Chuck Todd: ‘There Is Chatter’ GOP Will Take Trump over Cruz

LAUER: “Let’s go over the Republican side. Ted Cruz is trying out a new strategy here. After months of running against Donald Trump as the outsiders, splitting that vote, he say, wait a minute, you know what’s happening? The establishment of the Republican Party is starting to come around to Donald Trump. He’s now the establishment candidate. Is it effective?”
TODD: “I don’t know yet. I think it’s hard to sit there and say that Donald Trump, and his new pal Sarah Palin, are somehow part of the establishment. Now Ted Cruz is technically right. There is chatter —establishment, they’re going, well geez, if you’re going to make us pick between Trump and Cruz, we’ll take Trump over Cruz. But I think that he — to sit here and say he can make — somehow make the connection to voters to say, yes, Donald Trump, he’s part of the establishment, I don’t know if — [crosstalk] — if the average voter is going to believe that.”
GUTHRIE: “Meanwhile, one of the polls I saw recently in New Hampshire had Cruz coming in second.”
TODD: “Yeah.”
GUTHRIE: “Usually, New Hampshire is the place where moderates and mainstream candidates have their chance to do well. What do you make of Cruz making a run in New Hampshire?”
TODD: “Cruz is on his own. We always talk about these lanes. And I know it’s a little absurd sometimes — the Trump lane, the establishment lane. Nobody is fighting for the Cruz vote, the sort of the libertarian, evangelical vote — it’s not the dominant electorate in New Hampshire, but if he’s the only guy going for it — look, it’s one of those things, I think if Cruz wins Iowa, I think he will be second. And then, we’re looking at Trump-Cruz. I don’t know how the establishment breaks through, if they don’t take Cruz down in Iowa.”
GUTHRIE: “All right, Chuck Todd, thank you very much. We’ll be watching.”