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| Republican debate live: candidates set to spar as Trump tries to steal the show | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.09am GMT | |
| 02:09 | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| Bush is asked about his status as an establishment figure, and whether the division of the establishment has enabled the rise of outsiders. | |
| “We’re just starting. The first vote hasn’t been cast yet. Let’s let the process play out,” Bush says. | |
| Then, unprompted: “I kind of miss Donald Trump. He was such a teddy bear to me. ... Everyone else was in the witness protection program when I went after him.” | |
| Bush is branding himself as the candidate who had the guts to take on Trump. | |
| 2.07am GMT | |
| 02:07 | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| Rubio gets the ball. He is asked about unifying the Republican party. | |
| The election’s not about Trump! Rubio says, bringing up Trump himself. | |
| “He’s an entertaining guy, he’s the greatest show on Earth.” | |
| But the election is about replacing Barack Obama, a “disaster”, Rubio says. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.08am GMT | |
| 2.06am GMT | |
| 02:06 | |
| Mona Chalabi | |
| I miss clap-o-meters | |
| 2.06am GMT | |
| 02:06 | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| Cruz is asked about the fight that’s broken out between him and Trump. | |
| “If Donald engages in insults or anybody else, I do not intend to reciprocate ... To every Donald Trump voter or potential voter, I hope to earn your support,” he says. | |
| Cruz says “policies and vision and record should be the meat of politics,” not personal insults. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.07am GMT | |
| 2.05am GMT | |
| 02:05 | |
| Cruz slams Trump | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| First question is to Cruz, and about Trump: what does his absence say to Iowa voters? | |
| Cruz starts out by thanking Iowans. “If I’m elected president, keep an eye on the tarmac, because I’ll be back.” | |
| I’m a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly. And Ben, you’re a terrible surgeon. And now that we’ve got the Donald Trump portion out of the way, I want to thank everyone on this stage for showing the respect to show up and make their cases to the people of Iowa. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.07am GMT | |
| 2.03am GMT | |
| 02:03 | |
| And here are all the top-tier Republicans... except one #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/FoaNTAuJAz | |
| 2.03am GMT | |
| 02:03 | |
| The crowd cheerfully claps for the participants. Rand Paul is applauded wildly – he apparently brought his fan base. Baier says the crowd is very excited to be here. He gets claps and whoops. | |
| 2.01am GMT | |
| 02:01 | |
| Republican debate begins | |
| Here we are, back inside the Iowa Events Center. The moderators are Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. We are about to meet the candidates. Seven onstage. No empty lectern awaiting Trump. | |
| 1.59am GMT | |
| 01:59 | |
| Scott Bixby | |
| Attendees of Donald Trump’s anti-debate event are now listening to “The Playlist,” the well-documented music set list that plays before every one of Trump’s campaign events. Comprised primarily of classic rock tunes with a smattering of Adele, Puccini arias and Broadway standards from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS, the set typically plays on loop as crowds await an appearance by Trump. | |
| Here at the Guardian’s campaign liveblog - where the campaign trail comes alive! - we bring you the chance to experience the set list from the comfort of your homes. | |
| A special thanks from seven-time Tony winner Lloyd Webber. | |
| 1.58am GMT | |
| 01:58 | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| You asked, we answered. | |
| Google trends is tracking the top questions about Jeb Bush posed to Google in advance of tonight’s main event debate, which is scheduled to start in about a half hour. | |
| See the top trending questions on @JebBush before the #GOPDebate https://t.co/gmZioSFk5K pic.twitter.com/FZsXfKCWAH | |
| Let’s give these a crack. | |
| 1. 62. He turns 63 on 11 February, in a couple weeks, two days after New Hampshire. | |
| 2. Yes. Opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at stake. | |
| 3. Well, do you mean George W. Bush, or George HW Bush? | |
| 4. LOL | |
| 5. Has Jeb! really Googled this enough times for it to trend? | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.59am GMT | |
| 1.54am GMT | |
| 01:54 | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| Tonight’s debate is in the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Here are the participants in tonight’s main event debate, in alphabetical order. | |
| Who: The main event features: | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.55am GMT | |
| 1.52am GMT | |
| 01:52 | |
| Main event debate to begin | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| For readers playing through and for those of you just joining us – welcome! to our live-wire coverage of the seventh Republican presidential debate, plus Donald Trump’s parallel competing event. | |
| The non-Trump Republicans are scrambling for position in second place as the Iowa caucuses loom, just four days out now. Tonight watch for aggressive closing arguments from Texas senator Ted Cruz, who is clinging closest to Trump in the Hawkeye state and Florida senator Marco Rubio, who’s in third, according to polling averages. | |
| But tonight’s the night for the candidates to leave nothing on the table. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush is facing what has at times appeared to be the sunset of his candidacy. New Jersey governor Chris Christie will continue to make a hard sell to New Hampshire voters. And Ohio governor John Kasich has shown some life in the Granite state. | |
| Meanwhile, there’s Trump, who’s tweaking Fox News by boycotting their spectacle and mounting his own. It’s hard to talk of expectations where Trump is concerned. What we can expect is a unique spectacle in American politics, an election front-runner abandoning the field and striking off alone. | |
| Thanks for joining us! | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.52am GMT | |
| 1.50am GMT | |
| 01:50 | |
| Sabrina Siddiqui | |
| Donald Trump may not be participating in tonight’s debate, but the Republican frontrunner remains the talk of the town as candidates prepare to take the stage in Des Moines. | |
| Trump’s ongoing battle with Fox News remains at the forefront of media coverage, with the real estate mogul announcing just now on CNN that the network had apologized to him. He will nonetheless hold on to his pledge to skip the debate, a move that could steer significant attention away from Trump’s opponents, who are looking to distinguish themselves in his absence. | |
| All eyes are particularly on Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, the two first-term senators who are polling behind Trump both nationally and in the early states. Cruz is hoping to seal the deal with undecided caucus-goers in Iowa, where he has invested heavily for his grassroots campaign. | |
| Rubio goes into this debate having been on the receiving end of close to $25m in attack ads by his opponents - more than any other candidate in the race - and he will likely have the largest target on his back. Other so-called establishment candidates believe they must knock the Florida senator out to gain traction as a viable alternative to Trump and Cruz. | |
| Rand Paul will also return to the stage, having been forced out of the previous debate due to low polling. | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.52am GMT | |
| 1.50am GMT | |
| 01:50 | |
| Scott Bixby | |
| In a just-aired interview with CNN, Donald Trump told the cable news network that an unnamed figure at Fox News “apologized” to the billionaire frontrunner for a “wise-guy” press release that the network released earlier this week. | |
| “I was treated very unfairly by Fox. Since then they’ve been excellent, they’ve been very nice, but it’s too late,” Trump told CNN’s Brianna Keilar in an interview aboard his private plane. | |
| “I wanted to fight for myself just like I’ll fight for the country,” Trump said. “You have to stick up for yourself, you have to fight for yourself and you have to fight for your country.” | |
| In the interview, Trump declared that despite the alleged apology, he would continue with his plans to host a counter-programmed benefit/fundraiser/rally/anti-debate three miles from the debate hall. | |
| 1.43am GMT | |
| 01:43 | |
| Scott Bixby | |
| Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, fresh off of his (potentially final) Republican presidential primary debate performance, has officially made it to Donald Trump’s campaign rally-slash-military fundraiser at Drake University. | |
| Huckabee waiting in the wings. #notthedebate pic.twitter.com/BIsINi0aqd | |
| Huckabee, winners of the 2008 Iowa caucuses, told the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman that he would attend the event after participating in tonight’s undercard debate on Fox News purely to support US veterans. Huckabee further clarified that his attendance is “not an endorsement of Trump’s candidacy,” telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he’s “still running for president.” | |
| Or, at least, until the results of Monday’s caucuses come in. | |
| 1.41am GMT | |
| 01:41 | |
| Former Florida governor Jeb Bush keeps his eyes on the opposition – not meaning Trump: | |
| The best poster to see before tonight’s #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/BhxFZVRJwG | |
| 1.40am GMT | |
| 01:40 | |
| Mona Chalabi | |
| While we’re warming up for the main show, the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News is talking about the importance of name recognition. But face recognition can matter too for these debates and a poll by Vox and Morning Consult suggests that Trump and Clinton are well ahead of their peers on that measure. | |
| Of the 2,028 registered voters they polled, 97% correctly identified Hillary Clinton when shown a picture of her face and 96% identified Trump. | |
| Bernie Sanders only managed 69%. His fellow Democrat Martin O’Malley was correctly identified by 30% and Republican John Kasich by a measly 34%. | |
| 1.37am GMT | |
| 01:37 | |
| Lucia Graves | |
| Carly Fiorina said some pretty offensive things about Hillary Clinton that were sexist and disappointing – especially coming from another woman, writes Lucia Graves. | |
| Fiorina was asked about her earlier comment: “Unlike the other woman candidate in this race, I actually love spending time with my husband.” | |
| It’s disappointing when people make sexist attacks on Hillary Clinton. It’s especially disappointing when the person making those attacks is the only other woman running for president. | |
| Fiorina is doing text book stuff: attacking Clinton’s personal choice to stick by her husband in the face of his infidelities and, basically, accusing her of being ambitious. | |
| “Hillary Clinton has been climbing the ladder to try to get power, and here now she is trying for the White House, she is probably more qualified for the big house,” Fiorina said on Fox News. “She’s escaped prosecution more times than El Chapo ... ” | |
| Skipping over the part where she compares Clinton to a recently recaptured Mexican drug lord, let’s take a closer look at why in 2015 we think it’s OK to attack the only woman who has had a serious shot at the presidency for being ambitious. | |
| Every single person running for president is ambitious; it comes with the territory ... But you won’t hear any one accusing Donald Trump of “climbing the ladder”. No, that’s an attack specifically reserved for women. | |
| And Fiorina, who has repeatedly endured gendered attacks herself – think of the time Trump made fun of her face – should know better. I’m not holding her to a higher standard. Just to her own. | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.38am GMT | |
| 1.31am GMT | 1.31am GMT |
| 01:31 | 01:31 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| You asked, we answered. | You asked, we answered. |
| Google trends is tracking the top questions about Donald Trump posed to Google in advance of tonight’s main event debate, which is scheduled to start in about a half hour. | Google trends is tracking the top questions about Donald Trump posed to Google in advance of tonight’s main event debate, which is scheduled to start in about a half hour. |
| Here are the top trending questions on @realDonaldTrump ahead of the #GOPDebate https://t.co/gmZioSFk5K pic.twitter.com/kWxExthLEK | Here are the top trending questions on @realDonaldTrump ahead of the #GOPDebate https://t.co/gmZioSFk5K pic.twitter.com/kWxExthLEK |
| Let’s give these a crack. | Let’s give these a crack. |
| 1. Because he could. | 1. Because he could. |
| 2. All of them except for Fox? | 2. All of them except for Fox? |
| 3. Are you kidding? The networks broadcast his every phone call. When there’s not even a picture. | 3. Are you kidding? The networks broadcast his every phone call. When there’s not even a picture. |
| 4. Let’s go to the tape: | 4. Let’s go to the tape: |
| 5. No. | 5. No. |
| Trump campaign just confirmed to me that he WILL NOT participate in Fox News debate tonight | Trump campaign just confirmed to me that he WILL NOT participate in Fox News debate tonight |
| 1.24am GMT | 1.24am GMT |
| 01:24 | 01:24 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| Donald Trump is holding an event next week in a state that is not holding a primary anytime in the near future. The Republican frontrunner will be headed to Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday. | Donald Trump is holding an event next week in a state that is not holding a primary anytime in the near future. The Republican frontrunner will be headed to Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday. |
| The event, combined with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s appearance at Trump’s event tonight, will be sure to get tongues wagging about whether the Republican candidate might drop out and endorse Trump there. Huckabee has set his hopes on a strong performance in Iowa, but the former Iowa caucus winner has been lagging in the polls in the Hawkeye State. | The event, combined with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s appearance at Trump’s event tonight, will be sure to get tongues wagging about whether the Republican candidate might drop out and endorse Trump there. Huckabee has set his hopes on a strong performance in Iowa, but the former Iowa caucus winner has been lagging in the polls in the Hawkeye State. |
| 1.20am GMT | 1.20am GMT |
| 01:20 | 01:20 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| The concert hall where the Trump event is taking place is an old-fashioned venue with red velvet curtains and wooden chairs and is filling up with a mix of Trump supporters and veterans. The headgear is a blend of Make America Great Again hats and caps representing various American Legion posts that veterans belong to and naval ships which they served on. | The concert hall where the Trump event is taking place is an old-fashioned venue with red velvet curtains and wooden chairs and is filling up with a mix of Trump supporters and veterans. The headgear is a blend of Make America Great Again hats and caps representing various American Legion posts that veterans belong to and naval ships which they served on. |
| Many attendees had come from out of state to be there like Doug Banker, a Marine veteran from Los Angeles. The long haired bearded veteran was sitting calmly wearing a white and gold Make America Great Again hat and checkered blue suit. He had flown out to Des Moines to support his fellow veterans at the event. | Many attendees had come from out of state to be there like Doug Banker, a Marine veteran from Los Angeles. The long haired bearded veteran was sitting calmly wearing a white and gold Make America Great Again hat and checkered blue suit. He had flown out to Des Moines to support his fellow veterans at the event. |
| Banker, a conservative who wasn’t committed to supporting Trump, though the real estate mogul’s decision to boycott the debate could be a good thing. It showed Trump “was not going to give into Fox News and what not and to what everyone expects.” | Banker, a conservative who wasn’t committed to supporting Trump, though the real estate mogul’s decision to boycott the debate could be a good thing. It showed Trump “was not going to give into Fox News and what not and to what everyone expects.” |