If Mr Trump was elected as the Republican candidate, a McClatchy-Marist poll showed he would still be well behind Democratic presidential candidate Sen. He was supposed to be telling people how he would fix the economy, but he engaged in more chest-thumping about the “tens of thousands of jobs”, he’s created with “the most iconic assets anywhere in the world”, and promised to make America “even more special”. (Incidentally, Democrats viewed Rubio as the victor, which suggests that his “generational change” message has resonance with non-Republicans and/or that he’s simply an attractive candidate overall). But they were more polite and laissez faire than their CNBC counterparts. (As hard as it is to believe, there weren’t any worthless fluff questions.) The moderators were not, however, very good about clock enforcement. For the past four months that has been either Donald Trump, the billionaire windbag for whom “bloviator” might have been invented, or evangelical neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who recently claimed the pyramids were for grain storage and that the Holocaust might have been prevented were it not for gun control.
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Rubio was asked about a moment during a commercial break that viewers could not see. Marco Rubio has written off Rand Paul as a “committed isolationist”, while Ted Cruz positions himself in the ideal “middle ground” between them.
“Let me point out when it comes to standing up to Washington, I was doing it long before Mr. Trump was running for president”, Cruz said.
Christie, however, didn’t make the main stage as debate sponsors said his poll numbers weren’t high enough.
Vowing beforehand to provide a debate heavy on policy, the moderators rarely deviated from that line.
“I have no problem, being vetted”, said Dr. Ben Carson when asked about allegations his autobiography contained false statements.
Interviewed before the debate, Bartiromo cited the familiar divide between right and left on economic issues, but said, “What we need to know is what’s the clear difference between all of those on the right”. But as we head into the later debates, there’s the question if he’s a little too canned. A few voice skepticism about new trade deals, others are supportive.
Donald Trump didn’t back down on his promise to build a wall on the Mexican border, even as his opponents blasted him for it. Here’s John Kasich sparring with Trump. The candidates used the 90 seconds they were allotted for each answer to promote their tax proposals, to lament what they said were intrusive business regulations and to delve into the country’s monetary policy. Zing! Of course, there’s a part of that story she’s leaving out: after the meeting, she had nice things to say about him.
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Johnson has not endorsed anyone. “I felt like I do what I always do”.
