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Republican debate live: candidates spar as Trump tries to steal the show Republican debate live: candidates spar as Trump tries to steal the show
(35 minutes later)
2.44am GMT 3.18am GMT
02:44 03:18
Scott Bixby
Donald Trump, master of apophasis, declares that he won’t bring up any polls tonight before bringing up his standing in the polls:
“We’ve had amazing polls in Iowa, we’ve had amazing polls no matter where we’ve been,” Trump says. “We’re leading in Iowa and every single state.”
2.43am GMT
02:43
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Bush is asked whether he would police charity organizations that say they’re helping veterans? Bush is asked why he’s losing to Hillary Clinton in polls. Bush denies the premise. He says he can take on Clinton. In any case, he says, the Clinton fight will be an ugly one. “It’s not beanbag.”
Bush says the first duty is to fix the department of veteran’s affairs. He says employees get bonuses while people don’t get care. Rubio adds: “Hillary does not run against be, but I cannot wait to run against her.”
Bush calls for a choice card for veterans so they don’t have to travel for care. “Give veterans choices and you’ll get a much better result.” He calls for more private programs supporting vets. 3.17am GMT
Another strong answer from Bush. He’s applauded. 03:17
2.42am GMT
02:42
Scott Bixby
Fox News has issued a statement about the series of phone calls that took place between Donald Trump and Fox News chief Roger Ailes:
#Break: Statement from Fox News about Trump-Ailes conversations pic.twitter.com/6iTXQTc5W6
2.41am GMT
02:41
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Carson says that the United States should accept anyone who embraces American values and laws. He’s applauded. He’s improved on the stage over the course of these seven debates. Wallace basically asks Cruz why his colleagues hate him. “Does your style get in the way of your message?”
Kasich is asked about potential “backdoors” in encryption programs that could backfire by making the technology vulnerable to hackers. “I am not the candidate of career politicians in Washington,” Cruz says. He says the endorsements he’s proud of are thousands of volunteers, Rep Steve King of Iowa and evangelical leader James Dobson. He don’t need no stinkin colleagues.
Kasich says it’s best not to talk about some of these things. “It’ll be solved,” Kasich says. Cruz says if he’s elected he will, every do, “tell the truth and do what I said I would do.” And we have that on video.
It’s public record, Kelly says. 3.14am GMT
“It’s best not to talk about it,” Kasich says. Meaning: the public should not be part of the decision on how to balance security and privacy in technologies everybody uses. 03:14
2.40am GMT
02:40
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
Mike Huckabee replaces Santorum at the lectern and throws caution to the wind. “I figure you’re gonna get the photo anyway, I might as well stand here,” he says. Donald Trump, thanking the audience again, exits the stage to the strains of Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep.”
“Without you, there is no government,” he says of American military veterans, to another vigorous “U-S-A” chant. 3.14am GMT
“You see, in my mind here, I heard you saying ‘Go, Huck, go!’” he responds. 03:14
Despite their possible divides in politics, Huckabee says, he couldn’t avoid making an appearance at the event, because “bigger than even the election, is the fact that we wouldn’t have free elections in this country without people who stood between bullets bombs.”
2.40am GMT
02:40
Jeb Lund
Ted Cruz’s plan to win this debate is evidently to turn into a plungingly less humorous version of Donald Trump with at least twice the peevishness. He has (surprise!) narcissistically decided that all questions are being asked with the aim of giving other candidates ammunition to “go after” Ted Cruz, so he is going to litigate the conduct of the debate with the moderators.
He has also decided to simultaneously be the bulldog going after the moderators, while embracing the familiar conservative cry of being constantly victimized by questions, issues, press, other conservatives. He’s getting hammered on policy, not on being himself, and trying to play the victim on what is supposed to be his specialty: being a know-it-all. You made your bed, sir.
2.38am GMT
02:38
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Christie is asked about profiling and law enforcement to stop terror attacks. Christie says common sense obviates the need for profiling. Question off YouTube from an immigrant and a veteran. She says the campaign has been alienating for some immigrants. What does Carson have to say about that?
“Use common sense and let law enforcement make those decisions. That can be done without profiling people. That’s just common sense,” Christie says, somewhat circularly. “We are a land of immigrants,” Carson says. “But we have to be intelligent about the way we form our immigration policies. And that’s one reason I’ve called for us to declare war on the Islamic State.
He says that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have not supported law enforcement but he would. “If you’ve got ten people coming to your house, and you know that one of them is a terrorist, you’re probably going to keep them all out.”
2.37am GMT Then Bush shows Carson as it’s done. “We should be a welcoming nation...we should celebrate it as conservatives. That’s what we believe in.”
02:37 Respectful applause.
3 amigos... Santorum and Huckabee join Trump onstage #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/NmozxwGD3g 3.13am GMT
2.36am GMT 03:13
02:36
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
Donald Trump introduces former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum - winners of the 2008 and 2012 Iowa caucuses, respectively. Donald Trump introduces his very pregnant daughter Ivanka, who is due to give birth in two weeks.
Santorum takes a turn at the lectern - his second of the night, after his undercard debate performance on Fox News - and makes an effort to avoid an awkward photo opportunity: I said, ‘Ivanka, it would be so great if you had your baby in Iowa! It would be so great - I would win!’”
Santorum: I want to stand a little bit over here so I’m not photographed with the Trump sign 3.13am GMT
“I’m supporting another candidate for president,” Santorum jokes, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together when it comes to helping our veterans, and that’s what Mike and I are doing here tonight.” 03:13
2.36am GMT
02:36
Tom McCarthy
Paul nails Rubio on immigration. “It’s a huge mistake to close down mosques. But if you want to keep the country safe, it begins with border security,” he says.
Paul accuses Rubio him of having made a “deal with Chuck Schumer” not to accept any conservative amendments to Rubio’s Gang of 8 immigration reform bill.
Rubio says that any immigrant to the United States under his presidency will be fully vetted.
2.34am GMT
02:34
Mona Chalabi
To state the incredibly obvious, if you’re watching the debate right now, you’re not alone. What’s interesting though is that the percentage of people saying they’ve watched a debate is higher now than it was in December 2007, according to a national survey from Pew Research Center. When Pew asked in December 2015, 69% of respondents said they’d watched at least one of the televised debates - in December 2007, that figure was just 43%.
The chart below from Pew shows how that varies by age group.
What’s more, despite the fact that these debates have discussed little in the way of policy, more Americans are describing them as “interesting” compared to January 2012 or October 2007. That’s true whether the respondents were Republican, Democrat or Independent.
2.32am GMT
02:32
Richard WolffeRichard Wolffe
Ted Cruz does some more masterful deflection – with the help of Ronald Reagan, points out Richard Wolffe. After resting through the ad break, Megyn Kelly goes in for the kill. Armed with video clips of previous Rubio statements, Kelly nails Rubio on immigration reform and amnesty. Rubio blinks furiously and his cheeks look flushed. He only regains his composure - and eye blinking rate - once he goes to the safe zone of killing Isis. Rubio still seemed ruffled when he attacked his former mentor Jeb Bush on the same question several minutes later.
This is Olympic-quality question-dodging by Ted Cruz. Asked by Chris Wallace about his votes against defense budgets, Cruz launches into an extended diatribe against Barack Obama’s defense budgets. Even when asked a follow-up - in response to a few barbed comments by Marco Rubio - Cruz talks not about his own position, but about his idol: Ronald Reagan. 3.12am GMT
Cruz likes to position himself as the second coming of Reagan, which is a lot better than discussing his own budget votes. Oh yes: and they all want to annihilate, eviscerate and exterminate Isis. In case you were confused on that point. 03:12
2.32am GMT
02:32
Adam Gabbatt
While Fox News is streaming the GOP debate, its news channel competitors are gleefully mopping up ratings by showing Donald Trump’s rally live.
Even before Trump’s event began, CNN was running a “breaking news” chyron: “Waiting Trump event.”
Once Trump started, they gave him their full attention. So far they have stuck with him for his entire speech.
It was the same with MSNBC. They’ve interrupted the Rachel Maddow show to go live to Trumptown. They’re still there.
2.31am GMT
02:31
Tom McCarthy
Cruz tries to cut in. Wallace shuts him down. “I know you like to argue about the rules but we’re going to conduct the debate,” Wallace says.
Cruz is booed.
Bush gets the question: “Given the fact that your brother got us into two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have still not ended, what have you learned from his mistakes, sir?”
The question is booed.
Bush presents himself as a foreign policy realist. “It is from the lessons of history that we do this... the caliphate of Isis has to be destroyed,” he says. He points out that he detailed his plan last summer.
An applause line: “Get the lawyers off the backs of the military, once and for all.”
In all a well-received answer from Bush on foreign policy. He’s peppy this evening.
Cruz is really getting booed. He gets the chance to reply, and says that the moderators are asking questions encouraging the candidates to attack one another.
Cruz saves himself, a bit, with a joke: “If you guys ask one more mean question, I may have to leave the stage.”
2.30am GMT
02:30
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
Donald Trump introduces Phil Ruffin, a casino billionaire, and his wife, who announces that he is donating $1m “to your charity.” Donald Trump retakes the lectern and declares that, with him in the Oval Office, the US is going to win again.
“He says, ‘There’s ten or twenty more of them if you want it or you need it,’” Trump says of Ruffin, before declaring that he turned down the billionaire’s money out of his conviction that politicians shouldn’t be bought. “We’re gonna win at the military, we’re gonna win at the border, we’re gonna win at trade,” Trump says. “We’re gonna win at every single level - and we’re not gonna be laughed at throughout the rest of the world.”
“I don’t feel good about turning down money because my whole life I’ve been greedy greedy greedy,” Trump says, “but I’m gonna be greedy for the United States!” “It really turned out to be a phenomenal night,” Trump says.
The crowd erupts into a short-lived “U-S-A” chant. 3.11am GMT
2.27am GMT 03:11
02:27 Here are some clips from the debate so far:
Richard Wolffe 3.11am GMT
Without Trump on the debate stage, some candidates look a lot more relaxed, notes Richard Wolffe 03:11
John Kasich purses his lips several times in a weird kind of pout as Chris Wallace describes him as an inside-outside candidate. It’s almost like he loves the question so much that he wants to kiss his questioner. Knives out for Cruz
Maybe it’s just the most visible sign of the different mood that hangs over the Trumpless stage. Every candidate seems more confident and relaxed without an unpredictable real estate developer throwing firebombs from center stage. Who knew?
2.27am GMT
02:27
Christie: Clinton 'not qualified'
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Welcome back! Now Kelly is hitting Cruz with video of him on the Senate floor sounding an awful lot like he supported legal status for undocumented migrants in the immigration reform bill.
Christie has compared Cruz and Rubio to Obama, who took office as an inexperienced senator. He has claimed since that an amendment he proposed to block citizenship for undocumented migrants was meant to be a poison pill, meant to kill the bill, not to get it to pass with a legal status clause.
Christie says that what the country should really be worried about is Hillary Clinton. Cruz denies it. Then Paul jumps in.
Christie’s favorite tack: taking it to Clinton. “She put American secrets at risk for her convenience... Let me tell you who’s not qualified to be president of the United States, Chris. Hillary Rodham Clinton.” “It’s a falseness. That’s an authenticity problem,” Paul says.
2.25am GMT Cruz says don’t take his word for it about whether he supported the immigration reform bil. Ask Jeff Sessions.
02:25 Rubio attacks: “This is the lie that Ted’s campaign is built on, and Rand touched on it. The truth is, you’ve been willing to say or do anything in order to get votes!”
“You know I like Marco, he’s very charming, he’s very smooth,” Cruz says. But, he says, Rubio supported amnesty, while “I honored my commitments.”
Then Christie jumps in and says “I feel like I need a Washington-to-English dictionary converter.” The crowd claps, agreeing.
3.10am GMT
03:10
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
#FactCheck: Donald Trump introduces social media sensation Diamond and Silk, who have gained online notoriety for their support of his candidacy as the “Stump for Trump” duo, who urge the gathered audience to caucus for Trump.
Trump says he has raised almost $6 million. His website says he has raised $430,000 pic.twitter.com/oSmtEpnoiO 3.07am GMT
Updated 03:07
at 2.26am GMT
2.24am GMT
02:24
Tom McCarthy
First commercial break! Who’s winning? Cruz is certainly on his feet. Rubio talking fast as usual. Kasich projecting confidence. Bush claiming to be the fighter. Paul with a nice condemnation of dragnet surveillance. Carson sharper. Christie looking for an in.
They’re on point tonight, as a group.
2.24am GMT
02:24
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
Donald Trump’s rally has already been interrupted by protestors shouting “We love our vets, Trump loves war!”, who are almost immediately drowned out by chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!” Protesters return, chanting “We love veterans, Trump loves war!”
“It really is too crazy, right?” Trump mugs at the audience. “I love protests - I love protests at my rallies.” “If we could sit with them for ten minutes, maybe, maybe they’d understand,” Trump says of the protesters.
3.06am GMT
03:06
Scott Bixby
Donald Trump is presented with a “22Kill Honor Ring,” a black band worn on the right index finger that aims to raise awareness of suicide among US military veterans.
“Isn’t that better than this debate that’s going on where everyone’s sleeping?” Trump asks.
3.05am GMT
03:05
Rubio faces tale of tape on immigration
Tom McCarthy
They are back. Here they are! Live from Des Moines. Now the topic of immigration, and Rubio. As a senator he said he would oppose citizenship or blanket legalization amnesty for undocumented migrants.
Oh! They hit him with a highlights video reel of him opposing amesty in 2009. But “Within two years of getting elected, you supported legislation that included a path to citizenship.”
“Haven’t you already proven that you can’t be trusted on this issue?” Kelly asks him.
Rubio speaks very quickly and tries to say he’s been consistent but what’s really important is to secure the border.
Bush jumps in, shaking his head.
“I’m kind of confused, because he was the sponsor of the Gang of Eight bill,” Bush says. “And I supported him, because I think people, when they’re elected, you need to do things.”
Bush says Rubio “cut and run” on immigration. Bush says he supports a path to legal status for undocumented migrants. He is to the left of this crowd on this issue. “That’s the conservative consensus.”
Then Bush gets laughs for saying his book on immigration reform is on sale on Amazon for $2.99. “Affordable for everybody.”
“You used to support a path to citizenship!” Rubio says.
“So did you. So did you, Marco,” Bush replies.
Rubio: “You changed your position from a path to citizenship to a path to legal status.”
Bush: “I think it’s important, when people who are elected to office, to forge consensus. He cut and run.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.33am GMT at 3.07am GMT
2.23am GMT 3.04am GMT
02:23 03:04
Richard Wolffe
Is there a candidate on stage who blinks as much as Marco Rubio? We may be seeing even more of his eyelashes than we are of Megyn Kelly’s. They say blinking is a sign of nervousness. If so, Rubio was seriously unnerved by the question about him shifting positions on cap and trade and climate change.
Rubio pins his pretzel of a position on Charlie Crist, the man he described as a liberal governor who pretended to be a Republican. Then again, when it comes to climate change, Rubio isn’t a scientist, man. So maybe he can be forgiven for changing positions.
3.03am GMT
03:03
Scott Bixby
It’s hard to put this quotation in the correct context, but John Wayne Walding, retired Green Beret, says that the fact that 22 veterans commit suicide every day makes him furious.
“I want to punch the 22 vets committing suicide in the mouth,” Walding says.
3.00am GMT
03:00
Lucia Graves
Trump supporters have found a way of dealing with protesters that doesn’t involve violence, notes Lucia Graves.
The Trump campaign has successfully figured out how to get its supporters to respond to protesters in more appropriate ways. When a handful of protesters interrupted Trump’s event the audience turned and shouted – “Trump! Trump! Trump!” – drowning out the voices of the protesters.
It was highly effective. I for one couldn’t hear anything the protesters were saying, and Trump easily continued with his speech. “I love the protesters in the big arena because the cameras never move,” Trump continued gleefully. “They’re always on my face!”
After reports that a protester was beaten and choked at a Trump rally earlier in the election season, the campaign has been taking the issue of how to respond to protesters more seriously. And chanting “Trump!” is exactly the response the Trump campaign has been coaching its supporters to take.
At a rally in Iowa last week, a voice over the loudspeakers explicitly told rally attendees not to respond with violence to any protesters that might surface. At an event later in the week, supporters were instructed to hold their signs over their heads and shout “Trump!”
Say what you will about Trump supporters, but they follow directions well.
2.57am GMT
02:57
Scott Bixby
https://t.co/cXhdKfZiSQ right now pic.twitter.com/Z3T3unzTUK
2.56am GMT
02:56
Commercial break the third. Next up after the break: immigration. How are they doing up there? Pretty good from Christie. Kind of popped a bit. Kasich seemed to answer strongly on the Flint water crisis but the crowd did not seem inspired.
2.56am GMT
02:56
Mona ChalabiMona Chalabi
In addition to its enormous financial power, Google is getting opportunities to shape the political debate in ways that are slightly unsettling. While the candidates’ faces are saying an assortment of words, I am wondering about the make-up adorning said faces. I’ve spent some time trying to find out which adult is responsible for the assortment of pancake tones on our screens right now.
A pie chart just popped up on the screen showing what Americans were searching for in Google. Apparently it was overwhelmingly terrorism. I believe I might have an answer. This LA Times article profiles Kriss Soterion, describing her as “a former New Hampshire beauty queen with a lower back tattoo and the distinction of having powdered the noses of every major presidential candidate for the past 16 years”. I’ve been poking around her Instagram account and perhaps this year is no exception.
Let’s set aside the fact that there is no way in hell that over 80% of all Google searches were for the word terrorism (and let’s also set aside that pie charts are terrible) the issue is a lack of transparency. I’ve contacted her and will let you know if I hear back.
Google Trends data does not the actual volume of search traffic, just a murky index of changing popularity over time. Every time you see numbers attached to Google tonight, I’d read them with plenty of skepticism. Meanwhile if you have any tips regarding political make-up please contact mona.chalabi@theguardian.com
2.23am GMT 2.55am GMT
02:23 02:55
Tom McCarthy
Bush is asked about statehood for Puerto Rico. He says Puerto Rico should have self determination. “The status of statehood won’t be solved until we deal with the bigger issue” of systemic economic weaknesses, he says.
Then Kasich is asked about the Flint, Michigan, lead poisoning water crisis. “You’ve really got to move when you face a situation like that.. You’ve got to be on top of it, you’ve got to go the extra mile, you’ve got to work with local communities, you’ve got to work for the federal government,” the Ohio governor says.
That’s the first mention tonight of the federal government as an actually useful thing.
“We work for the people, they don’t work for us,” Kasich concludes. But weak applause.
Is this crowd tired? Rubio delivers a pretty sharp response about the evils of cap-and-trade legislation to limit carbon emissions– and the crowd really phones it in on the clapping.
2.53am GMT
02:53
Scott BixbyScott Bixby
Donald Trump isn’t sure whether or not this special event will end up hurting him in the polls - but he doesn’t care. Donald Trump introduces staff sergeant John Wayne Walding, a veteran, former Green Beret who lost his leg in a joint US-Afghan raid nicknamed the Battle of Shok Valley in 2008. He and the rest of his team were awarded the Silver Star for their efforts.
Will I get more votes? Will I get less votes? Nobody knows. Who the hell knows?” "I feel cooler than Burt Reynolds coming up here getting introduced by Donald Trump"
Trump tells the crowd that his campaign - or the veterans, he’s not really clear - has raised more than $5m in the past two days because of his feud with Fox News. “I was very pleased to hear him say that I could get up and speak to you, and so for that I thank you Mr. Trump,” Walding says. Walding, who describes himself as an old friend of Trump’s and his family, paces around the stage because, he jokes, “a moving target is harder to hit.”
“Really, it was closer to $6m,” he boasts. “I lost my leg in Afghanistan,” Walding says. “That’s how I got off that mountain - carrying my leg and fighting next to my brothers.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.26am GMT at 2.53am GMT
2.22am GMT 2.51am GMT
02:22 02:51
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Rubio calls for rebuilding the American military. He says that Cruz has voted against funding it – the authorization act vote. For Cruz: How would you replace Obamacare?
Cruz says that Obama has allowed the military to deteriorate dangerously. “What Reagan did was he began with tax reform and regulatory reform,” unleashing economic growth and then rebuilding the military, Cruz explains. Cruz: Obamacare is a disaster and a job killer. “If I am elected president we will repeal every word of Obamacare.” Then he would allow health insurance purchases across state lines; expand health savings accounts; and work to delink health insurance from employment.
“I intend to do the exact same thing,” Cruz says. Sounds like it could take awhile. No small order.
2.20am GMT 2.49am GMT
02:20 02:49
Scott Bixby
“We had about 24 hours to put this together,” Donald Trump tells the crowd. “It was very, very quick. This is an honor; this is a really... honor.”
Trump tells his fans that his refusal to attend the Fox News debate comes from the same place as his desire to make America great again. “You have to stick up for your rights when you’re treated badly,” Trump says. “You have to stick up for your rights - you’ve got to do it.”
“We have to stick up for ourselves as people, and we have to stick up for our country when we’re being mistreated,” he continues.
2.20am GMT
02:20
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy
Cruz is asked about voting against the defense authorization act, and asked whether his record in the Senate does not contradict his warlike rhetoric. They are back. First question off break is about entitlement reform, and it is for Chris Christie. He’s challenged to name something the federal government does now that it should not do?
“I will apologize to nobody for the vigorousness with which I will fight terrorism,” he says. “Get rid of Planned Parenthood funding for the United States of America.”
Talk of carpet-bombing Isis, he says, “is not tough talk”: Bigger than that? asks Baier.
It is not tough talk. It is a different fundamental military strategy than what we’ve seen from Barack Obama. “When you see thousands and thousands of children murdered in the womb, I can’t think of anything bigger than that,” Christie says.
A bellicose moment from Cruz. It sounds like a big war he’s calling for.
Updated
at 2.25am GMT
2.19am GMT
02:19
Donald Trump live on stage! Pack up your #GOPDebate and go home pic.twitter.com/Lt2gMrhifx