Donald Trump is the undisputed front-runner for the Republican nomination -- and on a debate stage Thursday his rivals acted like it. The barbs flew early and often, as Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz sought to rattle Trump and cast him as unreliably conservative ahead of Michigan’s first-in-the-Midwest primary. Here’s a look at the standout moments--
Trump’s clothing line
Trump and Rubio wasted little time reengaging their nasty personal digs at each other, and at one point Rubio ripped Trump for manufacturing his clothing line overseas -- and criticised Trump for accepting a loan from his father. Trump shot back by saying: “This little guy has lied so much about my record.” After a brawl, Trump said he would start migrating his clothing line operations stateside. But he suggested that trade policies have discouraged clothing manufacturing in the US.
‘Lyin’ Ted’
The sniping wasn’t just exclusive to Trump and Rubio. Cruz implied that Trump was “misleading the American people” about his immigration views because he refuses to release the tape of an off-the-record conversation with The New York Times in which he discussed negotiating over his hardline position. “If you didn’t tell them that, the tapes will prove you innocent,” Cruz said. Trump responded, “You’re the lying guy up here” and the two spoke over each other repeatedly. “I’ve given my answer, lyin’ Ted,” Trump concluded.
Megan Kelly takes on Trump
One of the fiercest exchanges of the entire night occurred between Trump and Fox News moderator Megan Kelly. After addressing Trump University -- the school Trump founded that has been sued by former students as a scam -- Kelly was ready with an on-the-spot fact-check. She noted that “so-called little guys” said they had been “fleeced” by Trump. “The class has been certified and in that case you counter-sued the lead plaintiff,” she said. Trump has defended his company by arguing that its former students have largely viewed it favourably and a positive rating from the Better Business Bureau. But again, Kelly rebutted him, noting that the BBB had given it a D- rating, and she read from an appeal court decision that compared Trump University students to “Madoff victims.” “Give me a break. Let’s see what happens in court,” he said,
Rubio pans Trump on foreign policy
Moderators teed up a softball for Rubio: Explain why Trump is unprepared to be commander-in-chief. And Rubio delivered a harsh assessment of Trump’s foreign policy readiness. “Donald has not shown a seriousness about foreign policy,” he said, adding that he hasn’t shown the intellectual curiosity or the interest in learning about these very serious issues.” Trump rebutted with an attack on Rubio: “Believe me, he is not a leader,” “I will prove to be a great leader,” he added. Rubio retorted, “He was pressed on a policy issue … his reaction was just to attack somebody else with a name.”
