Chris Matthews: 'There is a troll-like quality to Cruz -- he operates below the level of human life'

MSNBC host Chris Matthews argued on Wednesday that Ted Cruz appealed to some Republican voters because he had a "troll-like quality" and operated "below the level of human life."

Following Donald Trump's win in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, a panel on MSNBC speculated that Cruz could be the billionaire's biggest challenger in the weeks to come.

"There's a troll-like quality to Cruz," Matthews explained to co-host Joe Scarborough. "He operates below the level of human life."

"That's a little tough!" Scarborough interrupted. "You have not gotten sleep. We're going to try that again."

"Can I not have an opinion?" Matthews shot back.

"Not that opinion," Scarborough insisted.

"I think he appeals to people's negativity rather than their joy," Matthews observed. "I don't think people feel good about voting for Cruz."

"What is he? A theocrat? Maybe he is," the Hardball host continued. "There's something about that guy who has always reminded me of Joe McCarthy, and there's something about him that's negative and menacing."

"When I say below the level of human life, I mean the good nature of human life, not just being a person."

Watch the video below from MSNBC, broadcast Feb. 10, 2016.