Charles Krauthammer, George Will disagree over who won Cruz-Trump 'cage match'


The latest Fox News poll of Iowa voters shows Donald Trump opening up a commanding lead over Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), 34 percent to 23 percent, with both candidates essentially tied among white evangelical Christians. On Fox News Special Report Monday night, Bret Baier asked his panel — Juan Williams, Charles Krauthammer, and George Will — what they thought about this 11-point swing in Trump's favor. Williams said he will believe it when Trump's first-time caucus-goers show up at the school gym on a cold Iowa night to caucus for Trump. Krauthammer all but declared the Iowa race for Trump.
"These numbers — assuming they're true, assuming they hold for another week — show that the big cage match that began with the last debate between Trump and Cruz has been won by Trump," Krauthammer said. The consensus after the debate was that Cruz won, he added, "but I thought it was obvious that there was one single exchange that was the important one, the one on 'New York values.' Trump played the 9/11 card and left Cruz speechless — which is a spectacle that's rarely seen." Trump's questioning of Cruz's Canadian birth also "seems to have worked and put Cruz on the defensive," Krauthammer said.
George Will had a counterintuitive take: "I suspect that Cruz's polling indicates that the 'New York values' exchange actually helped him outside New York, which is where it matters, because we just saw the ad where he doubles down on that by saying 'Donald Trump, New York values.'" Krauthammer stepped in: "But if it helped him, how come he lost 14 points?" "I don't know," Will said, suggesting maybe Cruz's opposition to ethanol was to blame. Watch the entire exchange below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Sudoku medium: August 2, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein