It was a bitter fight from the beginning, and the exchanges made television history – literally – when billionaire Donald Trump became the first ever presidential candidate to make reference to his… erm… ‘size’ on television.
Responding to an attack by Rubio regarding the size of his hands, Trump shocked the world.
“Look at those hands, are they small hands?” the GOP frontrunner said, holding them up for viewers to see.
“And, he referred to my hands — ‘if they’re small, something else must be small.’ Well, I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee,” said Trump.
Donald Trump was under fire even before taking the debate stage Thursday night.
The Republican front-runner walked into the Fox Theater after being targeted for much of the day by the GOP’s last two presidential nominees, who warned voters across the nation that Trump must be stopped.
His three rivals — Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich — set out to keep Trump on his heels on what they hope will be remembered as a pivotal day in the 2016 contest. Knowing he would be attacked, Trump warned voters ahead of time that his tone might have to be less-than-presidential.
Here are some takeaways from the 11th Republican presidential debate of the 2016 campaign:
THE DONALD STRIKES BACK
There was only the one reference to Trump’s sexual prowess, but he directed many other insults at his rivals.
Trump called Cruz “Lying Ted,” repeatedly jabbed Rubio as “Little Marco,” and charged that Florida voters wouldn’t elect Rubio dog catcher.
They were the kind of blunt attacks his supporters love. But they could lead undecided voters to think twice in the primary contests to come — and November’s general election.
After all, it’s hard to imagine a sitting president making a joke in public about, well, you know.
FLEXIBLE IMMIGRATION FANTASY?
Trump doesn’t often talk policy details. We may have found out why.
The front-runner reversed a position posted on his website about visas for high-skilled immigrants and opened the door to a broader shift on immigration when pressed to explain a private conversation with The New York Times.
Having embraced tough immigration rhetoric for much of the last year, Trump said the next president needed “flexibility” and “a little give and take” on the issue. He praised Rubio’s past willingness to embrace compromise on immigration, even though Rubio’s position has been widely condemned by conservatives.
The tone and content of Trump’s message prompted the moderator to cite a Trump negotiating tactic, outlined in his book, which suggests scoring points by playing to people’s fantasies.
“I’m not playing to anybody’s fantasies,” an irritated Trump replied.
Yet his inconsistencies on various issues were highlighted time and time again throughout the night. They included his shifts on Afghanistan, Syrian refugees and former President George W. Bush’s honesty. As he did on immigration, he often responded by citing the need for flexibility.
FRESHMAN TAG TEAM
Rubio and Cruz paid little attention to each other, spending most of the night instead attacking Trump.
While Rubio was the leading Trump aggressor early on, Cruz took shots, too. The Texas senator played the part of a condescending parent multiple times, first ordering an angry Trump to “Count to 10,” and later telling the front-runner to “breathe, breathe, breathe. I know it’s hard.”
Trump seemed at a loss for words on both occasions.
Rubio repeatedly tried to expose Trump’s lack of specificity on policy and seized on Trump’s unwillingness to refund tuition to many people who paid thousands of dollars to attend Trump University. Trump is having to defend the school in a class-action lawsuit.
LOYALTY TO THE NOMINEE
As a growing number of leading Republicans vow never to support Trump, the billionaire’s rivals went the other way.
Each was asked in the debate’s final moment whether he’d support the party’s nominee, even if it were the billionaire businessman. And each responded in the affirmative — even Rubio, who has been Trump’s leading attacker in recent days.
The loyalty pledges could undercut the #nevertrump movement started by his Republican foes on Twitter.
But it’s hard to imagine leading Republicans, such as Mitt Romney and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, suddenly making an about-face on the point after casting Trump in recent days as dangerous and woefully unprepared to lead the nation.
KASICH ABIDES
Kasich again played the adult in the room. He has adopted the strategy in virtually every debate so far, but on a night that was among the messiest to date, his unwillingness to sling mud was remarkable.
His focus on substance allowed him to stand out when the debate turned to the federal deficit and national security, two key issues on which he has years of experience. He scored a big applause at one point by declaring, “Let’s stop fighting!”
Yet Kasich also conceded that he has a narrow path to the nomination. He noted he’s not the only one, when asked about adopting a strategy that depends upon a contested convention in July to win: “We’re all really there,” he said.
He’s probably right — with the exception of Trump, of course.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Send the children out to play so the adult in the room is able to get things done that need done.
It was with dismay that, again, I watched Thursday’s “debate” with all of the adult candidates gone with the exception of Kasitch, who played that role admirably. I’m beginning to think that a brokered convention may be the only way to select a legitimate Republican candidate who can take advantage of an election which should be there for the taking. I detest the idea of a smoke filled room of party power brokers choosing the nominee instead of the voters, but the Democrats are sort of doing their version of the same. The fix has been in on Hillary from the outset, so fight fire with fire.
why make a big deal over this??? Every movie and every t v show do worst then this everyday. give me a break..
The difference is, that’s entertainment! This is reality and this man is running for the highest office in the U.S. There should be some professionalism. This isn’t a tv show or a movie.
Who decides what is proper? Every one standing on the stage has not been acting very well, but that has been the way it has been from the start. In todays world people act out when they are stressed, etc. A huge number of people want Trump so why are those in DC so scared of him. Give the man a chance instead of expecting him to fail. He may end up being the best the US has ever had.
Thank you. Well said !!!!
100% TRUE. A huge number of people want Trump so why are those in DC so scared of him.
He is the only one who revealed the true to public.
Instead of expecting him to fail, and spending millions dollars for negative adds, donate those millions to our VETS and SENIORS.
GiveTRUMP a chance..
He will end up being the best American President we ever had.
STAND WITH TRUMP AND IGNORE OTHER CROOKED AND DISHONEST CANDIDATES.
GOD BLESS AMERICA – OUR LAND OF FREEDOM.
I agree!! Also, If Trump is so bad and a “looser” why is so much effort given to discredit him!! Smells like a rotten fish to me!!!
Donald Trump proves repeatedly that he is not Presidential timber. We’re asked to “give him a chance.” He’s had multiple chances and all we get is childish selfish self-centered remarks. He brags about what HE will do if elected, apparently forgetting that he WITH THE CONGRESS will accomplish anything that gets accomplished in this republic.
The best thing for the U.S.A. is for Senator Ted Cruz to be named the Republican nominee for President. Donald Trump promises the sky and pecan pie for everyone. But surely we all know better than to believe his promises. We ought to, whether or not we do so.
Yes, vote for Cruz!! He believes in and will follow the constitution!
Vulgarity is NEVER proper.
If you’d be upset if your spouse spoke like that in front of your friends.
if you’d discipline your child for speaking like that…
If you’d be shocked if your grandma spoke that way…
If you’d leave church if your pastor said such things…
Then. it. is . vulgar.
If Trump is going to be president , the FIRST change he has to make in America, is within himself.
Susan M.: I agree that “vulgarity” should have no place in public political discourse, although my impression was that Trump’s remarks were misconstrued by others as “vulgar”. That seems like just another barb I would expect from the mainline GOP ‘bosses’ to use in their campaign to denigrate, disavow and deny the “front-runner” his status with voters. Presidential faux pas?? Um…, okay,… what about Bill? May we expect that the likely “First Gentleman” will arrange to have one or more Lewinski-clones as part of Hillary’s White House retinue? He lied like a trooper then, just as I believe Hillary has been anything but truthful about her (or mishandling?) of many unsavory matters over the years, e.g., Vince Foster’s ‘suicide’, classified documents found on a coffee table, Whitewater, …and let’s not forget, please, the Benghazi Consulate attack and murder of Hillary’s “friend”, Amb. Chris Stevens and other Americans. My personal choice during the current campaign has been Ben Carson, who unfortunately has dropped out. This country could have benefitted enormously from someone of his character, integrity, professional background and well-demonstrated maturity. I fear that, when all is said and done, the neoliberal legions of “the lost” will trample the GOP in 2016, and we will be one more step closer to the final destruction of the USA and all it stands for. 8 (
Why is it that , the almighty is against the wild card , All the bullshit slander is now coming out from the guys that’s would give anything to get Trumps indorse meant in 2012 and now he’s not the guy they want in there corner. He’s a proven winner, and he surrounds himself with capable people to succeed. He’s a better choice than the rest of the crap on stage. And he’s not trying to disarm the people. Trump 2016
Now the time to ride the Trump train. He has shown the way and has gotten people motivated like never before, and
besides I am tired of Congress do nothings getting paid , all the time off, and benefits better than anything we can get and then
they think they have the right to TRASH anybody they want, well I say to HELL with you Bums we need to start to find out if
there really is a “WE THE PEOPLE” in the Constitution and elect an Outsider whether they like it or not. We have taken enough
Crap from the Democrats and our party has turned tailcoat and decided they don’t care what the majority of the people want so
they send a fractured and dismal person like Romney to do the dirty work for them and he is so dumb, he does it knowing he
can’t do any good, but it’s for the party. MY VOTE IS FOR TRUMP and nothing for all the insiders. The only way to fight for our rights is to not vote for people who only want what is best for the Congress Club. Goodbye you lousey theiving MORONS.
100% TRUE. A huge number of people want Trump so why are those in DC so scared of him.
He is the only one who revealed the true to public.
Instead of expecting him to fail, and spending millions dollars for negative adds, donate those millions to our VETS and SENIORS.
GiveTRUMP a chance..
He will end up being the best American President we ever had.
STAND WITH TRUMP AND IGNORE OTHER CROOKED AND DISHONEST CANDIDATES.
GOD BLESS AMERICA – OUR LAND OF FREEDOM.
03/05/16= Good morning Ed, my husband, my family and myself are all supporting Mr. Trump and we are not changing our minds. I feel bad that Mr. Trump, whom is not use to so many attacks at one time, has to endure the attacks as best as he can, only retaliating when necessary. And….we can see that he does this because he loves America and wants to see us protected and prosperous.
Well said, Ed!
It’s no surprise that Cruz and Rubio are going to go after Donald Trump. Donald is in the lead. Unless something changes they are both going to lose.
Gov. Kasich is sticking to the high road. I had hoped this election cycle would provide a discussion about how to solve our nation’s problems rather than hurling insults at each other. While Donald Trump may be good at being loud and boisterous, I’m not sure he is going to be able to provide competent conservative leadership in the White House.
By the way, Marco is right to raise the question about Trump University. Donald’s business ventures give us insight into the kind of president he will be. Through his casinos we know Trump has no problem taking money from others. Through his bankruptcies we know that Donald has no problem letting someone else take the loss after he has taken the profit. Through his multiple marriages we know that Donald has trouble keeping promises–such as to love, honor and cherish til death do they part.
I agree with you Justin & would like to know more about Kasitch . He seems to know what he’s talking about.
And your point is. From your description he sounds like a average american.
Those were good comments about Trump. Smart thinking.
Rubio and Kasich need to drop out and throw their support behind Cruz who is the only one that can beat Trump and eventually Hillary. Gentlemen, please do the right thing before it is too late.
Maybe Mitt should join Whoppi and others and don’t let the door hit you in ______ on the way out!!!
Lol
Romney, pledged, all he has, and, all he is, whatever, that, means, to, the cult, within the LSD, profit, for, prophets, corporation. and, concealed, 300 million dollars, offshore, so it has been said; indicating, that, his sacred oaths, expire, as soon as a more, lucrative one, comes along; in addition to, trying to slither in, after, the millions, others, have spent, and, he wants to sleaze in a free ride…. with, 300 million, he’s concealed….. Just what we need; another, infidel, who, doesn’t believe in, America….. True, or, not…??? …Snidely… Edgrrr…
Ok I like Trump. He’s fresh.
Not a seasoned politician who can move with the other seasoned politicians. The professionals acting out their parts of taking care of the people our senators, congressman., ect. Are more or less in bed together.
What I have received over the years is
less return for every dollar I have made. We currently live in a country with dishonesty, greed, I don’t give a sh&t attitude of oh well everyone is being taken advantage of one way or another. What a great place to live.
Also thanks to our government for the fear they have put into us. So now we all feel more secure if we have a gun.
A man such as Trump is what we need. Someone to manage the big picture. Delete the wasteful spending.
Expose the politicians who have been
stealing our hard earned money. Make them accountable. Rip apart their legalized organization of crime.
Their scam is bigger then anything known to mankind. Wake up America!
When Trump commented on his hands, etc., he was merely repeating what Rubio had said to his “fans” during a rally. I saw it and Rubio said, “his hands(Donald’s) are so small and you know what that means, HaHa”. Nobody said a thing about Rubio saying it, but when Trump repeats it, it’s a firestorm!!!!!!
Cruz has been fighting the status quo, the establishment and the people who want to destroy this country for a long time. Most of the time he was all alone in the trenches, swinging away at our countries enemies, while the phonies in Congress refused to back him up. This is a great man who would be terrific as our president, because he really puts our country first. He is a proven Constitutionalist and will make sure that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are followed and protected to the letter of the law. I do not believe any of the baloney they have spread about Cruz, this is being done to keep him from becoming president so the phonies and traitors in Congress and Washington can keep right on doing what they have been doing for many years. NOTHING ! A Cruz / Trump ticket would be the absolute greatest thing we could do for our country right now. And, it would almost guarantee 16 yrs. of Republican rule in this country. Haven’t the Democrats done enough damage to this great land ? Sincerely, Martin Korab.
Boy! Things are going from ridiculous to even more ridiculous.. I would have though that a debate would be about policy and stuff. But no, we have to hear grown men having a boy’s school yard fight. Shame, shame, shame. You would think that with almost 4 million people in this country that we could come up with a few good grown up.
Thank you “Keye Williams” for your accurate comment. I was watching Rubio the whole week who was attacking to and using all kind of language against Trump, and when trump goes back to him he start boiling and using harsh words. I think he is not matured yet and not suitable for the job, which is well over his head.
I have been reading these comments for quite some time now, in despair on how this nation is so easily fooled on the way this nation is being run. I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, and have always voted in as much of a conservative constitutional direction as I could. I am dismayed to see so many of this once great nation with their hands out to take as much as they can for nothing. Those that are elected seem to be the ones that promise to give free stuff if they are elected. Where all this stuff comes from starts and ends with the two principals, Congress and Senate. A good and responsible proposition should be agreed upon by both bodies and eventually (even with the veto of the President) become law. So, depending on who we elect determines the eventual outcome. In both parties it seems that there are not very many good candidates, leading to the corrupt government we are now experiencing. In these comments today there is only one that I feel worthy of my first time comment. One from Martin Korab! I too have been monitoring actions by some in the Senate for a few years now and those of Senator Cruz have impressed me immensely in his constitutional views and actions. If more representatives like Cruz are not elected in the very near future, I fear this once great nation which is nearly beyond repair will succumb and be no more!
Thank you for the first grammatically correct and logical comment on this page. English is still the official language of this country. More people should learn to use it correctly.
I’ve wanted BEN CARSON all along. I still do. But if our choice is limited to the four in this last debate, I believe we all should get on the Cruz bandwagon for the duration of this campaign. With BEN CARSON as his Vice-President, Ted Cruz will do well. I marvel that Republican leaders LIKE this debate mess. Airing our dirty linen is not my idea of how to win friends and influence people. The debates have proved divisive and have given the nation a look at each of the possible candidates. How anyone could vote for Donald Trump seems odd. He has lied to the first two wives and deserted them one after the other, and has experienced several bankruptcies of businesses, with him always avoiding losses but everyone else losing their shirts or worse.He brags about what HE will accomplish if elected, apparently forgetting that this is not yet a dictatorship. One man I’m sure I do not want as our President is Donald Trump.
Trump is a crass blowhard – he talks and talks but nothing of substance comes out. So some of you keep drinking the Kool Aid we’ll see how it ends. He and Hillary are two peas in a pod.
Trump all the way, he is just not a lying polished professional . Big POPPA G.
After all, it’s hard to imagine a sitting president making a joke in public about, well, you know.
HA. After Bill “I did not have sex with that woman” Clinton and Obama using floodlights to Gayify the White House this is tame stuff.
Is it possible that even the repubs are
Conspiring to have hillary as president.
This whole situation is weird. Seems
That both sides are against trump and
Maybe she wants to be queen and has
Made promises to everybody no matter
What party they are. I think when trump
Gets in office hell force both parties to
Meet with him every day.unlike obama
Who doesnt want anything to do with
The house or senate. Trump em trump.
I’m impressed by the Conservative Constitutionalists who support Cruz. The Constitution establishes that it is a qualification for the presidency that they be a natural born citizen of the United States. What is there about being born a citizen do you all not understand. Cruz would withdraw if he had integrity because he was born in Canada. Apparently he has a character flaw.
Please vet your candidates!!!
Google: Cruz dirty campaign donors and do the same for Rubio. You will see the establishment of D and R all under same control. Do your homework and follow the money to the bosses
Trump 2016