“Now that we’ve gotten the Donald Trump portion out of the way…”
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However, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), who had several strong moments during the debate among a Fox News focus group, briefly overtook Trump in Google searches in Iowa for one moment.
But interlaced with all that policy were numerous references to “the elephant not in the room”, as Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly called Trump.
Donald Trump reviewed the Republican debate he chose to not attend Thursday, saying that his chief rival Texas Sen. “Millions in campaign contributions and speaking fees”.
Bush echoed the sentiment, and said that disparaging women and Hispanics (as Trump has done) would only produce a “toxic environment in our country”.
“I had an unbelievable soldier last night, John…he made an incredible speech”, Trump said of a wounded veteran who spoke at Trump’s fundraiser for veterans that he held in Des Moines, Iowa simultaneously with the debate.
He was joined by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum-two men with presidential hopes of their own. And partly it’s because, without Trump around, Paul became the foremost voice of opposition on the stage, the best counterweight to the GOP’s conventional wisdom – which, of course, there was a lot of.
“Actually, I’m glad I wasn’t there ’cause I guess all of that – he got pummeled, wow”, Trump said. Not unlike what some candidates may say about Trump.
Then, after announcing what he thought was going to be a small event turned out to be “incredible”, he exited the stage to strains of Adele’s Rolling In the Deep. “Flipped back and forth, like I imagine most people did”. Trump said. “They’re all sleeping, they’re all sleeping”. “We don’t pay people to show up to a job interview”. Contemplating a race without Trump was more spin than inquiry.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Cruz will be waging a grueling tour to bring his Iowa primary campaign to a close, passing through a hand full of tiny rural towns every day with passionate courtship for his most loyal voters: evangelicals and constitutional conservative stalwarts. “You don’t serve us”. Vander Plaats has since been crossing the state to campaign for and with Cruz, even engaging in a Twitter spat with Cruz’s main rival, Donald Trump. He’ll be urging them to get out an vote.
After weeks of attacking front-runner Donald Trump, Cruz heightened attacks on Rubio’s efforts at immigration reform and launched an attack ad on the issue too, just hours after stumbling to explain his own past and present immigration stances in the seventh Republican presidential debate.
Nationally, Trump keeps soaring.
“You want to know what carpet bombing is?” he said. Furthermore, Trump offered to appear at the debate upon the condition that Fox News contribute $5 million to his charities. Then again, there have already been plenty of surprises in this race, so who knows? “They’re supposed to take on each other”.
And though it was never expected Trump’s rally would draw greater ratings than the debate, it’s possible a chunk of those watching his event would have tuned into the debate had the former Atlantic City casino tycoon been on the stage. Jeb Bush said in Des Moines.
“They’ve had all this time to go to Washington and take care of this stuff, but they haven’t done anything”, she said of politicians.
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Meanwhile, Trump is free to skip debates and constantly question Cruz’s eligibility to serve as president.
