It was a stunning confession of Florida senator Marco Rubio, Texas senator Ted Cruz and OH governor John Kasich that totally buried their following 30-seconds closing remarks in which they awkwardly claimed they would make the best president.
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Tempers escalated quickly at the two-hour debate and, as in previous encounters, the battle descended into taunts between Mr Trump, Mr Rubio and Mr Cruz with accusations of lying and even a reference to male genitalia. Cruz accused Trump of being “someone who has used government power for private gain”.
“You get to the point where your grandkids are going to say to you, ‘Papa, what did you do to stop Donald Trump?’ And I had to finally get out and speak”, he said.
Republican presidential candidates, Sen.
That’s the same line of attack Rubio is pushing as he tries to emerge as Trump’s chief rival. He said Trump “thinks the nuclear triad is a rock band from the 1980s”.
“If there has been any candidate who deserved to be attacked [in this] way, it’s Donald Trump for the way he has treated people in the campaign”, the Florida senator said.
“For 40 years, Donald has been part of the corruption in Washington that you’re angry about”, said Mr Cruz.
Mitt Romney, the party’s 2012 nominee, on Thursday made a rare public appearance to denounce Trump as “a phony” who is “playing the American public for suckers”.
“I totally disavow the KKK, I disavow David Duke – you’re the 18th person who’s asked me the question”, Mr Trump said.
Trump did not have all bad things to say about the Romneys, however, praising Mitt’s wife Ann as “a lovely woman”.
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures towards rivals Marco Rubio (L) and Ted Cruz (R) at the U.S. Republican presidential candidates debate in Detroit, Michigan, March 3, 2016.
A day after Romney thoroughly assailed Trump and left open the possibility of a contested convention, the former Republican nominee told The Today Show ‘s Matt Lauer he could not foresee riding in on a white horse to save the party from Trump.
Trump’s bombastic style and often extreme positions have alienated many within the Republican Party.
Trump now leads the field with 329 delegates.
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Trump making nice to Megyn Kelly: “Nice to be with you Megyn”.
