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Super Bowl 50 championship tonight; New Jersey governor Chris Christie unleashed Senator Marco Rubio; Donald Trump says he would not be happy with a second place finish in New Hampshire; Jeb Bush held a town hall today in Nashua hoping to build on that momentum; Marco Rubio is showing very strong in the polls in New Hampshire. AIred 5-6p ET

Aired February 7, 2016 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:00:04] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Top of the hour. 5:00 eastern. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Thanks for joining us. The final debate before the New Hampshire has wrapped. And on Tuesday voters cast their ballots for the man or woman they want to be the next president of the United States.

On the Democratic side, it is by no means a done deal, but the senator from neighboring Vermont holds a healthy if slightly slipping edge over Hillary Clinton. Right after the Iowa caucus, support for Bernie Sanders was twice that of Clinton in New Hampshire.

And on the Republican side, the top three GOP candidates are still holding their ground but last night's Republican debate may have rattled that order. Donald Trump cruising with a large lead over both Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. But he was ahead before the Iowa caucuses too and failed to win.

As for Senator Marco Rubio, he is getting ready to host a super bowl party as deals with headlines that bashing his debate performance last night. The "Boston Herald" calling it the Rubio choke, for "Mashable" that headline Marco Rubio gets robotic, glitches during Republican debate. And on the "Huffington Post," short circuit is the headline.

It all started when Rubio's rival New Jersey governor Chris Christie unleashed on him last night accusing him of recycling the same 25- second speech over and over again. Last night Rubio did in fact repeat the same line several times during the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And let's dispel once and for all that Barack Obama doesn't know what he is doing. He knows exactly what he's doing.

Let's dispel once and for all that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he is doing.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Good evening, everybody. I want the people at home to think about this. That's what Washington D.C. does. To drive by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information and then the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly what (INAUDIBLE).

RUBIO: Here is the bottom line, this notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he is doing --

CHRISTIE: There it is. There it is. Memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody.

RUBIO: Well, here's the response. If I think anyone who believes that Barack Obama isn't doing what he's doing on purpose doesn't understand what we are dealing with here, OK. This is a president, this is a president who is trying to change this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Let's talk about it with Virginia congresswoman and a Marco Rubio supporter and surrogate Barbara Comstock.

Thank you for joining me today.

REP. BARBARA COMSTOCK, MARCO RUBIO SUPPORTER: Good to be here.

HARLOW: `So Congresswoman, let's dissect this criticism here, right. He faced this criticism before. Chris Christie brought it to the fore last night on the debate stage. For his critics they argue he is sticking to the same talking points. "The Washington Post" today outlining four talking points and they say that shows that he is not ready to be commander-in-chief. He is just sticking to what his aides tell him. What's your response?

COMSTOCK: Listen, I have known Marco Rubio for almost eight years now. And I have seen him across the country when he was campaigning for Mitt Romney. And he was there to the very end. When he was campaigning for many of us that ran in 2014. And when he stood with hundreds of people that came to see him on my campaign when he came out to help us. He was talking unscripted, unprompted, you know, for over a half hour taking questions from everybody. And that is if you watch c-span, which I'm a big c-span watcher, too, you can see today he was out there with all of the voters. And he is concerned about what is going on with them. That's why I'm supporting him.

HARLOW: Why do you think we are seeing more of the unscripted Rubio when he gives speeches or on the debate stage?

COMSTOCK: Well, you are seeing it. If you watch c-span you see it all the time and you have seen it over the past few years because he has been out there in the trenches working for so many of us in Congress, working with his fellow senators. And you know, doing the hard work, you know, to come up with new policies. He has a detailed tax policy that lowers taxes for families and for businesses because he understands that you know, he wants to live the -- wants everyone to live the American dream the way his family did. And he understands, you know, foreign policy and national security. And I think it is the most conversant candidate out there. And he has that experience on the foreign affairs and the Intel committee. And this is someone who has a real vision. I went to church this morning and I went to a pancake breakfast

afterwards. And the young people there, as well as old people, people from all different backgrounds, were coming up to me and talking about Marco and his vision for the future. They are inspired by him.

HARLOW: Let's talk about vision and with vision comes rule making, if you will, right. Voting on laws. And when you look at his record, in the Senate, he was the senator in 2015 who missed the most visit. He missed 120 out of 330 votes. If you compare that to a Rand Paul who is also running for president, he missed 20 out of 339 votes. Senator Bernie Sanders missed 28.

You know this criticism. When it comes to naming accomplishments that is part of the back and forth with Christie and Rubio last night. Let's watch this new ad that Jeb Bush has seized on with Rick Santorum supporting Rubio but that having a hard time naming those accomplishments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:05:17] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Latest one accomplish amount that Marco Rubio achieved in the last four years of the United States senate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jeb Bush went to Florida. Marco Rubio finish, the sentence.

RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I mean, I would say that this a guy who has been able to number one - The bottom line is, he didn't get accomplishments done, neither did President Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You either $2 billion in spending, cut taxes by $19 billion, 1.3 million jobs, 4.4 percent growth, eight balanced budgets, that is a conservative record.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: OK. So congresswoman to voters that might find that troubling, what do you say to them?

COMSTOCK: Listen, I have seen them as a member of Congress. He led the effort in the Senate to stop an Obamacare insurance bailout that saved taxpayers $2.5 billion. One of the issues that I'm very concerned about as a grandmother of a young -- two young granddaughters, is human trafficking. He has been very engaged with this on human trafficking legislation. He talked about that last night. And as I mentioned, his vision on national security and his understanding of that is something that he has had that experience in. And I know on the first month that he's in office and president, he can sign that bill that we have already passed through the house and Senate with his help to repeal and replace Obamacare. He will sign bills like the keystone pipeline and be a friend and ally to people like Israel where he was out there a leading voice on opposing the president's bad Iran deal. And now, you know, Israel and our allies will know they will have a friend in the White House with Marco Rubio and someone who has that vision of American exceptionalism as well as someone who wants everybody to have the opportunity and live the American dream.

And I think it will be a very confident America and ti will be a 21st century where America is once again predominant. And that's the vision that he is out there talking about and the people like I saw, not just at church this morning, but when I was at the Chinese new year event yesterday, at a food drive, when I was meeting with defense and technology executives over the past week in my swing district, he reaches out to all those people and he knows how to grow our party like nobody else does. And I come from a swing district. And can I tell you we need somebody who understands the growing diversity of our country and is inspire by that and thinks that we, you know, need to embrace all of that, grow our party, and have everybody living that American dream.

HARLOW: So Congresswoman, let me ask you, when it comes to these votes, right, because that is the job of a senator, is to vote and represent your constituents. Missing 120 out of 330 votes this year, so many more than fellow senators who were running for president, that is a concern to a number of voters. What is your response to them in terms of action? Vision is one thing.

COMSTOCK: We have been there for -- he has been there outlining the vision and where he wants to take the American people. You look back at 2008 or 2012, you know, you have these statistics that you can site. And I don't know exactly how many President Obama missed -- or how many Hillary Clinton missed --

HARLOW: I do. President Obama missed -- you're right. It is a point to make. President Obama missed 64 percent of votes in the Senate in 2008, 137 out of 213 when he was running. I see your point. I'm asking for this senator running to be commander-in-chief, should there be concern he miss sewed many votes?

COMSTOCK: No, because I think - well, I think you know, we can look at long run. This is the person who has 50-state operation to run for president. A person who has a vision on tax reform and 21st century tax code. He understands the technology community. He understands we need to increase defense spending. He understands we need to, you know, our allies need to be able to know and trust us and that we will be there for them. And he understands, you know, that the American dream should be alive and well for everybody.

And so he is out, you know, crossing this country with a young family and making sure that he can reach everybody in a diverse area like mine. He has a run and won in Florida where he has represented a, you know over the years, majority - a minority community. So he employs the -- and that I think is finding inspiring.

So, you know, when you're running, and I hear from Democrats all the time, that he is the Republican they most fear. I hear that every day. And that is, you know, he is not concerned about him. He is concerned about the American people and that's why I am supporting him because this isn't ego -- some guys are out there and they want it talk about them, they want to fight each other. He wants to fight each other and American and that's where this is a long day in presidential campaign. [17:10:23 HARLOW: One thing is clear, there is long and it'll

marathon on both sides. I wish we had more time. I would like you to have come back.

Congresswoman, thank you.

COMSTOCK: Great. Good to be with you.

HARLOW: Let's go live to my friend Brooke Baldwin. She is in the granite state - Hey, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hey, Poppy. Good to see you. Happy Sunday. We are just days away from the big first of the nation's primary here in New Hampshire.

Listen, all of the folks I talked to who live in this state say they don't know yet who they are voting for Tuesday. That's why here (INAUDIBLE) this is so key. That is why watching the debate last night was so important.

You know, you just heard Poppy's conversation with Congresswoman Comstock there that New Jersey governor Chris Christie definitely took the gloves off against Senator Marco Rubio. We have seen him do that and the days leading up to last night. And then you had what happened on the debate stage. Governor Christie feeling about pretty about his performance last evening here in Manchester. He actually just spoke to reporters here in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: Plan was so go and talk about the thing I've been talking about all week. That there is a big difference between me and Marco Rubio. Between my experience and his. Who is ready to take on Hillary Clinton? Who is ready to run the country? And so, this isn't about me or Marco Rubio. This is about the country and the country needs a president who is ready, who had seven years after president who wasn't ready for the job.

I'm ready for the job. Senator Rubio is not. And that's the point I was trying to make last night. And you know, I think (INAUDIBLE).

What you bring to the table from your life is what really matters. And that's why I was trying to make that point all week to everybody that what you have done in your life matters. And that, you know, just going for the newest or shiniest thing, we did that seven years ago and it doesn't work. And last night you all saw that when the lights get on and they got really bright, it makes a difference.

And I have been tested, you know. I mean, these are folks in this crowd here who have been covering me for years and they have pushed me really hard all the time. And the national folks are here who push me. And you learn a lot from that. And either you're ready or you're not. And I think last night showed a lot about ourselves most importantly and I think senator Rubio showed something about himself too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: From the New Jersey governor to the man who was center stage, Donald Trump, Donald Trump says he would not be happy with a second place finish Tuesday night here in New Hampshire. That is precisely what he told our chief political correspondent Dana Bash. The billionaire businessman, came in second, as you know, from the Iowa caucuses. Dana Bash is now live in Plymouth where you just talked to him back stage.

I love the conversation. Listen. I love that he said to you, yes, you know, thanks to you, I knew the pressure was on, you know, for his debate performance last night. He also told you he understands the expectation game. What did he mean by that?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What he means is that, you know, in politic politics, the whole idea is that you go into Election Day or primary day or caucus day saying, oh, no, I don't think I'm going to do that well. And then when you do well, everybody says oh, wow, better than we thought.

That's exactly what happened to Marco Rubio in Iowa. He only came in third but he came in a strong third. And better than everybody thought which is why, as Chris Christie said correctly, he has been at the center of attention for the past few days in New Hampshire. While that has been going on Brooke, you and I talked about this this past week on the air. Donald Trump has really changed on the stump. He has taken it down several notches and his tone, he is talking much more about what he would do, why people should vote for him rather than other people. Not so much about reading the polls or hurling insults. And so I asked him about that and specifically whether or not something that his father told him might have something to do with that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: I have to ask you about a moment that a lot of people are talking about. The debate last night. The opening, and they were calling your name. Ben Carson's name was called. He didn't go out. And then it looked like you were just kind of hanging out to make him feel better. What happened?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it wasn't Ben's fault. You couldn't hear anything. I mean, Ben stood there and I was saying, Ben, I thought I heard your name. But I'm not sure. And you could not hear anything. It was crazy. And there was man back there who didn't know too much about what he was doing and nobody really knew what was happening. I just said, hey, I'm just going to go out and what difference did it make, and I walked out and Ben didn't. But it was not Ben's fault, because you could not hear a thing.

BASH: But did you kind of hang out with him?

TRUMP: I did. I could see he was standing.

BASH: It wasn't going well for him? TRUMP: I didn't know what was going on. I was saying, what is going

on here. This is not the way it start a debate. But it was a great evening, actually, the way it turned out. But the opening was a little bit different.

[17:15:00] BASH: Voters said in the past several days you were talking about something that your father used to say to you, which is take the lumps out.

TRUMP: Yes.

BASH: Are you taking the lumps out?

TRUMP: I think so.

BASH: And the way you described it, you know what, I don't know if he called you, Donald, Donnie, be nicer sometimes.

TRUMP: Yes. Well, my father did. He had the expression take the lumps out. And I used that when I said I'm not giving Iran back that, you know, the $150 billion that was just handed them.

BASH: Are you also using them in terms of your demeanor?

TRUMP: I mean, it's possible. I feel very good about the campaign. I feel very good about the way it is going. We are doing really well up in New Hampshire. I do hear there is a big snowstorm coming which I'm not happy about, but I guess we can't stop that. But we are feeling very good. I think the debate was very important last night. I'm glad it's over. I'm glad we did well. So, I think Tuesday is going to be a big day. I'm very, very happy the debate is over with. But I enjoyed the experience.

BASH: You keep saying that. It is almost like you feel - you look -- .

TRUMP: There is a lot of pressure. No, no. There was a lot of pressure on the debate. I'll be honest. For everybody, not just for me.

BASH: Sure.

TRUMP: And there's more pressure when I see you and all of your people and everybody else saying, this is a vital debate for Trump. I wish I didn't hear it. When I hear Jeremy saying this debate is vital for Trump, you know, so it makes it even more pressure. And I've always liked pressure to be honest with you. I sort of like pressure and it came out very well.

BASH: One last question. You did very well in Iowa. I'm not taking that away from you. But you know because you built a brand on understanding that perception is everything, and the perception because of the polls was that you would win New Hampshire. So, if you don't win in New Hampshire, what is it that going to do to your political brand? Is it going to be damaged? TRUMP: SO if I had two second, I think I'm doing OK. I would much

rather win. I could say to you, if I came in second or third, I would be thrilled. OK? And that way we -- I know all about expectations. We lower our expectations. If I came in second, I wouldn't be happy. OK? So now if I come in second, you can go around and say, poof. No, I would much prefer to win in New Hampshire.

BASH: And what would it mean down the road? I mean, is was about the nomination.

TRUMP: I think we will do fine. I mean, look, we are going to do very well, I think, in South Carolina. We have tremendous numbers there. I think the SEC is going to be great. Nevada is place I have major holdings. I have thousands of employees there. I think we are going to do well all the way down the line. And we hope to do really well on Tuesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And he now has an insurance policy when it comes to travel, Brooke. You remember that he couldn't get back to New Hampshire late last week because he took his jet back to New York. Slept there. There was a snowstorm. No more. He is staying overnight. He is not leaving New Hampshire now until primary day or afterwards, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Listen, all these little things matter. You rolled into town the other day and it was the covered of the "Union Leader" about Trump not going to the Lion's Club event. It matters to voters here on the ground.

Dana Bash, thank you so much. Excellent interview with Mr. Trump there. Thank you for sharing.

BASH: Thank you. Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Listen. Ahead of Tuesday night, the big question, who will win over the hearts and mind here in New Hampshire? Watch our primary coverage all day long Tuesday. Of course only here on CNN.

Straight ahead here as we continue, we turn to the Democrats and their sprint through New Hampshire. Why Hillary Clinton is not in the granite state today.

And later, Marco Rubio playing catchup after last night's Republican debate. We will go live to his super bowl party here in Manchester.

You're watching CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:21:49] SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hold on, hold on, wait a second. I am so sick of the one percent getting this preferential treatment. Enough is enough! We need to unite and work together if you're all going to get through this. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sounds like socialism to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You stay up to watch this last night? This was the scene. There was actually couple of sketches in the show. Senator Bernie Sanders there walking on to the set of "Saturday Night Live" delivering some funny lines next to his doppelganger Larry David who was hosting.

By the way, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will debate next Thursday in Milwaukee. That PBS News hour debate will be simulcast right here on CNN. So definitely, please tune in for that. And then we just discovered today their debate on March 6th will be hosted by and carried live here on CNN.

But here is why that is so significant. March 6th, that debate in a city with a very real infrastructure emergency right now, Flint, Michigan. Hillary Clinton left her primary campaign here in New Hampshire to fly to Flint. She is there on the ground right now. She told folks there today that she can relate to this two-year plus lead poisoning crisis because she dealt with a similar situation when she was senator in New York.

And CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson is watching the Clinton campaign and their moves today in Flint, Michigan.

Nia, what did you see?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Hillary Clinton took a break from campaigning in New Hampshire where she is down nearly 20 point to Bernie Sanders to come to this community here in Flint, Michigan where residents have been struggling for a water crisis for the last two years. Here is what she had to say to the nearly 800 people who gathered at a church here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is, for me, a personal commitment. I will stand with you every step of the way. I will not for one minute forget about you or forget about your children. I will do everything I can to help you get back up, to get your strength and resilience flowing through this community again. Because what happened here should never have happened anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDERSON: She met with pastors and mothers who spoke about the challenges that their children have faced and will continue to face in the wake of this water crisis. She now heads back it New Hampshire where she will send the last stretch campaigning before Tuesday's primary.

Back to you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Nia-Malika Henderson there in Flint. Thank you very much.

Again, that debate March 6th.

Let's go now to Athena Jones who is with the Bush campaign.

Pretty strong performance on the debate stage here in Manchester last night, Athena. You know, the former Florida governor held a town hall today in Nashua hoping to build on that momentum. And Athena, from everything I have been seeing today, he is feeling strong and all smiles.

[17:25:09] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That's right, Brooke. A lot of smiles on the faces of Bush campaign officials as well. And momentum is the key word. Bush folks I have talked to feel that he has the momentum after that strong debate performance last night.

I spoke to Bush after his town hall here just a little while ago. And he said he is feeling good. He is having good crowds making good connections. He says his canvassing teams are getting a good response as they knock on doors. Not only over the past couple of days but also this morning. He said that people are now not so much saying that they are neutral.

More and more people are ready to commit to his team. He said he has the best ground game of any candidate in this state. And you know, this is one of probably the most high energy and most enthusiastic Bush events I have attended. You saw a crowd that frequently interrupted him with applause, standing ovation, laughter. He seems to be feeding on the energy. And he touted his take down last night of Donald Trump on the issue of eminent domain. Got a lot of applause from the crowd for that. He talked about Trump being a loser for questioning Senator John McCain's hero status because he was captured and was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He also without mentioning Rubio by name talked about how the presidency isn't scripted. How you can't just turn a phrase well and expect that to be a good enough to run for president.

So a very high energy Governor Bush, a very positive Governor Bush. There was a lot of focus on his temperament, his ability to be a serious candidate with a steady hand, ability to lead on day one. And as I said, his team is feeling good. I spoke with (INAUDIBLE). He is a big Bush supporter after the event. He said things are moving in the right direction. He said they have 50 percent chance of finishing top three, maybe 90 percent chance of finishing in top four. Difficult to prognosticate but the bottom line is they are feeling good, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes. It looks that he came into the state with his 90-year- old mother who looks amazing. And you know, they drew capacity crowds. And with the momentum from last night, listen, who knows what could happen news night here.

Athena Jones, thank you so much with the Bush campaign.

Meantime, I know we are all talk of politics here. And it feels like the super bowl for us. Political gig is Tuesday, but how about the real game? Live pictures now some from Santa Cleric, California. The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos going head to head in just a little while for super bowl 50. Coming up, the president of the United States talks about his party plans for the last super bowl that he will actually be watching from the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:31:24] HARLOW: President Obama is a passionate sports fan, no question. Just don't ask him or expect him to give a super bowl prediction about the Broncos and the Panthers in his annual pre-game interview tonight. The President sat down for that last super bowl interview with CBS anchor Gayle King. The first lady also joined in. They dished on tonight, the game, the party plans, the wings, pizza, Beyonce at halftime, and of course those legendary commercials.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAYLE KING, CBS ANCHOR: This is your last super bowl in the White House. My question is this, do you have any special plans for the day? What's the menu? Who's coming?

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been cooking all day.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't let her tell stories now.

M. OBAMA: Barbecuing, grill out, I'm tired. But I pulled myself together for this.

KING: You clean up nicely, Mrs. Obama.

M. OBAMA: Thank you.

B. OBAMA: We have a regular group of friends we have been having last four or five years. We all go upstairs, in the residence, the treaty room, which is my office, we clear everything out. And it is, you know, your basic, wings, pizza, nachos.

M. OBAMA: We take let's move off the table.

KING: You know, people said, well you know, she is let's move, is there carrot quesadillas?

M. OBAMA: That's a no. No.

B. OBAMA: There is the little vegetable tray that nobody touches next to the stuff.

M. OBAMA: We are going to have two types of salads.

B. OBAMA: OK. There you go.

KING: What types? I'm just curious.

M. OBAMA: What types?

KING: Yes.

M. OBAMA: I don't know because I was too busy barbecuing.

KING: I didn't know if there was a posse of 33 --

M. OBAMA: Yes. You know, a lot of people in our house. Thank you.

KING: We are getting on -- so when you're at the super bowl party at the Obama house, do you watch the commercials? So you care about the commercials?

B. OBAMA: You know, we are like everybody else. Folks rate the commercials. Yes. People --

M. OBAMA: We have - but basically we have sort of three ways that we do the super bowl. We have the serious watchers. And that's the treaty room where you got to be -- if you're in that room, you're watching the game.

B. OBAMA: Watch the game.

M. OBAMA: Then the outside room where the kids are where they are kind of fooling around there and by the food.

B. OBAMA: We keep them away.

M. OBAMA: Then there's what I call the champagne room. That's where my mother sits, where you really don't know what's going on but you're close to the champagne.

B. OBAMA: They hear shouting and oh, something must have happened.

KING: I was wondering, when do we break out the six pack or mix martinis. I was wondering at which point does that happen?

M. OBAMA: Just starting now. Once we get done with this.

KING: Who is more likely to yell at Tommy Thompson the TV during the game?

B. OBAMA: You know I may --

M. OBAMA: It depends on who is playing, yes.

B. OBAMA: It's been a while since the Bears were there.

M. OBAMA: I know.

B. OBAMA: So we don't yell much. We enjoy watching the game and we hope for a good game.

M. OBAMA: But if it is a good play, we will you a scream.

KING: Do you care about the halftime show? Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyonce.

M. OBAMA: I care deeply about the halftime show. Deeply. I got dressed for the halftime show. I hope Beyonce likes it.

KING: Have you talked to her about any dance moves? Because those of us who have seen you dance on Ellen and Jimmy know that you've got move moves. You do too, Mr. President.

B. OBAMA: I've got some moves.

M. OBAMA: Yes. No, I've talked to her about the turn out for what I am look bad. You got to put this in your next video. Obviously she didn't listen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: So that's how the commander in-chief and first lady take in the big game tonight.

Let's go to Chris Moody. He can't exactly dance like Beyonce but hey, he's at his own party, if you will, with Marco Rubio in New Hampshire.

Hey, Chris.

[17:35:10] CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there. It's just a normal super ball party with pizza and chips and dips and nachos and a political speech. We will see more of it after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:39:00] BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin joining Poppy Harlow on this special Sunday here ahead of the big New Hampshire primary.

Marco Rubio, let's talk about the Florida senator who is in the headlines today but maybe not the kind of headlines he would like. When you look at some of the papers this morning, some read like, difficult debate. Or did Marco Rubio squander his big moment? Rubio last night found himself the center of constant attacks, most notably from New Jersey governor Chris Christie who accused Rubio of using canned responses.

Afterwards, Dan Pfeiffer, CNN political commentator and former senior adviser to President Obama tweeted this. Quote "I am now questioning my view that Rubio is a GOP or Dems should fear most. The general election is ten times more pressure and he could easily melt."

Let's go straight to my colleague, our digital correspondent Chris Moody who is live here in New Hampshire at a super bowl party. I see over your shoulder, the screen, Marco Rubio. So this is his super bowl party. I want to talk about what that entails. But first Marco Rubio on stage time and time again. We knew he would be the bull's eye of so many different attacks after a strong showing in Iowa. How do you think he did? [17:40:14] MOODY: Well, what was once Rubio's real strength

discipline on the campaign trail, not saying things that might get him in trouble, turned to his weakness on the debate stage last night and Chris Christie really hit on that. It is something he has been running videos about all week trying to say that he is too calculated and too staged and not able to think on his feet.

Look, Marco Rubio is showing very strong in the polls here in New Hampshire in the past couple of days, just second behind Trump. And those three governors, Kasich, Christie and Jeb Bush, really needed to go after him to make a strong showing in order to go forward in the next contest.

And Chris Christie, a lot of people would argue, really connected. Now that doesn't mean that Rubio is necessarily going to be lowering in the polls when they come to vote on Tuesday night. But it certainly was not a good night for him at all.

BALDWIN: Well, good night or not, listen, politics and campaign, doesn't stop just because there is a little football game happening in just a little bit. But it does mean there is a great excuse, I guess, for all these different campaign staffers who have been banging on doors to take a pause, take in some guac (ph), and some machos and some wings. What do you see there?

MOODY: We are at a normal super bowl party here in Manchester, New Hampshire on election year. There are pizzas, there are nachos, there are chips and there is Marco Rubio giving a presidential stump speech right now before the game.

Look, the election is just a couple of days and they need to keep campaigning and keep drawing crowds and keep getting buzz, but they also know people is going to watch this game. So they put it all together. It is pretty a great idea. We're in a sport complex right now. There are several hundred people here. They are going to be watching the game after the speech.

Now Marco Rubio loves football and there's a lot of videos of him, his opponents really want to make him a water boy but he thinks he is quarterback. He gave it a shot last summer. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

MOODY: Now there is other videos, of course, of him doing other things. But Rubio played football in college. He nailed the kid. But you know what, he was, you know, the kid kind of put his arms up and I'm just kidding. No, Rubio played ball. He knows the game. He loves the game. And he is at least fighting an opportunity to keep campaigning and watch the big game tonight.

BALDWIN: I love what you're saying. He should have put his arms up. I mean, obviously, he hit him. There you go. Hopefully he will be judges by his -- you know, I'm taking team kid side.

Thank you very much. Chris Moody, I appreciate it.

There you go. Marco Rubio political speeches and super bowl. Welcome to New Hampshire two days before the big primary.

Coming up, New Hampshire has always been kind to the Clintons. And it is key for Hillary Clinton's run for the White House. We will look back at that relationship over the decades.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:46:44] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow along with my friend Brooke Baldwin in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Tonight ahead of the primary on Tuesday, if you look back, history certainly documents the Clinton's bond with the New Hampshire primary from Bill Clinton's famous come back in 1992 to Hillary Clinton's own rebound there in 2008. But this next chapter, that will be written on Tuesday.

Here's our senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Clinton's and New Hampshire.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Being back in New Hampshire is an absolute joy.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I survived the New Hampshire primary when I ran for president the first time on Dunkin' Donuts.

ZELENY: A bond strengthened over a quarter century that only tested more than ever in next week's New Hampshire primary. It is the state that famously made a little known Arkansas governor the comeback kid. A second place finish that revived his bid for the White House.

B. CLINTON: New Hampshire tonight has made Bill Clinton the comeback kid.

ZELENY: Twenty-five years and four campaigns later, Hillary Clinton is turning to the state for a comeback of her own. She is running far behind Bernie Sanders. A senator from neighboring Vermont. On the campaign trail today, she made a plea for help.

H. CLINTON: This state has been so good to my husband and me and my family.

ZELENY: Hillary Clinton has been campaigning alongside her husband since the beginning.

Terry Shoemaker is a New Hampshire tour guide for out of town Democrats with White House ambitions. He helped introduce both Clintons to the state.

TERRY SHOEMAKER, NEW HAMPSHIRE CLINTON ADVISER: They knew he was somebody but they had no idea who he was. That was the beginning for what has become a mutual admiration society between the Clintons and New Hampshire.

ZELENY: As she does now, Hillary kept her own schedule back then.

SHOEMAKER: Absolutely. She was here a lot in 1991 and 1992. People came up and said, why isn't she running for president?

ZELENY: Really?

SHOEMAKER: Yes.

ZELENY: All the way back then --

SHOEMAKER: All the way back in 1991.

ZELENY: So did you ever think at that point that she would?

SHOEMAKER: You know frankly, I always thought she could but I didn't think she would after being first lady.

SHOEMAKER: ZELENY: When her own presidential campaign needed a lifeline after losing in Iowa eight years ago, New Hampshire delivered.

H. CLINTON: I just don't want to see us fall backwards.

ZELENY: Marianne Pernold still can't believe it created such a stir.

Why did you ask her that of all things to ask her?

MARIANNE PERNOLD, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Because identified with her as working woman. And I just want to know how she did it. And I can didn't care about the rhetoric national issues and all that stuff.

ZELENY: A day later Clinton won New Hampshire.

H. CLINTON: I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice.

ZELENY: Now, she's hoping to re-prize that feeling. A loss here means an even longer campaign ahead. It is a moment that once again calls for two Clintons.

B. CLINTON: Been so good to me and to Hillary.

H. CLINTON: New Hampshire, come with me this week. Make this journey with me. Stand up for me. Fight for me.

ZELENY: Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: We will see what history says on Tuesday night.

Just ahead, what is the next best thing I guess to being at the super bowl tonight? We will tell you when our Coy Wire joins me next from the big game in Santa Clara, California. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:53:54] HARLOW: The Denver Broncos, the Carolina Panthers, are getting ready to kick off tonight at super bowl 50. So is CNN's sports correspondent Coy Wire. He joins me outside of Levi's stadium in Santa Clara, California.

My friend, you could not get a more glorious day for the big game.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It is beautiful day here. Just minutes away from the big game, Poppy, two incredible quarterbacks in this match-up. And I want to focus on one.

I had the honor and privilege of playing against Peyton Manning. And today, as fans, we get to watch him quite possibly for the last time. So sports fans are truly embracing this moment.

Could you imagine, Poppy, what it have been like for art lovers to watch (INAUDIBLE) and for music lovers to have been able to watch Bach conduct a classic. Well, Peyton Manning will go down as one of the greatest America's sports figure of all time. And we get to watch a maestro and master of his craft in action today. It is a special moment and his teammates know it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMARYIUS THOMAS, BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVER: If anybody don't even know Peyton, they think he deserve winning and everybody on this team also think that. So we are going to do what we got to do to go out and try to get this win just in case, you know, he want to go out and retire, he can good out with a bang.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:55:09] WIRE: Now Peyton Manning is (INAUDIBLE) of an historic career going for his super bowl title just moments from now, Poppy.

Now, for something fun to think about while watching the game today, the Broncos have a choice of which color jersey to wear as home team. They were 0-4 in wearing orange jerseys in super bowls, but today they chose white. And maybe they have done that based on superstition. Teams wearing white jerseys have won 10 of the last 11 super bowls. That puts the Panthers in black jerseys and they are 0-2 all-time in their post season history will wear black.

So Poppy, from the great Peyton Manning to the color of jerseys, so many great stories ties on this one on the biggest game in all of American sports.

HARLOW: Because it's all about the jersey, right, Coy?

WIRE: That's all. Just look good, feel good, play good. I'm rooting for white today, Poppy.

HARLOW: Just that. All right, have a great time tonight. Have so much fun. And quick break. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:25] HARLOW: Tonight's numbers this small but mighty one, the number, nine. Nine people, that is how many folks will be vetting in New Hampshire in the primary in Dixville Notch, the tiny village in the northern part of the state is famous forecasting its ballots at the stroke of midnight both in the primary and in the general election. It is a proud tradition that dates back half a century to the Kennedy-Nixon match-up in 1960.

And before we go tonight, we just want to say a very special good-bye it a beloved member of our team. Jennifer Hendrickson is our editorial producer. Look at her there. The booking genius who schedules the great guest we have every week. She is a remarkable woman and journalist. Great friend to all of us. She is moving from Atlanta up here to be with me in New York. She's joining our "NEW DAY" team. Our colleagues on that show are incredibly lucky to be getting Jen. Our thanks to you, Jen, for all you've done for us.

Thank you all for being with us tonight. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. I will see you back here next week.