Trump’s past, record and wedding came up during last night’s debate but this morning republicans want to know one thing, are you with us or are you with yourself?
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Trump’s donations reveal a typical businessman looking out for his interests – and what politicians can do to help him – more than an ideologue backing like-minded candidates.
During the two-hour session Trump put to rest speculation that he would tone down his divisive rhetoric that many expected would be ruinous to his campaign, but instead helped him rise quickly to the top of the polls.
He has been accused by Democrats – including Hillary Clinton – of being part of the Republican “war on women”.
That should not have come as a surprise, given his many statements of independence in the past, but it had a different ring to it on this stage on this night. Or would he sit on his big lead and be a kinder, gentler Trump? People are going wild on twitter! He needed to make the point during the debate, so voters understood that his fight was with the establishment and he wanted to be treated fairly. He said Thursday that he had been told that by border patrol agents, and he took credit for immigration being an issue in the2016 campaign. He said he opposes gay marriage, but when asked how he would explain that position to a child who announced he or she was gay or lesbian, he said: “I’m going to love my daughters no matter what they do”.
And the first winnowing of the field.
Jump ahead to Thursday night’s Republican debate and the ringmaster was in the house again. When speaking to Stephanopoulos, Trump said he didn’t think the debate was fair.
To Trump’s right was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose victories over labor unions in his home state created his national profile. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio. He’s given almost $600,000 to federal candidates and third-party groups since 2010, but that doesn’t even place him close to the top 100 donors. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and see two candidates who are exceptional communicators. Rand Paul representing a segment of GOP voters frustrated with military action overseas and what they see as infringements on personal liberties.
While Trump didn’t go full-Donald to beat back the Kentucky senator’s attacks, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took advantage when given the opportunity to address his beef with Paul over national security.
“When you’re sitting in the subcommittee just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that”, Christie said.
Christie, a former U.S. attorney, was dismissive. He said the election “cannot be a résumé competition”. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wants to do away with the income tax entirely and finance the government with sales taxes.
The remaining seven candidates were relegated to a pre-debate forum, a low-key event in a largely empty arena, where candidates avoided debating each other and largely stuck to scripted responses on domestic and foreign policy.
At the junior varsity event, only one candidate launched herself like a new Apple product – former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
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Amid all the fireworks, there was little to no chatter during the GOP debate about an issue which Republicans have obsessed for months: Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state and the deadly 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Christie has suffered more than anyone from the rise of Trump, a chaotic candidate who has “told it like it is” without being bound by the fact-checking and coherence of an ordinary politician.
