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| Republican debate: knives out onstage as Trump steals spotlight offstage – live | Republican debate: knives out onstage as Trump steals spotlight offstage – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.49am GMT | |
| 04:49 | |
| The seventh Republican presidential debate is in the can. Here’s what we learned: | |
| 4.47am GMT | |
| 04:47 | |
| Trump event: coda | |
| Scott Bixby | |
| Perhaps the most shocking element of the “Donald J Trump Special Event to Benefit Veterans Organizations” was its utter failure to shock. | |
| In a vacuum, the idea of the party’s frontrunner ditching the final primary debate four days ahead of the Iowa caucuses is completely insane - a massive departure from the rules of political gravity. Had you told any political reporter six months ago that said frontrunner would then host a concurrent event three miles away, with the vague goal of raising money for unnamed veterans’ organizations, featuring appearances by the two lowest-ranked members of the field of candidates, you would’ve been laughed out of the room. | |
| But - and someday we’ll get tired of saying this, we swear - Donald Trump is different. Just when you think he’s reached new heights (or new lows), Trump goes farther, harder, rougher, lower than you ever thought he would. | |
| Which is why, counterintuitively, his “special event” didn’t seem all that special. Trump’s months-long feud with Fox News and Megyn Kelly built up expectations that no political rally could live up to. Even the appearance of viral YouTube stars, multiple presidential candidates, his famous daughter, a billionaire and his trophy wife, and an honest-to-goodness war hero failed to raise our pulse. Even Trump’s infamous crowds seemed subdued - as protesters interrupted the proceedings with chants of “we love veterans, Trump loves war”, it took Trump’s acolytes nearly a minute to muster the energy for chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!” | |
| The billionaire frontrunner may be a victim of his own outlandishness. After calling for a 2,000-mile wall, a ban on Muslim immigrants and for the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, what new policy could surprise us? After taunting a disabled reporter, chalking Kelly’s aggressive questioning up to menstruation and labeling John McCain a fake war hero, who else could he possibly insult? Short of calling for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran or a sequel to the Mexican-American War, it’s hard to imagine what else Trump might be able to shock us with. | |
| If his “special event” was any indication, the world’s greatest showman may finally be running out of tricks. | |
| Updated | |
| at 4.58am GMT | |
| 4.07am GMT | 4.07am GMT |
| 04:07 | 04:07 |
| Richard Wolffe | Richard Wolffe |
| Ted Cruz dodges his ethanol subsidies challenge by asserting again that ethanol will take over the world just as soon as he can stop subsidies for oil. He says all subsidies should go - for ethanol and oil. It’s a curious argument. Corn would not be grown in Iowa without government subsidies. If you remove those subsidies, there won’t be any ethanol to compete with oil. | Ted Cruz dodges his ethanol subsidies challenge by asserting again that ethanol will take over the world just as soon as he can stop subsidies for oil. He says all subsidies should go - for ethanol and oil. It’s a curious argument. Corn would not be grown in Iowa without government subsidies. If you remove those subsidies, there won’t be any ethanol to compete with oil. |
| Cruz likes to say that Representative Steve King stands with him so he can’t be all bad on ethanol. The first half of that sentence is true: King is with Cruz. But whenever Cruz starts talking about ethanol subsidies, King looks like he’d rather be somewhere else. The smile disappears and he looks shiftily across the Iowa crowds. | Cruz likes to say that Representative Steve King stands with him so he can’t be all bad on ethanol. The first half of that sentence is true: King is with Cruz. But whenever Cruz starts talking about ethanol subsidies, King looks like he’d rather be somewhere else. The smile disappears and he looks shiftily across the Iowa crowds. |
| 4.04am GMT | 4.04am GMT |
| 04:04 | 04:04 |
| Video – Donald Trump: Fox begged me to rejoin Republican debate | Video – Donald Trump: Fox begged me to rejoin Republican debate |
| 4.01am GMT | 4.01am GMT |
| 04:01 | 04:01 |
| Mona Chalabi | Mona Chalabi |
| I’m fact-checking Ben Carson’s claim that “Putin is a one-horse country”. I don’t know about horse men but I can tell you that as a country, Russia has an abundance of horses. | I’m fact-checking Ben Carson’s claim that “Putin is a one-horse country”. I don’t know about horse men but I can tell you that as a country, Russia has an abundance of horses. |
| In fact, Russia has one of the highest horse populations in the world according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2012, Russia produced and/or slaughtered 279,882 horses (just behind the US’s 280,863). China tops the list by a long way though: 1,608,404 horses. | In fact, Russia has one of the highest horse populations in the world according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2012, Russia produced and/or slaughtered 279,882 horses (just behind the US’s 280,863). China tops the list by a long way though: 1,608,404 horses. |
| 3.59am GMT | 3.59am GMT |
| 03:59 | 03:59 |
| Closing statements | Closing statements |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Paul: I’m an eye surgeon. I’m a senator. It’s amazing. I’m worried about the debt. I’m the one true fiscal conservative. [Big wild ridiculous college cheering] | Paul: I’m an eye surgeon. I’m a senator. It’s amazing. I’m worried about the debt. I’m the one true fiscal conservative. [Big wild ridiculous college cheering] |
| Kasich: We look at each other and say why can’t we solve problems. Well I’ve got news. We can. We need to stay positive. Set the tune as conservatives but invite other people in to be part of that orchestra. Work together. | Kasich: We look at each other and say why can’t we solve problems. Well I’ve got news. We can. We need to stay positive. Set the tune as conservatives but invite other people in to be part of that orchestra. Work together. |
| Christie: 9/11. My wife trapped in her building for 6 hours. Terrorism is scary. We need a president who knows what it means to face the possibility of loss. No one will keep this country safer than I will. | Christie: 9/11. My wife trapped in her building for 6 hours. Terrorism is scary. We need a president who knows what it means to face the possibility of loss. No one will keep this country safer than I will. |
| Bush: We need a conservative leader. I’ve a proven record. I have a plan. Restore the military. Keep us safe. Defeat Hillary Clinton. I ask for your support. I will make you proud. | Bush: We need a conservative leader. I’ve a proven record. I have a plan. Restore the military. Keep us safe. Defeat Hillary Clinton. I ask for your support. I will make you proud. |
| Carson: Thanks Iowa. Recites the preamble to the Constitution. Folks it’s not too late. Enough said. | Carson: Thanks Iowa. Recites the preamble to the Constitution. Folks it’s not too late. Enough said. |
| Rubio: America’s light is shining on the world but Obama dimmed it. Caucus for me. America’s light will shine again. | Rubio: America’s light is shining on the world but Obama dimmed it. Caucus for me. America’s light will shine again. |
| Cruz: 93 hours. The media noise will soon be over. It’s time for Iowa to decide. Who do you know will kill the terrorists, defend the Constitution and repeal Obamacare. Pray on it. Caucus for us. | Cruz: 93 hours. The media noise will soon be over. It’s time for Iowa to decide. Who do you know will kill the terrorists, defend the Constitution and repeal Obamacare. Pray on it. Caucus for us. |
| Curtain. | Curtain. |
| 3.53am GMT | 3.53am GMT |
| 03:53 | 03:53 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Vladimir Putin may be a one-horse country, in Ben Carson’s estimation. But is he a one-man guy? | Vladimir Putin may be a one-horse country, in Ben Carson’s estimation. But is he a one-man guy? |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.54am GMT | at 3.54am GMT |
| 3.51am GMT | 3.51am GMT |
| 03:51 | 03:51 |
| Final commercial break – prefatory to closing statements. One last chance to weigh in on who’s winning! Let us have it in the comments. | Final commercial break – prefatory to closing statements. One last chance to weigh in on who’s winning! Let us have it in the comments. |
| 3.49am GMT | 3.49am GMT |
| 03:49 | 03:49 |
| Adam Gabbatt | Adam Gabbatt |
| Ben Carson told the audience in Iowa that Putin is a one-horse country. It’s not clear what the former brain surgeon meant by that. But it is clear that Vladimir Putin sure does like horses. | Ben Carson told the audience in Iowa that Putin is a one-horse country. It’s not clear what the former brain surgeon meant by that. But it is clear that Vladimir Putin sure does like horses. |
| In fact, the “interests” section of his personal website has a whole section devoted to horse riding. He enjoys hand-feeding horses as well as riding them around. Full, sweet, quote: | In fact, the “interests” section of his personal website has a whole section devoted to horse riding. He enjoys hand-feeding horses as well as riding them around. Full, sweet, quote: |
| Vladimir Putin feels confident in the saddle so horseback riding for him is a chance to rest. On August 3, 2009 Putin took a one-day break and spent it in Tuva. At one of the stops he met with a local shepherd, who invited him to his home, and they went there on horseback. | Vladimir Putin feels confident in the saddle so horseback riding for him is a chance to rest. On August 3, 2009 Putin took a one-day break and spent it in Tuva. At one of the stops he met with a local shepherd, who invited him to his home, and they went there on horseback. |
| During his working visit to the Republic of Khakassia, Putin travelled to the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan. There, he hand-fed local horses and drank a cup of tea, cooked over a campfire, and then went riding. | During his working visit to the Republic of Khakassia, Putin travelled to the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan. There, he hand-fed local horses and drank a cup of tea, cooked over a campfire, and then went riding. |
| Obviously there is this, too: | Obviously there is this, too: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.51am GMT | at 3.51am GMT |
| 3.49am GMT | 3.49am GMT |
| 03:49 | 03:49 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Cruz is asked about the six-term governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, opposing his candidacy, particularly over Cruz’s opposition to ethanol. | Cruz is asked about the six-term governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, opposing his candidacy, particularly over Cruz’s opposition to ethanol. |
| “I don’t believe that Washington should be picking winners and losers, and there should be no mandates, or no subsidies whatsoever,” Cruz says. | “I don’t believe that Washington should be picking winners and losers, and there should be no mandates, or no subsidies whatsoever,” Cruz says. |
| He says he does not oppose ethanol: He would phase out the ethanol mandate over five years but in the context of no mandates for anyone. | He says he does not oppose ethanol: He would phase out the ethanol mandate over five years but in the context of no mandates for anyone. |
| Cruz points out that Iowa Rep. Steve King, local boy made good, supports his candidacy. | Cruz points out that Iowa Rep. Steve King, local boy made good, supports his candidacy. |
| 3.46am GMT | 3.46am GMT |
| 03:46 | 03:46 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Bush goes back to Trump. He says Trump’s call for a Muslim ban creates a toxic environment in the country. “It’s important for us to be careful about the language we use. Disparaging women. Disparaging Hispanics. That’s not a sign of strength. Making fun of disabled people?” | |
| Updated | |
| at 4.47am GMT | |
| 3.45am GMT | 3.45am GMT |
| 03:45 | 03:45 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| They’re back. Paul’s asked about Bill Clinton’s history with women. Paul says “I don’t blame Hillary Clinton at all for this, I don’t think she’s responsible.” | They’re back. Paul’s asked about Bill Clinton’s history with women. Paul says “I don’t blame Hillary Clinton at all for this, I don’t think she’s responsible.” |
| But: “If any CEO in our country did what Bill Clinton did with an intern, they would be fired, never hired again, and probably shunned in their community.” | But: “If any CEO in our country did what Bill Clinton did with an intern, they would be fired, never hired again, and probably shunned in their community.” |
| He accuses Clinton of hypocrisy: | He accuses Clinton of hypocrisy: |
| “She can’t be a champion on women’s rights with this behavior.” | “She can’t be a champion on women’s rights with this behavior.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.45am GMT | at 3.45am GMT |
| 3.40am GMT | 3.40am GMT |
| 03:40 | 03:40 |
| Fifth commercial break. It’s time to pick your favorite. We’ve heard from them all in multiple rounds. Cruz is lonely on this stage. Trump’s absence makes him seem like more of an outlier? | Fifth commercial break. It’s time to pick your favorite. We’ve heard from them all in multiple rounds. Cruz is lonely on this stage. Trump’s absence makes him seem like more of an outlier? |
| 3.39am GMT | 3.39am GMT |
| 03:39 | 03:39 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Christie is asked about Isis in Libya. Would he deploy troops to Libya to fight Isis. | Christie is asked about Isis in Libya. Would he deploy troops to Libya to fight Isis. |
| “This is another one of those places where Hillary Clinton has so much to answer for,” Christie says. “She refuses to be held accountable for anything that goes wrong.” | “This is another one of those places where Hillary Clinton has so much to answer for,” Christie says. “She refuses to be held accountable for anything that goes wrong.” |
| Christie says he’d bring together European and Sunni Arab allies and develop a strategy to take Isis out. He does not mention US troops in Libya - or not. | Christie says he’d bring together European and Sunni Arab allies and develop a strategy to take Isis out. He does not mention US troops in Libya - or not. |
| 3.37am GMT | 3.37am GMT |
| 03:37 | 03:37 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Rubio gets an Iran question. He says the country is led by an apocalyptic cultist. He said that under a Rubio presidency, nations would have to choose whether to deal with the United States or with Iran. | Rubio gets an Iran question. He says the country is led by an apocalyptic cultist. He said that under a Rubio presidency, nations would have to choose whether to deal with the United States or with Iran. |
| Kasich then takes the question. “The president needs to be laying the groundwork to slap those sanctions back on,” Kasich says. | Kasich then takes the question. “The president needs to be laying the groundwork to slap those sanctions back on,” Kasich says. |
| “If they violate [the nuclear deal], we need to move against them, and if we find out they are developing a nuclear weapon and we can get to it, we need to take it out.” | “If they violate [the nuclear deal], we need to move against them, and if we find out they are developing a nuclear weapon and we can get to it, we need to take it out.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.38am GMT | at 3.38am GMT |
| 3.36am GMT | 3.36am GMT |
| 03:36 | 03:36 |
| Mona Chalabi | Mona Chalabi |
| Rubio seems to imply that America is taking more than its fair share of immigrants when he says “every single year, close to a million people immigrate to the United States legally. There’s no nation on Earth that comes close to that number.” | Rubio seems to imply that America is taking more than its fair share of immigrants when he says “every single year, close to a million people immigrate to the United States legally. There’s no nation on Earth that comes close to that number.” |
| Well, if you really want to understand immigration statistics, it makes much more sense to look at the foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population. When you view things that way, the US, where 14.3% of the population is foreign-born, really isn’t an exceptional country. | Well, if you really want to understand immigration statistics, it makes much more sense to look at the foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population. When you view things that way, the US, where 14.3% of the population is foreign-born, really isn’t an exceptional country. |
| Of the 232 places that the United Nations considers in its data, the US ranks in 68th place in terms of the foreign-born population. Top of the list is the Holy See where 100% of residents were born elsewhere, followed by the United Arab Emirates (83.7%) and American Samoa (75.9%). | Of the 232 places that the United Nations considers in its data, the US ranks in 68th place in terms of the foreign-born population. Top of the list is the Holy See where 100% of residents were born elsewhere, followed by the United Arab Emirates (83.7%) and American Samoa (75.9%). |
| In joint bottom place are China, Cuba, Indonesia, Lesotho, Madagascar and Vietnam - all countries where just 0.1% of their population are immigrants. | In joint bottom place are China, Cuba, Indonesia, Lesotho, Madagascar and Vietnam - all countries where just 0.1% of their population are immigrants. |
| 3.35am GMT | 3.35am GMT |
| 03:35 | 03:35 |
| Carson: 'Putin is a one-horse country' | Carson: 'Putin is a one-horse country' |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Now, just in time for Ben Carson to answer, a switch from a series of questions about faith and values to one about Nato’s military posture in eastern Europe. | Now, just in time for Ben Carson to answer, a switch from a series of questions about faith and values to one about Nato’s military posture in eastern Europe. |
| “Putin is a one-horse country: oil and energy,” Carson says. Then he says he would go into one of the Baltic states if Russia attacked. “Absolutely.” | “Putin is a one-horse country: oil and energy,” Carson says. Then he says he would go into one of the Baltic states if Russia attacked. “Absolutely.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.10am GMT | at 4.10am GMT |
| 3.33am GMT | 3.33am GMT |
| 03:33 | 03:33 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Q for Paul: Should abortion be a states’ rights issue? | Q for Paul: Should abortion be a states’ rights issue? |
| Paul calls for “both a federal and a state approach,” including a “life at conception act” on the federal level. | Paul calls for “both a federal and a state approach,” including a “life at conception act” on the federal level. |
| “If you had the court reverse Roe v Wade, it would become a state issue once again,” Paul says. | “If you had the court reverse Roe v Wade, it would become a state issue once again,” Paul says. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.34am GMT | at 3.34am GMT |
| 3.32am GMT | 3.32am GMT |
| 03:32 | 03:32 |
| Richard Wolffe | Richard Wolffe |
| “We innovated the government,” said John Kasich, who goes on to talk about low rates of recidivism, drug addiction and mental health. It may just be the most substantive, meaningful response in what feels like a full year of TV debates. | “We innovated the government,” said John Kasich, who goes on to talk about low rates of recidivism, drug addiction and mental health. It may just be the most substantive, meaningful response in what feels like a full year of TV debates. |
| Which obviously means, in this year, that was a terrible debate line. | Which obviously means, in this year, that was a terrible debate line. |
| There were no quips about the government of Sweden, no promises to kill Isis, and no canned lines attacking his rivals. What kind of presidential candidate talks about social policy solutions at a debate? | There were no quips about the government of Sweden, no promises to kill Isis, and no canned lines attacking his rivals. What kind of presidential candidate talks about social policy solutions at a debate? |
| 3.31am GMT | 3.31am GMT |
| 03:31 | 03:31 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Rubio riffs on the “role of faith in our country” and “Judeo-Christian values” in the United States. | Rubio riffs on the “role of faith in our country” and “Judeo-Christian values” in the United States. |
| “In this nation we are influenced by Judeo-Christian values that teach us to care for the less fortunate.” | “In this nation we are influenced by Judeo-Christian values that teach us to care for the less fortunate.” |
| “When I’m president... my faith will not just influence the way I’ll govern as president, it will influence my way of life. Because my goal is not just to live on this earth for 80 years, it is to live for eternity with my creator.” Snappy line! | “When I’m president... my faith will not just influence the way I’ll govern as president, it will influence my way of life. Because my goal is not just to live on this earth for 80 years, it is to live for eternity with my creator.” Snappy line! |
| My faith “will always influence everything I do,” Rubio says. | My faith “will always influence everything I do,” Rubio says. |
| 3.29am GMT | 3.29am GMT |
| 03:29 | 03:29 |
| Tom McCarthy | Tom McCarthy |
| Christie is asked about Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who declined to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. | Christie is asked about Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who declined to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. |
| “The law needs to be followed, and someone in that office needs to do their job,” Christie says. Not necessarily Davis. | “The law needs to be followed, and someone in that office needs to do their job,” Christie says. Not necessarily Davis. |
| Then Christie makes a rather unlikely leap from Kim Davis to... Isis.: | Then Christie makes a rather unlikely leap from Kim Davis to... Isis.: |
| They want everyone in this country to follow their beliefs just like they do. Not religious liberty. | They want everyone in this country to follow their beliefs just like they do. Not religious liberty. |