Ending months of civility between two fiery contenders, billionaire businessman Donald Trump doubled down on his questions about Texas Sen. “He’s got probably a 4 or 5 per cent chance”, he said, using his popularity as one of his favourite slapdowns of other candidates in debates.
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With just over two weeks until voting begins, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz firmly asserted their standing atop the GOP race in a fiery debate, overshadowing a crowded field of rivals still grappling for a way to overtake the front-runners.
Trump gladly played the villain, swinging wildly and drawing loud boos when he challenged Cruz’s legal qualification to be president because he was born in Canada. And Trump, in particular, may have had his finest debate performance.
But what is new from after Thursday night’s debate is the possibility of a Trump/Cruz alliance as we move through the primaries.
Trump and Senator Ted Cruz also clashed over Trump’s accusations that he’s not eligible to be president because he was born in Canada.
Trump described the comment as “very insulting” and defended New Yorkers for how well they bounced back after 9/11.
“Listen, there are many, many wonderful, wonderful working men and women in the state of New York, but everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal, are pro-abortion, are pro-gay marriage, focus around money and the media”, he said. Senator Ted Cruz was able to speak on the issue of his birth to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Trump responded by saying he is proud of the way the city came together after 9-11.
“He (Christie) is not in the first tier and that’s where he needs to be to sustain his campaign past Iowa and New Hampshire”, Woolley said. I’ll tell you what.
Trump lost that round – looking a little out of control at times – and made a tactical error by elevating Cruz, who is gaining in polls and threatening him in Iowa. He admitted during the debate that he was doing so because of Mr Cruz’s improving political prospects.
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, was just OK. Bush said. “What we need to do is destroy ISIS. Sending that signal makes it impossible for us to be serious about taking out ISIS and restoring democracy in Syria”.
Facing a campaign in turmoil and slippage in the polls, the retired neurosurgeon didn’t do anything Thursday night to stand out from the pack.
President Barack Obama had on January 12 said the IS was “not an existential threat’ to the US but the Republican candidates rejected the argument”.
None did. But not for lack of trying. Rubio told Bush then that he shouldn’t listen to advisers urging him to go negative. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Kasich called for unity.
Christie said that two years ago Rubio called him a “conservative reformer” but now he is attacking him and misrepresenting his record. The query addressed Trump’s stance on Syrian refugees, which President Barack Obama referenced during his State of the Union speech Tuesday. Rubio claimed that Christie “endorsed numerous ideas” that the president supports.
In a likely preview of his debate tactics, Bush sharply criticized Trump on Wednesday for holding positions on taxes, guns and health care that he says are out of step with conservatives.
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“If you become the nominee who the hell knows if you can even serve in office”, Trump said.
