people never picked up on, i think it was the worst of all, he did a voter violation notice, looked like it's right out of the irs. we talked about it. >> official paper. it was so disgusting. it's basically you have a voter violation. now they don't have lawyers. these are people that were frightened when they got it. and they graded them. and you have an f, f, f, f. essentially, it says if you vote for ted cruz, this violation is going to go away. let me tell you something, people voted for him because of that. that was a fraudulent document. and he said things about me. for instance, i'm very strong on the second amendment. he said donald trump will leave the second amendment. you're not going to have a second amendment. >> so he discussed that, but he also talked about nominating his sister as a supreme court justice, which he said he never did. and ted cruz said he was going to do that. what do you think, katie? >> i think the danger for ted cruz is that this narrative has started to develop, that he's got a problem with the truth. you can't go photo shopping pictures. which i think was a big error that his staff committed, frankly. to so obviously take a stock photo and photo shop president obama and marco rubio into it. it just helps to sort of frame the narrative. >> a big enough error to make a difference in the primary. >> every point counts at this stage of the game. so yeah, i do think so. >> too much of this has been building up and building up. as somebody who has sent out those letters to suppress voters as i did years ago. >> you're admitting that? >> they don't call it suppress. >> but it's now against the law. when i did it it wasn't against the law. it shortly was after that. >> statute of limitations. >> it doesn't matter. >> i want to give props to one thing. i never do this. the guy talked about heroin and alcoholism. >> you already said he's a genius tonight. you said he's is a genius at doing that. >> he's a genius like barnum and bailey was a genius about i was glad to see him talk about addiction. as a recovering alcoholic and addict, i was glad to see him raise it. it's an important thing. he talks about his brother openly. i think that's important. people who are out there in the shadows who need to come back into the light who are alcoholics and addicts, i think trump talks about this and other people do it, it matters to people. >> jeb bush spoke about it. >> and jeb bush did too. >> i will tell you donald trump said he's never had a drink or a cigarette. man, you know, being president is hard as hell, i can't imagine someone who's never had a drink is qualified to be president. >> tonight was remarkably free. >> yes. >> of all of the attacks and everything like that. it wasn't as negative as what we've been seeing. that part of it was refreshing. >> donald trump didn't dwell on ted cruz. ted cruz spent half the night attacking donald trump. a front-runner addresses it and moves on. and that's what we saw donald trump do. thinking was recognize the me, and i think to most people. and anderson talked about it a little bit. him being challenged, donald trump being challenged on whether or not george bush was a liar, the former president, excuse me, president bush was a liar by going to war with iraq. take a look. >> just to his question, one more chance. either you believe he either lied or did not lie. are you willing to say? >> i don't know what he did, i just know it was a terrible mistake. >> so was it a mistake for you the say in that debate that you thought he lied? >> i would have to see the exact -- something was going on, i don't know why he went in. i don't know why he went in. because honestly, there was no reason to go in. they didn't knock down the world trade center, it wasn't iraq that knocked it down. >> you wouldn't say again that george w. bush lied? >> i don't know. i can't tell you. i'd have to look at some documents. >> ana? >> that's a hell of a tiptoeing around the subject. look, he obviously backed off. it cost him some points. we've seen some of his poll numbers have gone down since that debate. in south carolina there was a huge military presence, i think that to say it was a mistake, is something a lot of people can agree with, maybe even george w. bush to say he lied and fabricated facts about wmd's, really i think went a step too far and was disgusting. to a lot of republicans. >> i don't know if the president was misled. someone lied to him or the intelligence was faulty. >> that's not what he said. >> that's a great point. that is what he should get across. he was given faulty intelligence. we don't know why he chose to go in. he was very smart, i agree with ana, to back away from that statement. george w. bush is popular among republicans. here's the thing. he drove home the point, it was a mistake, we spent $2 trillion in iraq, what do we have to show for it? we have isis. we have libya. we have the middle east, and chaos. that's a powerful message. >> i thought it was honest when -- bob? >> you couldn't miss the transcript, he said liar, liar, liar 15 times. >> bob? >> come on. >> i thought it was very honest of him to say, at least in the beginning, i'm not going to get your vote. and then i thought he was going to go on to answer him. >> the perfect answer for donald trump tonight was i thought about that. and it was a step too far for me. i shouldn't have sit. >> david? i thought he was sitting on his lead tonight. the vote's a couple days away, i think he was sitting on his lead. he was trying to bury all the arguments and round off all the rough edges, he knows it's potentially dangerous to get into a fight with the pope and have this fight going on with cruz, just on the eve of this. i think he got what he wanted out of the pope earlier today. i'll tell you this. to go to bob beckel's point. out of the pope. he at some point is going to have to raise his game. he's going to have to become a more disciplined campaigner. he doesn't have to say one thing and back off it. that pattern is very destructive over time. >> why if it's worked for him? >> he is playing in a tougher league. >> he has the same pattern of saying something. throwing the ball and then hiding his hand. he's been doing it from the first moment he announced. and it's worked for him. every time he does it his poll numbers go up. >> i thought you said they go down. but listen, i think it gets old. i think one of the dangers he faces is he is going the start sounding repetitive. i thought tonight he should have broken fresh ground on how he described problems. talk about marco rubio being scripted. almost everything he said tonight, almost the exact same words. >> hold your fire. hold your fire! i have to get to break. we talked about, do you have the temperament to be president, right? remember that question? she's going to join us next. we'll be right back. welcome back, everyone. you saw our town hall tonight. now i want to bring in sheri burress, an undecided south carolina voter who asked donald trump a question. and i want to bring her in now. your question was fascinating. i think most people here in our panel thought it fascinating as well. let's play it, we will discuss it and we'll get our panel to weigh-in on it. >> my biggest concern is how are you going to govern and get by with people you may totally disagree with, without getting angry, and without refusing to look for common ground. i like your principles. i want a strong president. i want someone who is strong, tenacious. but i'm having some trouble getting past your self-control. >> okay. >> can you help me with that. >> i appreciate the question, actually. it's a great question. first of all, when it comes to, you know, some people say trump is tough, i thought i did a great debate the other night, "time" magazine and everyone thought i won. drudge thought i won. they do the polls after the debate. i thought i did a great debate. some people thought i was too tough. i said wait a minute. i have jeb bush and i have all these guys copping at me from 15 different angles, and you have to be tough. we have to be tough to protect our country. i have a great temperament. you don't build a great company and especially a company with very little debt and all of the kinds of things that i have. i have employees that have been with me for many, many years, i mean long-term employees. they're really great people, and they've been with me for a long time. but we need a certain toughness. look, we have isis chopping off people's heads. christians' heads. everybody else's heads. drowning people in cages. this is like medieval times. we need a certain toughness. i know hillary said i don't like donald trump's tone. tone? they're chopping off the heads of people. this hasn't happened since medieval times. if we are not tough, we're not going to have a country. you had a problem where you had two radicalized probably she came in radicalized him, the married couple, the young couple. they killed 14 people. they killed 14 people. they killed people, and you understand what i'm talking about in california, they killed people, they gave them wedding parties. people that they knew very well. people that they worked with. people that they actually got along with. they killed them. there is something going on. we need a certain toughness. we have weak people leading our country. >> so sherri, i don't know, did that help you decide? >> um, you know, it's not exactly the answer that i was looking for, but i get where he's coming from. i think that's what's attracted a lot of people to donald trump, is that he says exactly what he's thinking. and he comes across very tough. but i think the thing that i've noticed over the -- i guess since i've started watching the debates is that because i've come from government into private sector, i can relate to what he's talking about, i know you can be tough, i know you can say whatever you feel, but when you go into a government environment, you do have to think about not just making everybody mad and saying things without thinking it through. i think he's capable of doing it. i wanted him to tell me a little bit more about how his temperament may or may not change over the course of the season. but -- i don't know, i don't know. i'm still undecided. in fact my husband and i were talking about it, after all of the debates last night and tonight, you get a very different feel when you go to a town hall than you do when you see a debate. perhaps i wouldn't have had much concern if i had seen him in town hall situations rather than a debate. >> so still undecided. did anyone else say anything that may make you lean towards them? did john kasich say anything? did jeb bush say anything tonight? >> i think i like kasich's compassion. i think he is a great person. and i really like jeb bush too, i think when everything started and we started having names floating around about who was going to run, i was leaning toward jeb bush. i voted for his brother. i'm a republican, i'm conservative, i'm evangelical. i'm a christian. i'm a believer. i want a strong person who has strong morals and also has self-control. in my experience you need to have that in order to lead. that's what i'm looking for. so i think the more that i see that, the more comfortable i'll get. >> all right, sherri, i want you to stand by and listen to this. this is one of those moments, an emotional. this is john kasich. look. >> i've seen it everywhere. it's one of the reasons why i love to talk about the conservative economic policies. one of the things i felt, and i've said in the campaign, we all need to slow down a little bit. there are a lot of people out there who are lonely, and they're looking for a place to tell people about their issues. could you believe that young man -- >> does it hit you as a person and a politician? >> it's slowed me down and i have, and many of you, some of you have been at my town halls where i talked about this, the strength of america is not some guy or woman coming in on a white charger here to solve our problem. >> and so sherri, he was responding to a question from anderson about a young man who was at one of his events earlier today, and he gave him a big hug. the man had gone through some hardships. is this the more personal side you're looking for from all the candidates, even donald trump, right? >> yeah, i think you have to be compassionate and a leader, probably in my opinion, kasich, i had not had as much knowledge about him previously. i'd not seen him on a personal level. so i found that interesting tonight. bush i knew more about. in fact, one of the reasons that i've been undecided is because i personally think that a governor has had a lot more direct experience than even someone in congress. what i liked about trump is that he has private sector knowledge. which i personally try to inject into state and local governments to try to help them do strategic planning, help them look at processes and become more efficient. so i get where he is coming from, and i'm hoping whatever happens that if he did win, that he could put some of that into play in government and we would be the better for it. it's going to have to be in a controlled fashion. that's how i feel. >> speaking of the governor, here's the former governor of florida jeb bush tonight, listen. >> about when i was 25 i think, i decide -- normally when you're with -- i'm a hard-charging, striving person. i always -- people strive to be like your parents, you know? it's kind of a natural thing to do. i realized pretty quickly in my life if i could be half the man my dad was, that would be a pretty good goal. if i strived to be as good as him, that would be impossible. i would be on a couch getting therapy all the time. my dad, put aside he was the youngest navy pilot in world war ii, served this country in so many different ways, he's a fine man, a person of integrity, of honest, of courage, all the virtues that you would want to have to be inspired by, this guy is the real deal. so half the man of george bush, means you can live a life of purpose and meaning as far as i am concerned. >> who can't like someone who loves their mom and dad. and says good things about their mom and dad. i guess if you could put all three of people together all six of them over the past two nights together, they would be the perfect candidate for you? >> absolutely. that's exactly how i described this election. i said, it's sort of like when you were dating, if you could put all your past boyfriends together and marry them, it would be great. it would be all the little pieces put together. of course, i am married to someone now for 23 years and i'm perfectly happy. i found my perfect match. but i do think that's what we're up against, that's why it's been so contentious, people are feeling the same way. and we're finding bits and pieces in everybody. and we're having to get settled in, we're going to have to do it quick. >> sherri, i want you to stay right there. i have just a quick question to my panel. sherri i think is the quintessential trump supporter or the person who may be considering donald trump. you know, i don't agree with everything he says, but i do like his ability to be able to say it. that doesn't happen a lot. especially in politics. >> say it and not back down from it. that's the thing. he doesn't back down. >> he does back down. >> he has -- [ overlapping dialog ] >> oh, for the love of god. here we go again. >> hang on, one at a time. >> he has pulled the -- >> is this notion that he says it like it is all the time. he said it like it was about george bush lying, and then he pulled back. >> no, he didn't. he said i'm not -- >> he said it like it was about the pope in his comment and then he pulled it back. he said it like it was about not going into iraq, then it's not what he said. so he says it like it is very, very emphatically. and what we find is he's got this ready, fire, aim mentality that i think is pretty dangerous. >> he's been nothing but consistent. when he said he would temporarily ban -- >> that's just laughable. >> let me finish. you talked, let me finish. when he said he would temporarily ban muslim immigration, he never backed down from that. on every policy. he did not change what he said about the pope. he took a more gracious tone. he did not change -- he did not withdraw his comments about bush. >> bob, you have to answer. >> no, i'm telling you, this guy, if you did a replay of the godfather, this is veto corleone. he'd give you an offer you couldn't refuse. he'd be the head oa thug and head of a crime family. you kidding me? it's anti-constitutional. >> didn't he back down from it? everyone on this panel saying -- everyone on this panel saying that he changed his views. >> can i tell you -- >> whenever i hear you talk, i feel like i'm living in some sort of surreal world. first day he announced he went on and say that mexicans are rapist. he took it back the next year. yes, he did. >> ana -- [ overlapping dialog ] ana, ana, hold on. hold on, ana. ana, hold on. ana, stand by! ana, please stand by. he said when the mexican government sends their people over, they send over their rapists and whatever. i don't know if he said -- he didn't say they were rapists. he said the government sends over their rapists. >> and the next day he said there are some great mexican people. megyn kelly was bleeding from somewhere. >> no, no, no. i'm not defending donald trump. i'm saying the exact quote matters. the words matter. >> the point is, he repeatedly says things and backs down. >> no, he doesn't. >> when you're on reality tv. >> can we have one conversation, please? >> all right, stand by. thank you, david. >> yeah, this is ridiculous. >> each one of you has your point of view, but i think we've been missing the big story, we've been talking the whole time. and that was john kasich tonight. that was a guy we haven't seen this entire campaign. >> we're going to talk about him next. >> thank goodness. >> we're going to talk about this next. >> let's put a button on this, since i interrupted you. you know i love you. good ahead. what's your point? >> you know what, i'm exactly with david gergen, we're now 47 minutes into this show, and all we've done is talk about donald trump. >> i think both john kasich and >> we talked about jeb bush. >> i think both john kasich and jeb bush showed a human side. i love these town halls. debates are performances, they are canned lines, rehearsed lines and timed answers. here you can't bull crap your way through a town hall, because people go -- [ speaking spanish ] i'm going to do the spanish thing. >> uh-oh. >> that anderson. >> let me translate what he said to anderson. anderson, you want to do this interview in spanish? and anderson of course started giggling. >> he said no. no, no. more to come. hold your fire, everyone. we'll talk about john kasich and jeb bush when we come back. the panel wants to talk about them. here's a little healthy advice. take care of what makes you...you. aveeno® daily moisturizing body wash and lotion with active naturals® oat. used together, they provide 2x the nourishment for beautiful healthier looking skin. aveeno® naturally beautiful results® back now with my all-star panel, my political dream team. david gergen, john kasich shared a very interesting story about being -- he says he thinks he peeked out at 18 when he got to go to the oval office to meet nixon when he was a college freshman. >> he did. he walked into the president of ohio state said i want to meet the president of the united states. i have a complaint to make. and they arranged it. he got in for five minutes. he said i got a new suit to go in there and see him, all he got was 5 minutes, he was ticked off about that. so he got 20 minutes. there was a picture of him with richard nixon. i think elvis had the best conversations with nixon in those years. i must tell you, i thought john kasich was the very best i had ever seen him tonight. he was very human, you know, he doesn't have a chance in south carolina, i'll tell you something, he will be under consideration if he would ever take it from the vice presidential slot however this thing ends up. >> that's for sure. one of the reasons for that too, the democrats, we need to have one or both of ohio and florida. you put kasich own the ticket, that could make a difference. of three or four points for republicans. >> that's right. >> they've always been very close up there. and it mimics -- both those two states mimic the demographics of the country. kasich could make a difference. that's what's got me worried. the worst ticket for us is rubio, kasich. >> i never understood the appeal of john kasich, until i saw that moment in the town hall earlier today. i still disagree with what he did with health care and things like that, that interaction was so genuine. and there's a lot of crazy stuff flying around in his election. there's a lot of people that don't follow the day to day type of warfare. >> there it is. >> and they're scared. they're worried, and sometimes they just need a hug. it reminded me of george bush when he would hug people after 9/11, because people don't only need a leader, they need a moral supporter as well. >> this primary has deteriorated into a world wrestling cage match. the insults that are being waged directly by candidates at each other. it's just amazing. i think it's a sad reflection of the democratic process and how far down it's gone down this hole. tonight to be able to hear this human side, the decency of these -- even, you know, even donald trump. >> this is what i wanted to ask you. when we were talking before the show you said, and you're a jeb bush reporter. you said columba had the best night tonight. that was a heartfelt moment, they showed his wife and his mom in the audience. >> what was he going to say, though? >> it was the decency -- >> look, i think for kasich and jeb, tonight was a very good night. because frankly i think this is a much better format for them than a debate has been. they had time to expound on their answers to show their policy chops but also to show their humanity and their softer side. jeb almost went into tears talking about his father. you saw kasich show that softer side that i think a lot of america has not gotten to see. >> i totally agree. >> i would be nervous if i were jeb actually, because the race is so close in south carolina. and i think viewers there got a chance to see kasich for the first time. and for those looking for a governor, looking for somebody that's got compassion, i think that he's got a little more life to him. >> you've been all great. unfortunately, we're out of time. bob beckel, i know you're upset. >> it's terrible. >> thanks, everybody. you were great. i appreciate you joining us tonight. that's it for us tonight. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. . . republicans running for president on cnn town hall stage. donald trump, jeb bush, john kasich getting asked tough questions from voters. we're breaking down the big moments. welcome to "early start." i'm cristina alesci. >> i'm miguel marquez. it is 4:00 a.m. here on the east coast. breaking overnight. republican candidates taking on tough questions from south carolina voters in a cnn town hall. bush on whether he still has a chance to win. kasich on whether his upbeat message works

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