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| GOP debate: Trump will again face attacks from Cruz, Rubio and Kasich | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The four Republican presidential candidates will face off Thursday night at a moment both crucial and surreal — their last debate before the winner-take-all primaries in Ohio and Florida, and their first debate since the one where the front-runner bragged about his genitals. | The four Republican presidential candidates will face off Thursday night at a moment both crucial and surreal — their last debate before the winner-take-all primaries in Ohio and Florida, and their first debate since the one where the front-runner bragged about his genitals. |
| The debate, held at the University of Miami, will be broadcast at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on CNN. | The debate, held at the University of Miami, will be broadcast at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on CNN. |
| The center of attention will once again be billionaire front-runner Donald Trump, who in the last debate reassured the audience — without being asked — that “there is no problem” with the size of his fingers, or his manhood. | The center of attention will once again be billionaire front-runner Donald Trump, who in the last debate reassured the audience — without being asked — that “there is no problem” with the size of his fingers, or his manhood. |
| That odd moment hasn’t seemed to hurt him. In fact, Trump has won five of the eight states that have held GOP contests since then. He has now won 15 states and has accumulated about 458 Republican delegates, which is 99 more than his closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Trump needs 1,237 delegates to win the nomination. | |
| Instead, the GOP electorate has turned to devour the candidate who insulted Trump’s fingers. | Instead, the GOP electorate has turned to devour the candidate who insulted Trump’s fingers. |
| Sen. Marco Rubio, who had launched a series of Trump-style attacks on the front-runner — mocking his hands and his tan, and suggesting that Trump might have wet himself before a debate — now finds himself in a dreadful slump at the worst possible time. In all four states that voted Tuesday, Rubio finished so far behind that he was awarded zero delegates for the night. | Sen. Marco Rubio, who had launched a series of Trump-style attacks on the front-runner — mocking his hands and his tan, and suggesting that Trump might have wet himself before a debate — now finds himself in a dreadful slump at the worst possible time. In all four states that voted Tuesday, Rubio finished so far behind that he was awarded zero delegates for the night. |
| Now, he is trailing Trump badly, even in his home state — Florida, which will award all 99 of its delegates to the winner of Tuesday’s primary. | |
| If Rubio loses there, it would be a devastating blow not just to his presidential campaign but his political career. Rubio is leaving the Senate, and he would have to face the next phase of his life with Trump’s epithet “Little Marco” metaphorically hung around his neck. | If Rubio loses there, it would be a devastating blow not just to his presidential campaign but his political career. Rubio is leaving the Senate, and he would have to face the next phase of his life with Trump’s epithet “Little Marco” metaphorically hung around his neck. |
| [Inside Rubio’s collapse: A fateful decision that undermined his campaign] | [Inside Rubio’s collapse: A fateful decision that undermined his campaign] |
| On Wednesday, as his supporters fretted, Rubio conceded that his efforts to out-Trump Trump had backfired — and diminished Rubio instead. | On Wednesday, as his supporters fretted, Rubio conceded that his efforts to out-Trump Trump had backfired — and diminished Rubio instead. |
| “In terms of things that have to do with personal stuff, yeah, at the end of the day it’s not something I’m entirely proud of,” Rubio said in a town hall event on MSNBC. “My kids were embarrassed by it, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t.” | “In terms of things that have to do with personal stuff, yeah, at the end of the day it’s not something I’m entirely proud of,” Rubio said in a town hall event on MSNBC. “My kids were embarrassed by it, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t.” |
| On Thursday night, Rubio will have to decide whether to continue on the attack against Trump — but in more genteel terms — or whether to abstain, try to rebuild his gravitas and make a personal plea to his home-state voters. | On Thursday night, Rubio will have to decide whether to continue on the attack against Trump — but in more genteel terms — or whether to abstain, try to rebuild his gravitas and make a personal plea to his home-state voters. |
| But other candidates smell weakness, so Rubio will undoubtedly face new attacks. | But other candidates smell weakness, so Rubio will undoubtedly face new attacks. |
| In addition to Trump, who should relish a chance to mock Rubio’s slumping poll numbers, Cruz should also be on the offensive. Cruz believes he can beat Trump in a two-man race, so both the candidate and a pro-Cruz super PAC have been hammering Rubio in Florida, hoping that a loss there will get Rubio out of the race entirely. | In addition to Trump, who should relish a chance to mock Rubio’s slumping poll numbers, Cruz should also be on the offensive. Cruz believes he can beat Trump in a two-man race, so both the candidate and a pro-Cruz super PAC have been hammering Rubio in Florida, hoping that a loss there will get Rubio out of the race entirely. |
| The fourth candidate onstage will be Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has tried to stay out of the fighting among Trump, Rubio and Cruz. For now, Kasich’s above-it-all strategy seems to have worked better than Rubio’s: Polls show Kasich in a close race with Trump in his home state of Ohio. | The fourth candidate onstage will be Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has tried to stay out of the fighting among Trump, Rubio and Cruz. For now, Kasich’s above-it-all strategy seems to have worked better than Rubio’s: Polls show Kasich in a close race with Trump in his home state of Ohio. |
| On Tuesday, Ohio will be almost as big a prize as Florida, with 66 delegates for the winner and zero for everybody else. In Ohio, Kasich has the state’s GOP apparatus strongly behind him, and a fairly high approval rating. If he can beat Trump anywhere, this is it. | On Tuesday, Ohio will be almost as big a prize as Florida, with 66 delegates for the winner and zero for everybody else. In Ohio, Kasich has the state’s GOP apparatus strongly behind him, and a fairly high approval rating. If he can beat Trump anywhere, this is it. |
| Because of that, Kasich may have a hard time staying out of a fight with the front-runner Thursday night. Already, Trump has been calling him “an absentee governor” for spending so much time on the campaign trail, according to news reports. | Because of that, Kasich may have a hard time staying out of a fight with the front-runner Thursday night. Already, Trump has been calling him “an absentee governor” for spending so much time on the campaign trail, according to news reports. |
| Trump may also face new questions about his recent tax returns — which he has refused to release — and the true size of his wealth. | Trump may also face new questions about his recent tax returns — which he has refused to release — and the true size of his wealth. |
| A recent report in Crain’s New York Business showed that Trump had received a tax break from New York state that is available only to couples with an annual income of $500,000 or less. Trump’s campaign manager told Crain’s that this was an error by the state. | A recent report in Crain’s New York Business showed that Trump had received a tax break from New York state that is available only to couples with an annual income of $500,000 or less. Trump’s campaign manager told Crain’s that this was an error by the state. |
| Trump will also likely face questions about the physical violence used against protesters at his rallies, which Trump has seemed to encourage from the stage. The latest violence came to light Thursday, when videos seemed to show a protester — already being led out of a rally by men in uniform — being punched in the face by a Trump supporter as he passed. | Trump will also likely face questions about the physical violence used against protesters at his rallies, which Trump has seemed to encourage from the stage. The latest violence came to light Thursday, when videos seemed to show a protester — already being led out of a rally by men in uniform — being punched in the face by a Trump supporter as he passed. |
| [Trump protester sucker-punched at North Carolina rally, videos show] | [Trump protester sucker-punched at North Carolina rally, videos show] |
| “The shock of it all is starting to set in,” Rakeem Jones, the man who was hit, told The Washington Post in a telephone interview. “This dude really hit me, and they let him get away with it. I was basically in police custody and got hit.” | “The shock of it all is starting to set in,” Rakeem Jones, the man who was hit, told The Washington Post in a telephone interview. “This dude really hit me, and they let him get away with it. I was basically in police custody and got hit.” |
| Trump could also face questions about the alleged behavior of his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after Trump’s post-primary news conference Tuesday. A Washington Post reporter witnessed Lewandowski roughly grab the arm of a reporter for Breitbart — a conservative news outlet generally friendly to the front-runner — as the Breitbart reporter tried to ask another question while Trump made his exit. | Trump could also face questions about the alleged behavior of his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after Trump’s post-primary news conference Tuesday. A Washington Post reporter witnessed Lewandowski roughly grab the arm of a reporter for Breitbart — a conservative news outlet generally friendly to the front-runner — as the Breitbart reporter tried to ask another question while Trump made his exit. |
| Breitbart chief executive Larry Solov later issued a statement, saying, “It’s obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter.” But the statement did not say with certainty that Lewandowski was the person who had done the grabbing. | Breitbart chief executive Larry Solov later issued a statement, saying, “It’s obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter.” But the statement did not say with certainty that Lewandowski was the person who had done the grabbing. |