Latest / Real Donald Trump Wisdom / DJT Audio Archive: Republican Debate #1 - Cleveland, Ohio (August 6, 2015)

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DJT Audio Archive: Republican Debate #1 - Cleveland, Ohio (August 6, 2015) · Real Donald Trump Wisdom

0:11
And the moment of truth has arrived. Welcome
0:13
to the first debate night of the 2016 presidential
0:16
campaign, live from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland,
0:19
Ohio. I'm Megyn Kelly. Along with my co -moderators,
0:24
Brett Baier and Chris Wallace. Tonight... Nice.
0:32
Tonight, thousands of people here in the queue,
0:35
along with millions of voters at home, will get
0:37
their very first chance to see the candidates
0:39
face off. in a debate, answering the questions
0:42
you want answered. Less than a year from now,
0:46
in this very arena, one of these ten candidates,
0:49
or one of the seven on the previous debate tonight,
0:53
will accept the Republican Party's nomination.
0:56
Tonight's candidates were selected based on an
0:59
average of five national polls. Just a few hours
1:02
ago, you heard from the candidates ranked 11
1:04
through 17, and now, the primetime event, the
1:08
top ten. Also of note, Fox News is partnering
1:12
for tonight's debate with Facebook. For the past
1:15
several weeks, we've been asking you for questions
1:18
for the candidates on Facebook. Nearly 6 million
1:23
of you, 6 million, viewed the debate videos on
1:26
our site, and more than 40 ,000 of you submitted
1:29
questions, some of which you will hear us asking
1:32
the candidates tonight. As for the candidates
1:35
who will be answering those questions, here they
1:37
are. positioned on the stage by how they stand
1:40
in the polls. In the center of the stage tonight,
1:43
businessman Donald Trump. Dr. Ben Carson. Texas
2:11
Senator Ted Cruz. Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
2:20
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. New Jersey Governor
2:26
Chris Christie. And your very own Governor of
2:31
Ohio, John Kasich. I think you would call that
2:56
a home field advantage. It might be. It might
2:57
be. We'll see. I feel some objections coming.
3:00
It might be. The rules for tonight are simple.
3:02
One minute for answers, 30 seconds for follow
3:05
-ups, and if a candidate runs over, you'll hear
3:08
this. Pleasant, no? We also have a big crowd
3:12
here with us tonight in the home of the Cavaliers,
3:15
as I mentioned, and while we expect them... We
3:17
expect them to be enthusiastic, as you heard.
3:20
We don't want to take anything away from the
3:21
valuable time for the candidates. So we're looking
3:24
for somewhere between a reaction to a LeBron
3:28
James dunk and the Cleveland Public Library across
3:31
the street. Somewhere there we'll find a balance
3:34
tonight. Without further ado, let's begin. Gentlemen,
3:38
we know how much you love hand -raising questions.
3:43
So we promise this is the only one tonight. The
3:46
only one. Is there anyone on stage, and can I
3:50
see hands, who is unwilling tonight to pledge
3:54
your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican
3:57
Party and pledge to not run an independent campaign
4:01
against that person? Again, we're looking for
4:05
you to raise your hand now. Raise your hand now
4:08
if you won't make that pledge tonight. Mr. Trump,
4:16
to be clear, you're standing on a Republican
4:21
primary debate. I fully understand. The place
4:24
where the RNC will give the nominee the nod.
4:28
I fully understand. And that experts say an independent
4:31
run would almost certainly hand the race over
4:33
to Democrats and likely another Clinton. You
4:36
can't say tonight. that you can make that pledge
4:39
i cannot say i have to respect the person that
4:42
if it's not me the person that wins if i do win
4:45
and i'm leading by quite a bit uh that's what
4:48
i want to do i can totally make that pledge if
4:50
i'm the nominee i will pledge i will not run
4:53
as an independent but uh and i am discussing
4:56
it with everybody but i'm you know talking about
4:58
a lot of leverage we want to win and we will
5:02
win but i want to win As the Republican, I want
5:05
to run as the Republican nominee. So tonight
5:08
you can't say if another one of these... This
5:10
is what's wrong. This is what's wrong. He buys
5:13
and sells politicians of all stripes. He's already...
5:18
Look, look, he's already hedging his bet on the
5:21
Clintons, okay? So if he doesn't run as a Republican,
5:24
maybe he supports Clinton or maybe runs as an
5:27
independent. Okay. But I'd say that he's already
5:29
hedging his bets because he's used to buying
5:31
politicians. Well, I've given him plenty of money.
5:34
Just to be clear, you can't make the, we're going
5:36
to move on. You're not going to make the pledge.
5:38
I will not make the pledge at this time. Okay.
5:51
first round of questions is on the subject of
5:54
electability in the general election. And we
5:58
start tonight with you, Dr. Carson. You are a
6:00
successful neurosurgeon, but you admit that you
6:03
have had to study up when it comes to foreign
6:05
policy, saying there's a lot to learn. Your critics
6:08
say that your inexperience shows. You suggested
6:11
that the Baltic states are not a part of NATO.
6:13
Just months ago, you were unfamiliar with the
6:15
major political parties and government in Israel.
6:18
And domestically, you thought Alan Greenspan
6:21
had been Treasury Secretary instead of Federal
6:23
Reserve Chair. Aren't these basic mistakes? And
6:27
don't they raise legitimate questions about whether
6:29
you are ready to be president? Well, I could
6:32
take issue with all of those things, but we don't
6:34
have time. But I will say we have a debate here
6:38
tonight, and we will have an opportunity to explore
6:41
those areas. And I'm looking very much forward
6:44
to demonstrating that, in fact, The thing that
6:47
is probably most important is having a brain
6:50
and to be able to figure things out and learn
6:52
things very rapidly. So, you know, experience
6:58
comes from a large number of different arenas.
7:02
And America became a great nation early on, not
7:06
because it was flooded with politicians, but
7:09
because it was flooded with people. who understood
7:12
the value of personal responsibility, hard work,
7:16
creativity, innovation, and that's what will
7:20
get us on the right track now as well. Senator
7:25
Rubio, when Jeb Bush announced his candidacy
7:29
for presidency, he said this, there's no passing
7:33
off responsibility when you're a governor, no
7:35
blending into the legislative crowd. Could you
7:38
please address... Governor Bush across the stage
7:41
here and explain to him why you, someone who
7:43
has never held executive office, are better prepared
7:46
to be president than he is, a man who you say
7:49
did a great job running your state of Florida
7:51
for eight years. Well, thank you for the question,
7:53
Chris, and it's great to be here tonight. Let
7:55
me begin by saying this. I'm not new to the political
7:57
process. I was making a contribution as the speaker
8:00
of the third largest and most diverse state in
8:02
the country well before I even got into the Senate.
8:04
I would add to that that this election cannot
8:06
be a resume competition. It's important to be
8:08
qualified. But if this election is a resume competition,
8:11
then Hillary Clinton is going to be the next
8:12
president because she's been in office and in
8:14
government longer than anybody else running here
8:16
tonight. Here's what this election better be
8:18
about. This election better be about the future,
8:21
not the past. It better be about the issues our
8:23
nation and the world is facing today, not simply
8:26
the issues we once faced. This country is facing
8:28
an economy that has been radically transformed.
8:31
You know, the largest retailer in the country,
8:33
in the world today, Amazon doesn't even own a
8:36
single store. And these changes have been disruptive.
8:38
They have changed people's lives. The jobs that
8:40
once sustained our middle class, they either
8:43
don't pay enough or they are gone. And we need
8:45
someone that understands that as our nominee.
8:46
If I'm our nominee, how is Hillary Clinton going
8:49
to lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck?
8:51
I was raised paycheck to paycheck. How is she
8:54
going to lecture me? How is she going to lecture
8:58
me about student loans? I owed over $100 ,000
9:01
just four years ago. If I'm our nominee, we will
9:03
be the party of the future. Governor Bush, you
9:10
have insisted that you're your own man. You say
9:14
you have a life experience uniquely your own,
9:16
not your father's, not your brother's. But there
9:19
are several opponents on this stage who get big
9:22
applause lines in early voting states with this
9:25
line. quote, the last thing the country needs
9:29
is another Bush in the Oval Office. So do you
9:32
understand the real concern in this country about
9:35
dynastic politics? Absolutely, I do. And I'm
9:38
going to run hard, run with heart and run to
9:40
win. I'm going to have to earn this. Maybe the
9:43
barrier, the bar is even higher for me. That's
9:45
fine. I've got a record in Florida. I'm proud
9:47
of my dad and I'm certainly proud of my brother.
9:50
In Florida, they call me Jeb because I earned
9:53
it. I cut taxes every year, totaling $19 billion.
9:57
We balanced every budget. We went from $1 billion
10:01
of reserves to $9 billion of reserves. We were
10:04
one of two states that went to AAA bond rating.
10:06
They call me Vito Corleone because I vetoed 2
10:10
,500 separate line items in the budget. I'm my
10:13
own man. I govern as a conservative, and I govern
10:16
effectively. And the net effect was, during my
10:19
eight years, 1 .3 million jobs were created.
10:23
we left the state better off because i applied
10:25
conservative principles in a purple state the
10:27
right way and people rose up mr trump one of
10:37
the things people love about you is you speak
10:39
your mind and you don't use a politician's filter
10:41
however that is not without its downsides in
10:45
particular when it comes to women you've called
10:48
women you don't like fat pigs dogs slobs disgusting
10:53
animals. Your Twitter account... Only Rosie O'Donnell.
10:59
No, it wasn't. Your Twitter account... Thank
11:11
you. For the record, it was well beyond Rosie
11:15
O'Donnell. Yes, I'm sure it was. Your Twitter
11:16
account has several disparaging comments about
11:19
women's looks. You once told a contestant on
11:22
Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture
11:24
to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you
11:27
like the temperament of a man we should elect
11:29
as president? And how will you answer the charge
11:32
from Hillary Clinton, who is likely to be the
11:33
Democratic nominee, that you are part of the
11:37
war on women? I think the big problem this country
11:40
has is being politically correct. I've been...
11:48
I've been challenged by so many people, and I
11:51
don't frankly have time for total political correctness.
11:55
And to be honest with you, this country doesn't
11:58
have time either. This country is in big trouble.
12:01
We don't win anymore. We lose to China. We lose
12:05
to Mexico, both in trade and at the border. We
12:07
lose to everybody. And frankly, what I say and
12:11
oftentimes it's fun. It's kidding. We have a
12:14
good time. What I say is what I say. And honestly,
12:18
Megan, if you don't like it, I'm sorry. I've
12:21
been very nice to you, although I could probably
12:23
maybe not be based on the way you have treated
12:25
me. But I wouldn't do that. But you know what?
12:30
We we need strength. We need energy. We need
12:37
quickness. And we need brain in this country
12:40
to turn it around. That I can tell you right
12:43
now. Senator Cruz, your colleague, Senator Paul,
12:49
right there next to you, said a few months ago
12:51
he agrees with you on a number of issues, but
12:54
he says you do nothing to grow the party. He
12:57
says you feed... red meat to the base, but you
13:00
don't reach out to minorities. You have a toxic
13:02
relationship with GOP leaders in Congress. You
13:06
even called the Republican Senate leader Mitch
13:09
McConnell a liar recently. How can you win in
13:15
2016 when you're such a divisive figure? Chris,
13:20
I believe the American people are looking for
13:23
someone to speak the truth. If you're looking
13:30
for someone to go to Washington, to go along,
13:34
to get along, to agree with the career politicians
13:38
in both parties, who get in bed with the lobbyists
13:43
and special interests, then I ain't your guy.
13:47
There is a reason that we have $18 trillion in
13:53
debt. Because as conservatives, as Republicans,
13:57
we keep winning elections. We got a Republican
14:00
House, we got a Republican Senate, and we don't
14:02
have leaders who honor their commitments. I will
14:05
always tell the truth and do what I said I would
14:08
do. Governor Christie, you're not exactly the
14:16
darling of conservatives. You tout your record
14:20
as a Republican governor in a blue state. On
14:23
Facebook, the most people talking about you,
14:25
not surprisingly, come from your state of New
14:27
Jersey. And one of the top issues they are talking
14:29
about is the economy. This may be why. Under
14:34
your watch, New Jersey has undergone nine credit
14:37
rating downgrades. The state's 44th in private
14:40
sector growth. You face an employee pension crisis.
14:44
And the Garden State has the third highest foreclosure
14:47
rate in the country. So why should voters believe?
14:51
that your management of the country's finances
14:53
would be any different? If you think it's bad
14:57
now, you should have seen it when I got there.
14:59
The fact is, in the eight years before I became
15:05
governor, taxes and fees were raised at the state
15:07
level 115 times. In the eight years before I
15:11
became governor, spending was increased 56%.
15:13
And in the eight years before I became governor,
15:16
there was zero net private sector job growth
15:19
in New Jersey. Zero. for eight years so what
15:22
did we do we came in we balanced an 11 billion
15:25
dollar deficit on a 29 billion dollar budget
15:28
by cutting over 800 programs in the state budget
15:31
we brought the budget into balance with no tax
15:34
increases in fact we vetoed five income tax increases
15:37
during my time as governor we cut business taxes
15:40
2 .3 billion dollars and we cut regulation by
15:43
one -third of what my predecessor put in place
15:45
and what's happened since 192 ,000 new private
15:49
sector jobs in the five and a half years I've
15:51
been governor. We have a lot of work to do in
15:52
New Jersey, but I am darn proud of how we've
15:54
brought our state back. Thank you, Governor.
16:01
Governor Walker, you've consistently said that
16:04
you want to make abortion illegal, even in cases
16:06
of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
16:09
You recently signed an abortion law in Wisconsin
16:11
that does have an exception for the mother's
16:14
life, but you are on record as having objected
16:16
to it. Would you really let a mother die rather
16:19
than have an abortion? And with 83 % of the American
16:22
public in favor of a life exception, are you
16:25
two out of the mainstream on this issue to win
16:28
the general election? Well, I'm pro -life. I've
16:30
always been pro -life. And I've got a position
16:33
I think is consistent with many Americans out
16:35
there in that... And then I believe that that
16:38
is an unborn child that's in need of protection
16:40
out there. And I've said many a time that that
16:42
unborn child can be protected. And there are
16:44
many other alternatives that will also protect
16:46
the life of that mother. That's been consistently
16:48
proven. Unlike Hillary Clinton, who has a radical
16:51
position in terms of support for Planned Parenthood,
16:54
I defunded Planned Parenthood more than four
16:56
years ago, long before any of these videos came
16:59
out. I've got a position that's in line with
17:01
everyday America. Governor Huckabee, like Governor
17:06
Walker, you have staked out strong positions
17:08
on social issues. You favor a constitutional
17:11
amendment banning same -sex marriages. You favor
17:14
a constitutional amendment banning abortions
17:17
except for the life of the mother. Millions of
17:20
people in this country agree with you, but according
17:23
to the polls, and again, this is an electability
17:24
question, according to the polls, more people
17:27
don't. So how do you persuade enough independents
17:31
and Democrats? to get elected in 2016. Chris,
17:35
I disagree with the idea that the real issue
17:38
is a constitutional amendment. That's a long
17:40
and difficult process. I've actually taken a
17:43
position that's bolder than that. A lot of people
17:46
are talking about defunding Planned Parenthood
17:48
as if that's a huge game changer. I think it's
17:52
time to do something even more bold. I think
17:55
the next president ought to invoke the 5th and
17:57
14th amendments to the Constitution now that
18:00
we clearly know that that baby inside the mother's
18:04
womb is a person at the moment of conception.
18:07
The reason we know that it is is because of the
18:09
DNA schedule that we now have clear scientific
18:12
evidence on. And this notion that we just continue
18:15
to ignore the personhood of the individual is
18:18
a violation of that unborn child's 5th and 14th
18:22
Amendment rights for due process and equal protection
18:25
under the law. It's time that we recognize the
18:28
Supreme Court is not the supreme being and we
18:31
change the policy to be pro -life and protect
18:34
children instead of rip up their body parts and
18:36
sell them like they're parts to a Buick. Senator
18:42
Paul, you recently blamed the rise of ISIS on
18:46
Republican hawks. You later said that that statement
18:50
you could have said it better but the statement
18:53
went on and you said quote everything they've
18:56
talked about in foreign policy they've been wrong
18:59
for the last 20 years why are you so quick to
19:04
blame your own party first of all only isis is
19:08
responsible for the terrorism only isis is responsible
19:11
for the depravity but we do have to examine How
19:15
are we going to defeat ISIS? I've got a proposal.
19:18
I'm the leading voice in America for not arming
19:22
the allies of ISIS. I've been fighting amidst
19:28
a lot of opposition from both Hillary Clinton
19:31
as well as some Republicans who wanted to send
19:34
arms to the allies of ISIS. ISIS rides around
19:38
in a billion dollars worth of U .S. Humvees.
19:42
It's a disgrace. We ought to stop it. We shouldn't
19:44
fund our enemies, for goodness sakes. So we didn't
19:48
create ISIS. ISIS created themselves, but we
19:52
will stop them. And one of the ways we stop them
19:54
is by not funding them and by not arming them.
20:00
Governor Kasich. You chose to expand Medicaid
20:04
in your state, unlike several other governors
20:06
on this stage tonight, and it is already over
20:09
budget by some estimates, costing taxpayers an
20:11
additional $1 .4 billion in just the first 18
20:14
months. You defended your Medicaid expansion
20:17
by invoking God, saying to skeptics that when
20:20
they arrive in heaven, St. Peter isn't going
20:23
to ask them how small they've kept government,
20:25
but what they have done for the poor. Why should
20:28
Republican voters, who generally want to shrink
20:30
government, believe that you won't use your St.
20:33
Peter rationale to expand every government program?
20:36
Well, first of all, first of all, Megan, you
20:38
should know that President Reagan expanded Medicaid
20:40
three or four times. Secondly, I had an opportunity
20:43
to bring resources back to Ohio to do what? To
20:46
treat the mentally ill. 10 ,000 of them sit in
20:49
our prisons. It costs $22 ,500 a year. To keep
20:54
them in prison, I'd rather get them their medication
20:56
so they could lead a decent life. Secondly, we
20:59
are rehabbing the drug addicted. 80 % of the
21:01
people in our prisons have addiction problems.
21:04
We now treat them in the prisons, release them
21:07
in the community, and the recidivism rate is
21:09
10%, and everybody across this country knows
21:12
that the tsunami of drugs is threatening their
21:15
very families. So we're treating them and getting
21:18
them on their feet. And finally, the working
21:19
poor, instead of them having to come into the
21:21
emergency rooms, where it costs more where they're
21:24
sicker and we end up paying we brought a program
21:27
in here to make sure that people could get on
21:30
their feet and you know what everybody has a
21:32
right to their god -given purpose and finally
21:34
our medicaid is growing at one of the lowest
21:36
rates in the country and finally we went from
21:39
8 billion in the hole to 2 billion in the black
21:41
we've cut 5 billion in taxes and we've grown
21:44
350 000 jobs Gentlemen, we're turning to a new
21:54
subject that all of you have been talking about
21:57
and some of you have been disagreeing about,
21:59
and that is the issue of immigration. Governor
22:02
Bush, you released a new plan this week on illegal
22:05
immigration focusing on enforcement, which some
22:08
suggest is your effort to show that you're not
22:11
soft on that issue. I want to ask you about a
22:14
statement that you made last year about illegal
22:17
immigrants, and here's what you said. They broke
22:20
the law. but it's not a felony, it's an act of
22:23
love, it's an act of commitment to your family.
22:28
Do you stand by that statement and do you stand
22:31
by your support for earned legal status? I do.
22:35
I believe that the great majority of people coming
22:37
here illegally have no other option. They want
22:40
to provide for their family. But we need to control
22:42
our border. It's our responsibility to pick and
22:45
choose who comes in. So I've written a book about
22:48
this, and this week I did come up with a comprehensive
22:51
strategy that really mirrored what we said in
22:53
the book, which is that we need to deal with
22:55
E -Verify. We need to deal with people that come
22:58
with a legal visa and overstay. We need to be
23:00
much more strategic on how we deal with border
23:03
enforcement, border security. We need to eliminate
23:06
the sanctuary cities in this country. It is ridiculous
23:10
and tragic. That people are dying because of
23:14
the fact that that local governments are not
23:16
following the federal law There's much to do
23:19
and I think rather than talking about this as
23:21
a wedge issue, which Barack Obama's done now
23:23
for six long years the next president and i hope
23:27
to be that president will fix this once and for
23:29
all so that we can turn this into a driver for
23:32
high sustained economic growth and there should
23:34
be a path to earn legal status for those that
23:36
are here not not amnesty earn legal status which
23:40
means you pay a fine and do many things over
23:42
an extended period of time thank you sir mr trump
23:47
uh it has not escaped anybody's notice that you
23:51
say that the mexican government the mexican government
23:54
is sending criminals, rapists, drug dealers across
23:58
the border. Governor Bush has called those remarks,
24:01
quote, extraordinarily ugly. I'd like you, you're
24:05
right next to him, tell us, talk to him directly
24:08
and say how you respond to that. And you have
24:13
repeatedly said that you have evidence. that
24:16
the Mexican government is doing this, but that
24:18
you have evidence you have refused or declined
24:20
to share. Why not use this first Republican presidential
24:24
debate to share your proof with the American
24:26
people? So, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't
24:31
even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris.
24:35
You wouldn't even be talking about it. This was
24:38
not a subject that was on anybody's mind until
24:42
I brought it up. at my announcement, and I said,
24:45
Mexico is sending. Except the reporters, because
24:49
they're a very dishonest lot, generally speaking,
24:51
in the world of politics, they didn't cover my
24:54
statement the way I said it. The fact is, since
24:58
then, many killings, murders, crime, drugs pouring
25:02
across the border, are money going out and the
25:05
drugs coming in. And I said, we need to build
25:08
a wall. And it has to be built quickly. And I
25:13
don't mind having a big, beautiful door in that
25:15
wall so that people can come into this country
25:18
legally. But we need, Jeb, to build a wall. We
25:24
need to keep illegals out. Mr. Trump, I'll give
25:30
you 30 seconds. I'll give you 30 seconds to answer
25:34
my question, which was, what evidence do you
25:38
have? specific evidence that the Mexican government
25:41
is sending criminals across the border. 30 seconds.
25:45
Border Patrol. I was at the border last week.
25:48
Border Patrol. people that i deal with that i
25:51
talk to they say this is what's happening because
25:54
our leaders are stupid our politicians are stupid
25:58
and the mexican government is much smarter much
26:01
sharper much more cunning and they send the bad
26:05
ones over because they don't want to pay for
26:07
them they don't want to take care of them why
26:09
should they when the stupid leaders of the united
26:12
states will do it for them and that's what's
26:14
happening whether you like it or not Obviously,
26:20
there's a lot more to talk about this. We're
26:22
going to have more questions for the candidates
26:24
on illegal immigration, plus other key topics,
26:27
including your questions on Facebook. What would
26:34
be your plan on making immigration easier for
26:37
those that want to do it legally? What specific
26:39
steps would you take to contain the growth of
26:42
ISIS? I'd like to know what the candidates are
26:45
going to do so that I feel safe in my own country
26:48
again. Welcome back to Fox News Facebook Republican
27:03
debate night. We're going to continue the questions
27:05
now on illegal immigration. We kind of ended
27:08
with a cliffhanger there. So let's continue the
27:11
conversation. Governor Kasich, I know you don't
27:14
like to talk about Donald Trump, but I do want
27:17
to ask you about the merit of what he just said.
27:21
When you say that the American government is
27:25
stupid, that the Mexican government is sending
27:27
criminals. that we're being bamboozled. Is that
27:30
an adequate response to the question of illegal
27:34
immigration? Chris, first of all, I was just
27:35
saying to Chris Christie, they say we're outspoken.
27:38
We need to take lessons from Donald Trump if
27:40
we're really going to learn it. Here's the thing
27:43
about Donald Trump. Donald Trump's hitting a
27:46
nerve in this country. He is. He's hitting a
27:49
nerve. People are frustrated. They're fed up.
27:51
They don't think the government is working for
27:53
them. And for people that want to just tune them
27:56
out, they're making a mistake. Now, he's got
27:59
his solutions. Some of us have other solutions.
28:02
You know, look, I balanced the federal budget
28:04
as one of the chief architects when I was in
28:06
Washington. Hadn't been done since. I was a military
28:09
reformer. I took the state of Ohio from an $8
28:13
billion hole and a 350 ,000 job loss to a $2
28:17
billion surplus and a gain of 350 ,000 jobs.
28:21
Respectfully, can we talk about a legal immigration?
28:23
But the point is, is that we all have solutions.
28:25
Mr. Trump. touching a nerve because people want
28:29
the wall to be built they want to see an end
28:31
to illegal immigration they want to see and we
28:33
all do but we all have different ways of getting
28:36
there and you're gonna hear from all of us tonight
28:38
about what our ideas are all right well Senator
28:41
Rubio let me see if I can do better with you
28:44
Is it as simple as our leaders are stupid, their
28:48
leaders are smart, and all of these illegals
28:50
coming over are criminals? Well, let me set the
28:52
record straight on a couple things. The first
28:54
is the evidence is now clear that the majority
28:56
of people coming across the border are not from
28:57
Mexico. They're coming from Guatemala, El Salvador,
29:00
Honduras. Those countries are the source of the
29:03
people that are now coming in its majority. I
29:05
also believe we need a fence. The problem is
29:07
if El Chapo builds a tunnel under the fence,
29:09
we have to be able to deal with that too. And
29:11
that's why you need an E -Verify system and you
29:13
need an entry -exit tracking system and all sorts
29:15
of other things to prevent illegal immigration.
29:17
But I agree with what Governor Kasich just said.
29:20
People are frustrated. This is the most generous
29:22
country in the world when it comes to immigration.
29:24
There are a million people a year who legally
29:26
immigrate to the United States. And people feel
29:29
like we're being taken advantage of. We feel
29:31
like despite our generosity, we are being taken
29:33
advantage of. And let me tell you who never gets
29:35
talked about in these debates. The people that
29:37
call my office, who have been waiting for 15
29:40
years to come to the United States, and they
29:42
paid their fees, and they hired a lawyer, and
29:45
they can't get in, and they're wondering maybe
29:46
they should come illegally. And so these are
29:49
important issues, and we should address it. It's
29:51
a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
29:53
And otherwise, we're going to keep talking about
29:55
this for the next 30 years like we have for the
29:57
last 30 years. Governor Walker. Governor Walker,
30:01
from 2002 till as recently as 2013, just two
30:06
years ago, you supported comprehensive immigration
30:09
reform, including a path to citizenship. Now
30:13
you say that was a quick reaction to something
30:16
you hadn't really thought about and that you've
30:18
changed your mind. Other than politics, could
30:21
you explain why in the last two years you've
30:24
changed your position on a path to citizenship?
30:26
And are there other past positions that we shouldn't
30:29
hold you to? Yeah, well, Chris, I actually said
30:31
it on your show earlier this year. I said I acknowledge
30:34
that. I said I actually listen to the American
30:36
people. And I think people across America want
30:38
a leader who's actually going to listen to them.
30:40
I talked to border state governors and other
30:42
elected officials. I looked at how this president,
30:44
particularly through last November, messed up
30:46
the immigration system in this country. Most
30:48
importantly, I listened to the people of America.
30:51
I believe we need to secure the border. I've
30:52
been to the border with Governor Abbott in Texas
30:54
and others, seeing the problems that they have
30:56
there. There's international criminal organizations
30:58
penetrating. southern base borders, and we need
31:01
to do something about it. Secure the border,
31:03
enforce the law, no amnesty, and go forward with
31:05
a legal immigration system that gives priority
31:07
to American working families and wages. Senator
31:13
Cruz, some 1 ,400 people submitted questions
31:17
on this very hot topic of illegal immigration
31:20
on Facebook, and a number of them were about
31:23
the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco,
31:26
allegedly. Shot down by an illegal. Doug Bettencourt
31:32
sent this question. Will you support Kate Steinle's
31:34
law, which would impose a mandatory five -year
31:37
prison term for an illegal who's deported and
31:39
then returns to this country? And will you defund
31:42
sanctuary cities for violating federal law? Chris,
31:46
absolutely yes. And not only will I support it.
31:51
I have authored Kate's law in the United States
31:54
Senate and filed that legislation. I tried to
31:57
get the Senate to vote to pass Kate's law on
32:00
the floor of the Senate just one week ago, and
32:03
the leader of our own party blocked a vote on
32:06
Kate's law. You know, there was reference made
32:10
to our leaders being stupid. It's not a question
32:12
of stupidity. It's that they don't want to enforce
32:17
the immigration laws. that there are far too
32:20
many in the Washington cartel that support amnesty.
32:23
President Obama's talked about fundamentally
32:25
transforming this country. There's 7 billion
32:28
people across the face of the globe, many of
32:30
whom want to come to this country. If they come
32:32
legally, great, but if they come illegally and
32:36
they get amnesty, that is how we fundamentally
32:39
change this country, and it really is striking.
32:43
A majority of the candidates on this stage have
32:45
supported amnesty. I have never supported amnesty,
32:48
and I led the fight against Chuck Schumer's Gang
32:51
Evade Amnesty legislation in the Senate. All
32:57
right, gentlemen, we're going to switch topics
32:58
now and talk a bit about terror and national
33:01
security. Governor Christie, you have said that
33:04
Senator Paul's opposition to the NSA's collection
33:06
of phone records has made the United States weaker
33:09
and more vulnerable. even going so far as to
33:11
say that he should be called before Congress
33:13
to answer for it if we should be hit by another
33:16
terrorist attack. Do you really believe you can
33:19
assign blame to Senator Paul just for opposing
33:22
the bulk collection of people's phone records
33:25
in the event of a terrorist attack? Yes, I do.
33:28
And I'll tell you why. Because I'm the only person
33:31
on this stage who's actually filed applications
33:34
under the Patriot Act, who have gone before the
33:37
Foreign Intelligence Service Court. who has prosecuted
33:41
and investigated and jailed terrorists in this
33:43
country after September 11th. I was appointed
33:46
U .S. Attorney by President Bush on September
33:48
10th, 2001. And the world changed enormously
33:51
the next day. And it happened in my state. This
33:54
is not theoretical to me. I went to the funerals.
33:57
We lost friends of ours in the Trade Center that
33:59
day. My own wife was two blocks from the Trade
34:01
Center that day at her office, having gone through
34:03
it that morning. When you actually have to be
34:06
responsible, for doing this. You can do it, and
34:09
we did it for seven years in my office, respecting
34:11
civil liberties and protecting the homeland.
34:14
And I will make no apologies ever for protecting
34:17
the lives and the safety of the American people.
34:19
We have to give more tools to our folks to be
34:22
able to do that, not fewer, and then trust those
34:25
people and oversee them to do it the right way.
34:27
As president, that is exactly what I'll do. Megan,
34:30
may I respond? Go ahead, sir. I want to collect
34:37
more records from terrorists, but less records
34:41
from innocent Americans. The Fourth Amendment
34:45
was what we fought the revolution over. John
34:49
Adams said it was the spark that led to our war
34:51
for independence. And I'm proud of standing for
34:54
the Bill of Rights, and I will continue to stand
34:57
for the Bill of Rights. And Megan, Megan, that's
35:01
a... You know, that's a completely ridiculous
35:03
answer. I want to collect more records from terrorists,
35:07
but less records from other people. How are you
35:10
supposed to know, Megan? What are you supposed
35:12
to? How are you supposed to? I'll tell you how
35:14
you get a war. Let me tell you something. Go
35:16
ahead, Governor Christie, make your point. Listen,
35:20
Senator, you know, when you're sitting in a subcommittee
35:22
just blowing hot air about this, you can say
35:25
things like that. When you're responsible for
35:27
protecting the lives of the American people,
35:29
then what you need to do is to make sure that
35:33
you use the system the way it's supposed to work.
35:35
Here's the problem, Governor. You fundamentally
35:36
misunderstand the Bill of Rights. Every time
35:40
you did a case, you got a warrant from a judge.
35:44
about searches without warrants there is indiscriminately
35:48
of all Americans records and that's what I fought
35:50
to end I don't trust President Obama with our
35:53
records I know you gave him a big hug and if
35:56
you want to give him a big hug again and you
36:03
know you know Senator Paul Senator Paul you know
36:07
the hugs that I remember are the hugs that I
36:09
gave to the families who lost their people on
36:11
September 11th. Those are the hugs I remember,
36:14
and those had nothing to do with politics, unlike
36:18
what you're doing by cutting speeches on the
36:20
floor of the Senate, then putting them on the
36:22
Internet within a half an hour to raise money
36:24
for your campaign, and while still putting our
36:26
country at risk. All right, we're going to cut
36:28
it off there. We have plenty more we want to
36:30
get to. That was an interesting exchange. Thank
36:32
you for that. I want to move on because we're
36:34
going to get to you, Governor, but I really want
36:36
to get to a Facebook questioner. His name is
36:38
Alex Shalgrin, and he has the following question.
36:44
My question is, how would the candidates stop
36:47
the treacherous actions of ISIS, ISIL, and its
36:50
growing influence in the U .S. if they were to
36:52
become president? Senator Cruz, I want to talk
36:55
to you about this because many of the Facebook
36:57
users and the folks on Facebook... wanted the
37:00
candidates to speak to ISIS tonight. You asked
37:02
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs a question.
37:04
What would it take to destroy ISIS in 90 days?
37:06
He told you ISIS will only be truly destroyed
37:09
once they are rejected by the populations in
37:11
which they hide. And then you accused him of
37:14
pushing Medicaid for the Iraqis. How would you
37:18
destroy ISIS in 90 days? Megan, we need a commander
37:22
in chief that speaks the truth. We will not defeat
37:27
radical Islamic terrorism. so long as we have
37:30
a president unwilling to utter the words radical
37:34
Islamic terrorism. When I asked General Dempsey,
37:43
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, what would
37:45
be required militarily to destroy ISIS, he said
37:47
there is no military solution. We need to change
37:50
the conditions on the ground. so that young men
37:53
are not in poverty and susceptible to radicalization.
37:56
That, with all due respect, is nonsense. It's
38:00
the same answer the State Department gave that
38:02
we need to give them jobs. What we need is a
38:05
commander -in -chief who makes clear, if you
38:08
join ISIS, if you wage jihad on America, then
38:13
you are signing your death warrant. You don't
38:16
see it as an ideological problem? An ideological
38:18
problem in addition to a military one. Megan,
38:23
of course it's an ideological problem. That's
38:25
one of the reasons why I introduced the Expatriate
38:28
Terrorist Act in the Senate that said if any
38:31
American travels to the Middle East and joins
38:33
ISIS, that he or she forfeits their citizenship
38:36
so they don't use a passport to come back and
38:40
wage jihad on Americans. Yes, it is ideological.
38:44
And let me contrast President Obama, who at the
38:47
prayer breakfast essentially acted as an apologist.
38:51
He said, well, gosh, the Crusades, the Inquisitions.
38:54
We need a president that shows the courage that
38:57
Egypt's President al -Sisi did, a Muslim, when
39:00
he called out the radical Islamic terrorists
39:03
who are threatening the world. Governor Bush,
39:07
for days on end in this campaign, you struggled
39:12
to answer a question about whether knowing what
39:15
we know now, you would have invaded Iraq. I remember
39:20
it, too. And ISIS, of course, is now thriving
39:23
there. You finally said no. To the families of
39:27
those who died in that war, who say they liberated
39:29
a country and deposed a ruthless dictator, how
39:32
do you look at them now and say your brother's
39:34
war was a mistake? Knowing what we know now,
39:37
with faulty intelligence and not having security
39:40
be the first priority when we invaded, it was
39:44
a mistake. I wouldn't have gone in. However...
39:46
For the people that did lose their lives and
39:48
the families that suffered because of it, I know
39:51
this full well because as governor of the state
39:53
of Florida, I called every one of them, every
39:56
one of them that I could find to tell them that
39:58
I was praying for them, that I cared about them,
40:00
and it was really hard to do. And every one of
40:03
them said that their child did not die in vain
40:06
or their wife or husband did not die in vain.
40:08
And so why it was difficult for me to do it was
40:10
based on that. Here's the lesson that we should
40:13
take from this, which relates to this whole subject.
40:16
Barack Obama became president and he abandoned
40:18
Iraq. He left. And when he left, al Qaeda was
40:22
done for. ISIS was created because of the void
40:25
that we left. And that void now exists as a caliphate
40:28
the size of Indiana. To honor the people that
40:31
died, we need to stop the Iran agreement for
40:36
sure because the Iranian mullahs have their blood
40:39
on their hands and we need to take out ISIS with
40:41
every tool at our disposal. Governor Walker.
40:45
In February, you said that we needed to gain
40:47
partners in the Arab world. Which Arab country,
40:50
not already in the U .S.-led coalition, has the
40:53
potential to be our greatest partner? We need
40:57
to focus on the ones we have. You look at Egypt,
41:00
probably the best relationship we've had in Israel,
41:02
at least in my lifetime, incredibly important.
41:05
You look at the Saudis. In fact, earlier this
41:06
year, I met with Saudi leaders and leaders from
41:09
the United Arab Emirates, and I asked them, what's
41:11
the greatest challenge in the world today? Set
41:13
aside the Iran deal. They said it's the disengagement
41:16
of America. We are leading from behind under
41:19
the Obama -Clinton doctrine. America is a great
41:21
country. We need to stand up and start leading
41:23
again. We'd have allies not just in Israel, but
41:25
throughout the Persian Gulfs. Dr. Carson, in
41:29
one of his first acts as commander -in -chief,
41:31
President Obama signed an executive order banning
41:34
enhanced interrogation techniques in fighting
41:36
terror. As president, would you bring back waterboarding?
41:40
Well, thank you, Megan. I wasn't sure I was going
41:43
to get to talk again. You know, what we do in
41:56
order to get the information that we need is
41:59
our business. And I wouldn't necessarily be broadcasting
42:02
to everybody what we're going to do. We've gotten
42:09
into this mindset of fighting politically correct
42:13
wars. There is no such thing as a politically
42:16
correct war. The left, of course, will say, Carson
42:23
doesn't believe in a Geneva Convention. Carson
42:26
doesn't believe in fighting stupid wars. And
42:28
what we have to remember is we want to utilize
42:32
the tremendous... intellect that we have in the
42:36
military to win wars. And I've talked to a lot
42:40
of the generals, a lot of our advanced people,
42:43
and believe me, if we gave them the mission,
42:46
which is what the commander in chief does, they
42:48
would be able to carry it out. And if we don't
42:51
tie their hands behind their back, they will
42:53
do it extremely effectively. Gentlemen, the next
42:59
series of questions deals with Obamacare and
43:02
the role of the federal government. Mr. Trump,
43:04
Obamacare is one of the things you call a disaster.
43:09
Complete disaster, yes. Saying it needs to be
43:12
repealed and replaced. Correct. Now, 15 years
43:15
ago, you called yourself a liberal on health
43:17
care. You were for a single -payer system, a
43:20
Canadian -style system. Why were you for that
43:23
then, and why aren't you for it now? First of
43:26
all, I'd like to just go back to one in July
43:28
of 2004. I came out strongly against. the war
43:33
with Iraq because it was going to destabilize
43:36
the Middle East. And I'm the only one on the
43:38
stage that knew that and had the vision to say
43:40
it. And that's exactly what happened. The Middle
43:43
East became totally destabilized. So I just want
43:46
to say as far as single payer, it works in Canada.
43:49
It works incredibly well in Scotland. It could
43:51
have worked. in a different age which is the
43:54
age you're talking about here what i'd like to
43:56
see is a private system without the artificial
43:59
lines around every state i have a big company
44:02
with thousands and thousands of employees and
44:04
if i'm negotiating in new york or new jersey
44:07
or in california i have like one bidder nobody
44:10
can bid you know why because the insurance companies
44:12
are making a fortune because they have control
44:15
of the politicians of course with the exception
44:17
of the politicians of the stage but they have
44:19
total control of the politicians. They're making
44:23
a fortune. Get rid of the artificial lines, and
44:25
you will have yourself great plans. And then
44:28
we have to take care of the people that can't
44:29
take care of themselves, and I will do that through
44:32
a different system. Mr. Trump, hold on one second.
44:35
I got a newsflash. I know. Hold on, Senator Paul.
44:37
Newsflash. The Republican Party's been fighting
44:40
against a single -payer system for a decade.
44:43
See, I think you're on the wrong side of this
44:44
if you're still arguing for a single -payer system.
44:46
I'm not. I don't think you heard me. You're having
44:48
a hard time tonight. All right. Mr. Trump, it's
44:53
not just your past support for single payer health
44:56
care. You've also supported a host of other liberal
44:59
policies. You've also donated to several Democratic
45:02
candidates. Hillary Clinton included Nancy Pelosi.
45:06
You explained away those donations, saying you
45:08
did that to get business related favors. And
45:12
you said recently, quote, when you give, they
45:15
do whatever the hell you want them to do. You
45:17
better believe it. So what specifically did they
45:20
do? If I ask them, if I need them. You know,
45:23
most of the people on this stage I've given to,
45:25
just so you understand. A lot of money. Not me.
45:29
Not me. But you're welcome to give me a check,
45:33
Donald. Many of them. Actually, to be clear,
45:36
he supported Charlie Crist. Not Mike. But I have.
45:39
Donald, at the end of the campaign, I hope you
45:41
will give to me. Good. Sounds good. Sounds good
45:44
to me, Governor. I will tell you that our system
45:47
is broken. I give to many people. Before this,
45:51
before two months ago, I was a businessman. I
45:52
give to everybody. When they call, I give. And
45:55
you know what? When I need something from them,
45:57
two years later, three years later, I call them.
46:00
They are there for me. And that's a broken system.
46:03
So what did you get from Hillary Clinton and
46:04
Nancy Pelosi? Well, I'll tell you what. With
46:06
Hillary Clinton, I said, be at my wedding, and
46:09
she came to my wedding. You know why? She had
46:11
no choice because I gave. I gave to a foundation
46:14
that, frankly, that foundation is supposed to
46:17
do good. I didn't know her money would be used
46:20
on private jets going all over the world. It
46:22
was. Mr. Trump, thank you. Hold on. We're going
46:26
to move on. We'll come back to you, Governor
46:27
Walker. Just one second on this, though. We spend
46:29
a lot of time talking about Hillary Clinton and
46:32
pitting us back and forth. Let's be clear. We
46:33
should be talking about Hillary Clinton on that
46:35
last subject because everywhere in the world
46:37
that Hillary Clinton touched is more messed up
46:39
today than before she and the president. We have
46:40
many questions to come. Many questions to come.
46:43
Governor Huckabee, on Facebook, John Priccione
46:47
asks this. Will you abolish or take away the
46:52
powers and cut the size of the EPA, the IRS,
46:55
the Department of Education? Now, broadly, broadly,
46:59
the size of government is a big concern for Facebook
47:01
users, Facebook persons, as well as obviously
47:05
conservatives. But year after year, decade after
47:07
decade, there are promises from Republicans to
47:10
shrink government. But year after year, decade
47:12
after decade. It doesn't happen. In fact, it
47:15
gets bigger even under Republican politicians.
47:18
So the question is, at this point, is the government
47:21
simply too big for any one person, even a Republican,
47:25
to shrink? It's not too big to shrink. But the
47:29
problem is we have a Wall Street to Washington
47:31
axis of power that has controlled the political
47:34
climate. The donor class feeds the political
47:37
class who does the dance that the donor class
47:39
wants. And the result is federal government keeps
47:42
getting bigger. Every person on this stage who
47:45
has been a governor will tell you that the biggest
47:47
fight they had was not the other party, wasn't
47:49
even the legislature. It was the federal government
47:52
who continually put mandates on the states that
47:55
we had to suck up and pay for. And the fact is
47:59
there are a lot of things happening at the federal
48:01
level that are absolutely beyond the jurisdiction
48:04
of the Constitution. This is power that should
48:07
be shifted back to the states, whether it's the
48:09
EPA. There is no role at the federal level for
48:12
the Department of Education. And I'm still one
48:15
who says that we can get rid of the Internal
48:18
Revenue Service if we would pass the fair tax,
48:20
which is a tax on consumption rather than a tax
48:23
on people's income, and move power back where
48:26
the founders believed it should have been all
48:28
along. Dr. Carson, do you agree with that? What
48:33
I agree with is that we need a significantly
48:36
changed taxation system. And the one that I've
48:40
advocated is based on tithing because I think
48:44
God's a pretty fair guy. And he said, you know,
48:47
if you give me a tithe... It doesn't matter how
48:51
much you made. If you had a bumper crop, you
48:53
don't owe me triple tithes. And if you had no
48:55
crops at all, you don't owe me no tithes. So
48:57
there must be something inherently fair about
48:59
that. And that's why I've advocated a proportional
49:01
tax system. You make $10 billion, you pay a billion.
49:05
You make $10, you pay one. And everybody gets
49:08
treated the same way. And you get rid of the
49:10
deductions. You get rid of all the loopholes.
49:14
Governor Bush. And I have a lot more to say about
49:16
it. We're going to come back to you, Dr. Carson.
49:18
Governor Bush, you are one of the few people
49:20
on this stage who advocates for common core education
49:24
standards, reading and math. A lot of people
49:27
on this stage vigorously oppose federal involvement
49:31
in education. They say it should all be handled
49:33
locally. President Obama's Secretary of Education,
49:36
Arne Duncan, has said that most of the criticism
49:39
of Common Core is due to a, quote, fringe group
49:43
of critics. Do you think that's accurate? No,
49:46
I don't. And I don't believe the federal government
49:47
should be involved in the creation of standards
49:49
directly or indirectly, the creation of curriculum
49:52
or content. That is clearly a state responsibility.
49:55
I'm for higher standards measured in an intellectually
50:00
honest way. with abundant school choice, ending
50:04
social promotion. And I know how to do this because
50:07
as governor of the state of Florida, I created
50:09
the first statewide voucher program in the country,
50:11
the second statewide voucher program in the country,
50:14
and the third statewide voucher program in the
50:16
country. And we had rising student achievement
50:19
across the board because high standards, robust
50:21
accountability, ending social promotion in third
50:24
grade, real school choice across the board, challenging
50:27
the teachers union and beating them is the way
50:29
to go. And Florida's low -income kids had the
50:32
greatest gains inside the country. Our graduation
50:34
rate improved by 50%. That's what I'm for. Senator
50:38
Rubio, why is Governor Bush wrong on Common Core?
50:41
Well, first of all... I, too, believe in curriculum
50:44
reform. It's critically important in the 21st
50:46
century. We do need curriculum reform. And it
50:49
should happen at the state and local level. That
50:51
is where educational policy belongs. Because
50:55
if a parent is unhappy with what their child
50:57
is being taught in school, they can go to that
50:59
local school board or their state legislature
51:01
or their governor and get it changed. Here's
51:03
the problem with Common Core. The Department
51:05
of Education, like every federal agency, will
51:07
never be satisfied. They will not stop with it
51:10
being a suggestion. They will turn it into a
51:12
mandate. In fact, what they will begin to say
51:14
to local communities is, you will not get federal
51:16
money unless you do things the way we want you
51:18
to do it. And they will use Common Core or any
51:20
other requirements that exist nationally to force
51:23
it down the throats of our people in our states.
51:25
You agree with your old friend? He's definitely
51:29
my friend and I think the states ought to create
51:32
these standards and if states want to opt out
51:34
of Common Core fine Just make sure your standards
51:36
are high because today in America a third of
51:40
our kids After we spend more per student than
51:42
any country in the world other than a couple
51:44
of rounding errors to be honest with you 30 %
51:47
are college and or career ready. If we are going
51:49
to compete in this world we're in today, there's
51:52
no possible way we can do it with lowering expectations
51:54
and dumbing down everything. Children are going
51:57
to suffer and families' hearts are going to be
51:59
broken that their kids won't be able to get a
52:01
job in the 21st century. We have many more questions
52:03
coming on a host of topics here from Quicken
52:07
Loans Arena in Cleveland. Stay with us. What
52:13
would make you stand out as the best choice for
52:15
the Republican nomination? How do you intend
52:17
to go about student loan reform? What will be
52:20
the first thing you will do to stimulate economic
52:22
growth in our country and bring more jobs to
52:25
the United States? And it's just before 10 p
52:40
.m. on the East Coast. Welcome back. to Quicken
52:43
Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and the very
52:45
first Republican primary debate of the 2016 presidential
52:48
campaign. Ten candidates on the stage, selected
52:51
based on their standing in five national polls,
52:53
and tonight they are facing off, answering the
52:56
questions you want asked, we hope. Gentlemen,
53:01
we're obviously digging into some subjects in
53:03
depth, but we're also going to change it up every
53:05
once in a while throughout the next hour and
53:07
have mini rounds where we ask... You're not going
53:10
to like it. Only a couple of candidates' questions
53:12
on those subjects. This is the first of the many
53:16
rounds, and it's about somebody whose name probably
53:19
hasn't been mentioned enough so far tonight.
53:22
Governor Kasich, let me start with you. Whoever
53:24
the Republican nominee is, it looks, at least
53:29
for now, like whoever that nominee is, he or
53:32
she will be facing off against Hillary Clinton.
53:35
You know how she will come after. Whoever the
53:38
Republican nominee is, she will say that you,
53:42
whoever it is, support the rich while she supports
53:44
the middle class, that you want to suppress the
53:47
rights of women and minorities. She wants to
53:49
move the country forward while you, the Republicans,
53:53
want to take the country back to the past. How
53:56
will you, if you're the nominee, how will you
53:59
answer that? and take Hillary Clinton on? Well,
54:02
let's start off with my father being a mailman,
54:04
so I understand the concerns of all the folks
54:06
across this country, some of whom have trouble,
54:08
you know, making ends meet. But I think she will
54:11
come in a narrow way. The nominee of this party,
54:14
if they're going to win, has got to come at it
54:16
in a big way, which is pro -growth, which is
54:19
balancing budgets. You know, we were talking
54:21
about it. People were saying, could we do it?
54:23
I was the chairman of the budget committee and
54:25
the lead architect the last time it happened
54:27
in Washington. And when we did it, we had great
54:30
economic growth. We cut taxes and we had a big
54:33
surplus. Economic growth is the key. Economic
54:36
growth is the key to everything. But once you
54:39
have economic growth, it is important that we
54:41
reach out to people who live in the shadows,
54:43
the people who don't seem to ever think they
54:46
get a fair deal. And that includes people in
54:49
our minority community. That includes people
54:52
who feel as though they don't have a chance to
54:54
move up. You know, America is a miracle country,
54:57
and we have to restore the sense that the miracle
55:00
will apply to you. Each and every one of the
55:03
people in this country who's watching tonight,
55:06
lift everybody, unite. everybody and build a
55:09
stronger United States of America again it will
55:12
be and can be done I know that all of you would
55:15
like to answer this question but we're only gonna
55:17
ask one other candidate before we move on to
55:19
a different subject dr. Carson basically same
55:21
question to you if Hillary Clinton is the nominee
55:25
and she comes at you with that kind of line of
55:28
attack how will you take her on if Hillary is
55:31
the candidate which I doubt that would be a dream
55:34
come true You know, the fact of the matter is,
55:38
she is the epitome of the progressive, the secular
55:44
progressive movement. And she counts on the fact
55:49
that people are uninformed. The Alinsky model,
55:53
taking advantage of useful idiots. Well, I just
55:56
happen to believe that people are not stupid.
56:00
And the way I will come at it is to educate people,
56:03
help people to actually understand that it is
56:05
that progressive movement that is causing them
56:08
the problems. You know, you look at the national
56:11
debt. and how it's being driven up. If I was
56:15
trying to destroy this country, what I would
56:17
do is find a way to drive wedges between all
56:19
the people, drive the debt to an unsustainable
56:22
level, and then step off the stage as a world
56:25
leader and let our enemies increase while we
56:27
decreased our capacity as a military person.
56:30
And that's what she's doing. Gentlemen, we're
56:36
going to turn now to the subject of the economy,
56:39
jobs, and money, and the government. And Governor
56:42
Bush, I'm going to start with you. You have made
56:44
a bold promise in your announcement. You have
56:46
promised 4 % economic growth and 19 million new
56:51
jobs if you were fortunate enough to serve two
56:54
terms as president. That many jobs, 19 million,
56:57
would be triple what your father and your brother
57:00
accomplished together. And 4 % growth, the last
57:03
president to average that was Lyndon Johnson
57:06
during the height of the Vietnam War. So, question,
57:09
how on earth specifically would you pull that
57:13
off? We've done it 27 times since World War II.
57:16
I think we need to lift our spirits and have
57:19
high, lofty expectations for this great country
57:21
of ours. The new normal of 2 % that the left
57:24
is saying you can't do anything about is so dangerous
57:27
for our country. There's 6 million people living
57:30
in poverty today more than when Barack Obama
57:32
got elected. Six and a half million people are
57:34
working part -time, most of whom want to work
57:36
full -time. We've created rules and taxes on
57:39
top of every aspiration of people, and the net
57:42
result is we're not growing fast, income's not
57:45
growing. A 4 % growth strategy means you fix
57:48
a convoluted tax code. You get in and you change
57:51
every aspect of regulations that are job killers.
57:54
You get rid of Obamacare and replace it with
57:57
something that doesn't suppress wages and kill
58:00
jobs. You embrace the energy revolution in our
58:03
country. This president and Hillary Clinton,
58:05
who can't even say she's for the XL pipeline
58:07
even after she's left. Give me a break. Of course
58:10
we're for it. We should be for these things to
58:12
create high sustained economic growth and frankly,
58:14
fixing our immigration system and turning it
58:17
into an economic driver as part of this as well.
58:19
We can do this. Governor Walker. Governor Walker,
58:24
when you ran for governor of Wisconsin back in
58:27
2010, you promised that you would create 250
58:31
,000 jobs in your first term, first four years.
58:35
In fact, Wisconsin added barely half that and
58:39
ranked 35th in the country in job growth. Now
58:42
you're running for president and you're promising
58:44
an economic plan in which everyone will earn
58:47
a piece of the American dream. Given your record
58:51
in Wisconsin, Why should voters believe you?
58:54
Well, the voters in Wisconsin elected me last
58:56
year for the third time because they wanted someone
58:58
who aimed high, not aimed low. Before I came
59:01
in, the unemployment rate was over 8%. It's now
59:03
down to 4 .6%. We more than made up for the jobs
59:06
that were lost during the recession. And the
59:08
rate in which people are working is almost five
59:10
points higher than it is nationally. People like
59:13
Hillary Clinton think you grow the economy by
59:15
growing Washington. One report last year showed
59:17
that six of the top ten wealthiest counties in
59:19
America were in or around Washington, D .C. I
59:22
think most of us in America understand that people,
59:24
not the government, creates jobs. And one of
59:26
the best things we can do is get the government
59:28
out of the way, repeal Obamacare, rein in all
59:32
the out -of -control regulations, put in place
59:34
an all -the -above energy policy, give people
59:36
the education and skills that they need. to succeed
59:38
and lower the tax rate and reform the tax code.
59:40
That's what I'll do as president, just like I
59:42
did in Wisconsin. Governor Christie, I want to
59:46
engage you and Governor Huckabee in a subject
59:49
that is a big issue in both of your campaigns,
59:52
and that is entitlement reform. You say that
59:55
to save the system, you want to raise the retirement
59:58
age, have to raise the retirement age, and to
1:00:01
cut benefits for Social Security and Medicare.
1:00:04
And you say that some of the candidates here
1:00:06
on the stage... are lying. Governor Huckabee
1:00:09
says he can save Social Security and Medicare
1:00:11
without doing any of that. Is he lying? No, he's
1:00:15
not lying. He's just wrong. I mean, so there's
1:00:17
a difference. Listen, I'm the only guy on this
1:00:20
stage who's put out a detailed 12 -point plan
1:00:23
on entitlement reform, and here's why. Because
1:00:25
71 % of federal spending right now is on entitlements
1:00:29
and debt service. 71%. And we have spent the
1:00:32
last hour and five minutes talking about the
1:00:34
other 29%. and no time on the 71%. And that makes
1:00:39
no sense. Now, let me tell you exactly what we
1:00:41
would do on Social Security. Yes, we'd raise
1:00:43
the retirement age two years and phase it in
1:00:45
over 25 years. That means we'd raise it one month
1:00:48
a year for 25 years when we're all living longer
1:00:51
and living better lives. Secondly, we would means
1:00:54
test Social Security for those who are making
1:00:56
over $200 ,000 a year in retirement income and
1:01:00
who have $4 to $5 million in liquid assets saved.
1:01:03
They don't need that Social Security check. Social
1:01:05
Security is meant to be to make sure that no
1:01:08
one who's worked hard and played by the rules
1:01:10
and paid into the system grows old in poverty
1:01:13
in America. If we don't deal with this problem,
1:01:15
it will bankrupt our country or lead to massive
1:01:17
tax increases, neither one that we want in this
1:01:20
country. Governor Huckabee, you say the changing
1:01:25
entitlements, the kind of thing that... Governor
1:01:29
Christie is talking about would be breaking a
1:01:31
promise to the American people. And you say that
1:01:33
you can keep those programs, save Social Security,
1:01:37
save Medicare without those kinds of reforms
1:01:40
through a fair tax, which is a broad tax on consumption.
1:01:43
Please explain to Governor Christie how that
1:01:46
would work and how you could save these programs
1:01:48
without the kind of painful reforms he says we
1:01:52
need. Let's all be reminded 60 million Americans
1:01:55
are on Social Security. 60 million. A third of
1:01:59
those people depend on 90 % of their income from
1:02:02
Social Security. Nobody in this country is on
1:02:05
Social Security because they made the decision
1:02:07
when they were starting work at 14 that they
1:02:09
wanted to trust some of their money with the
1:02:11
government. The government took it out of their
1:02:12
check whether they wanted them to or not. And
1:02:15
if a person goes to 65, they're going to spend
1:02:17
51 years with the government reaching into their
1:02:20
pocket at every paycheck. Now, here's the point.
1:02:24
Whose fault is it that the system is screwed
1:02:26
up? Is it the recipients or is it the government?
1:02:29
And if Congress wants to mess with the retirement
1:02:32
program, why don't we let them start by changing
1:02:35
their retirement program and not have one instead
1:02:38
of talking about getting rid of Social Security
1:02:41
and Medicare that was robbed $700 billion to
1:02:44
pay for Obamacare? It's always that the government
1:02:47
figures that they can do this off the backs of
1:02:50
people, many of whom are poor and depend on that
1:02:53
money. And I just think it's fundamentally lying
1:02:55
to the people and stealing. from them and we
1:02:57
shouldn't be doing it. I don't disagree with
1:03:03
ending Congress's retirement program. I'm a governor.
1:03:05
I don't have a retirement program in my state
1:03:07
and I don't disagree with that. But here's the
1:03:09
news for the American people. He's complaining
1:03:11
about the lying and stealing. The lying and stealing
1:03:13
has already occurred. The trust fund is filled
1:03:15
with IOUs. We can't fix the problem just by entering
1:03:19
Congress's retirement. That's worth about this
1:03:21
much. We need to go at the fundamental problem.
1:03:24
And the fundamental problem is that this system
1:03:26
is broken. It has been stolen from. We have been
1:03:29
lied to. We need a strong leader to tell the
1:03:31
truth and fix it. All right, this is it. 30 seconds,
1:03:33
finally. Well, you ask about how we fund it.
1:03:35
One of the reasons that Social Security is in
1:03:37
so much trouble is the only funding stream comes
1:03:39
from people who get a wage. The people who get
1:03:42
wages is declining dramatically. Most of the
1:03:44
income in this country is made by people at the
1:03:46
top who get dividends and capital gains. The
1:03:50
fair tax transforms the process by which we fund
1:03:53
Social Security and Medicare because the money
1:03:56
paid at consumption is paid by everybody, including
1:03:58
illegals, prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, all
1:04:02
the people that are freeloading off the system
1:04:04
now. That's why it ought to be a transformed
1:04:06
system. All right. All right. Enough. Mr. Trump.
1:04:15
Mr. Trump, you talk a lot about how you are the
1:04:18
person on this stage to grow the economy. I want
1:04:20
to ask you about your business record. Trump
1:04:23
corporations, Trump corporations, casinos and
1:04:26
hotels have declared bankruptcy four times over
1:04:30
the last quarter century. In 2011, you told Forbes
1:04:34
magazine this, I've used the laws of the country
1:04:37
to my advantage. But at the same time, financial
1:04:41
experts involved in those bankruptcies say that
1:04:44
lenders to your companies lost billions of dollars.
1:04:48
Question, sir, with that record, why should we
1:04:51
trust you to run the nation's business? Because
1:04:54
I have used the laws of this country, just like
1:04:57
the greatest people that you read about every
1:05:00
day in business have used the laws of this country,
1:05:03
the chapter laws. to do a great job for my company,
1:05:06
for myself, for my employees, for my family,
1:05:09
etc. I have never gone bankrupt, by the way.
1:05:12
I have never. But out of hundreds of deals...
1:05:14
No, but sir, that's your line, but your companies
1:05:17
have gone bankrupt. What am I saying? Out of
1:05:21
hundreds of deals that I've done, hundreds...
1:05:24
on four occasions i've taken advantage of the
1:05:27
laws of this country like other people i'm not
1:05:30
going to name their names because i'm not going
1:05:32
to embarrass but virtually every person that
1:05:34
you read about on the front page of the business
1:05:36
sections they've used the law the difference
1:05:37
is when somebody else uses those laws Nobody
1:05:41
writes about it. When I use it, they say, oh,
1:05:43
Trump, Trump, Trump. The fact is, I built a net
1:05:46
worth of more than $10 billion. I have a great,
1:05:49
great company. I employ thousands of people.
1:05:53
And I'm very proud of the job I did. Again, Chris,
1:05:55
hundreds and hundreds of deals. Four times I've
1:05:59
taken advantage of the laws, and frankly, so
1:06:01
has everybody else in my position. Well, sir,
1:06:04
let's just talk about the latest example, which
1:06:06
is Trump Entertainment Resorts, which went bankrupt
1:06:09
in 2009. In that case alone, lenders to your
1:06:14
company lost over a billion dollars and more
1:06:18
than 1 ,100 people. were laid off. Is that the
1:06:22
way that you'd run the country? Let me just tell
1:06:23
you about the lenders. First of all, these lenders
1:06:26
aren't babies. These are total killers. These
1:06:28
are not the nice, sweet little people that you
1:06:30
think, okay? You know, I mean, you're living
1:06:32
in a world of the make -believe, Chris. You want
1:06:34
to know the truth. And I had the good sense to
1:06:38
leave Atlantic City, which, by the way, Caesars
1:06:41
just went bankrupt. Every company, Chris can
1:06:44
tell you, every company virtually in Atlantic
1:06:46
City went bankrupt. Every company and let me
1:06:49
just tell you I had the good sense and I've gotten
1:06:52
a lot of credit in the financial pages seven
1:06:55
years ago I left Atlantic City before it totally
1:06:57
cratered and I made a lot of money in Atlantic
1:07:00
City And I'm very proud of it. I want to tell
1:07:02
you that very very proud of it So by the way
1:07:06
this country right now owes 19 trillion dollars
1:07:10
and they need somebody like me to straighten
1:07:12
out that mess Senator Rubio. Senator Rubio, more
1:07:21
than 3 ,000 people sent us questions about the
1:07:24
economy and jobs on Facebook. And here is a video
1:07:29
question from Tanya Sialko from Philadelphia.
1:07:33
Here she is. Please describe one action you would
1:07:39
do to make the economic environment more favorable.
1:07:43
for small businesses and entrepreneurs and anyone
1:07:47
dreaming of opening their own business? That's
1:07:50
a great question. Senator, how do you answer
1:07:51
Tanya? That's a great question. First of all,
1:07:53
it begins by having leaders that recognize that
1:07:55
the economy we live in today is dramatically
1:07:57
different from the one we had five years ago.
1:07:59
It's an economy that now has placed us in global
1:08:01
competition with dozens of other countries around
1:08:03
the world. Now, the big companies that have connections
1:08:06
with Washington, they can affect policies to
1:08:08
help them, but the small companies like the one
1:08:10
Tanya's talking about, they're the ones that
1:08:12
are struggling. The first thing we need to do
1:08:14
is we need to even out the tax code for small
1:08:16
businesses so that we lower their tax rate to
1:08:18
25%, just as we need to lower it for all businesses.
1:08:21
We need to have a regulatory budget in America
1:08:23
that limits the amount of regulations on our
1:08:25
economy. We need to repeal and replace Obamacare,
1:08:28
and we need to improve higher education so that
1:08:30
people can have access to the skills they need
1:08:32
for 21st century. jobs. And last but not least,
1:08:35
we need to repeal Dodd -Frank. It is eviscerating
1:08:38
small businesses and small banks. Over 40 % of
1:08:43
small and mid -sized banks that loan money to
1:08:46
small businesses have been wiped out since Dodd
1:08:48
-Frank has passed. We need to repeal and replace
1:08:50
Dodd -Frank. We need to make America fair again
1:08:53
for all businesses, but especially those being
1:08:55
run by small business owners. Senator Rubio,
1:08:57
thank you. Gentlemen, another question for a
1:09:00
few of you. Yesterday, just yesterday, President
1:09:03
Obama criticized Republican lawmakers trying
1:09:07
to block the Iran deal, calling them knee -jerk
1:09:11
partisans, adding that hardliners in Iran who
1:09:14
chant death to America were, quote, making common
1:09:18
cause with the Republican caucus. Here's what
1:09:21
two of your opponents on the 5 p .m. debate stage
1:09:24
said about Iran. I will tell you one thing. I
1:09:28
would whole lot rather had Carly Fiorina over
1:09:30
there doing our negotiation than John Kerry.
1:09:33
Maybe we would have gotten a deal where we didn't
1:09:35
give everything away. But the issue for us...
1:09:38
is to have a Congress that stands up and says
1:09:42
not only no, but hell no to this money going
1:09:44
to a regime that is going to use it for terror.
1:09:47
When America does not lead, the world is a dangerous
1:09:50
and a tragic place. This is a bad deal. Obama
1:09:53
broke every rule of negotiation. Yes, our allies
1:09:57
are not perfect, but Iran is at the heart of
1:10:01
most of the evil that is going on in the Middle
1:10:03
East through their proxy. I want to ask a few
1:10:06
of you this. First, Governor Walker, you've said
1:10:09
that you would tear up the Iran deal on day one.
1:10:12
If this deal is undone, what then? Well, first
1:10:17
off, let's remember, I still remember as a kid
1:10:19
tying a yellow ribbon around the tree in front
1:10:22
of my house during the 444 days that Iran held
1:10:26
52 Americans hostage. Iran is not a place we
1:10:28
should be doing business with. To me, you terminate
1:10:30
the deal on day one. You reinstate the sanctions
1:10:33
authorized by Congress. You go to Congress and
1:10:35
put in place even more crippling sanctions in
1:10:37
place. And then you convince our allies to do
1:10:39
the same. This is not just bad with Iran. This
1:10:42
is bad with ISIS. It is tied together. And once
1:10:45
and for all, we need a leader who's going to
1:10:46
stand. up and do something about it it's yet
1:10:48
another example of the failed foreign policy
1:10:50
of the obama clinton doctrine senator paul would
1:10:53
you tear up the deal on day one i oppose the
1:10:57
iranian deal and will vote against it i don't
1:11:00
think that the president negotiated from a position
1:11:02
of strength but i don't immediately discount
1:11:05
negotiations i'm a reagan conservative reagan
1:11:08
did negotiate with the soviets but you have to
1:11:11
negotiate from a position of strength And I think
1:11:14
President Obama gave away too much too early.
1:11:17
If there's going to be a negotiation, you're
1:11:19
going to have to believe somehow that the Iranians
1:11:22
are going to comply. And I asked this question
1:11:24
to John Kerry. I said, do you believe they're
1:11:26
trustworthy? And he said, no. And I said, well,
1:11:27
how are we going to get them to comply? I would
1:11:30
have never released the sanctions before there
1:11:32
was consistent evidence of compliance. Governor
1:11:35
Huckabee, what do you think about what Senator
1:11:37
Paul just said? Ronald Reagan said, trust but
1:11:40
verify. President Obama is trust but vilify.
1:11:45
He trusts our enemies and vilifies everyone who
1:11:48
disagrees with him. And the reason we disagree
1:11:50
with him has nothing to do with party. It has
1:11:52
to do with the incredibly dangerous place that
1:11:55
this world is going to be as a result of a deal
1:11:58
in which we got nothing. We didn't even get four
1:12:01
hostages out. We got nothing. And Iran gets everything
1:12:05
they want. We said we would have anywhere, anytime
1:12:09
negotiations and inspections. We gave that up.
1:12:12
We said that we would make sure that they didn't
1:12:16
have any nuclear capacity. We gave that up. The
1:12:19
president can't tell us what we got. I'll tell
1:12:21
you what the world got. The world has a burgeoning
1:12:24
nuclear power that didn't, as the Soviets say,
1:12:27
we might defend ourselves in a war. What the
1:12:31
Iranians have said is we will wipe Israel off
1:12:34
the face of the map. And we will bring death
1:12:37
to America. When someone points a gun at your
1:12:40
head and loads it, by God, you ought to take
1:12:42
them seriously. And we need to take that seriously.
1:12:45
Thank you, gentlemen. Well, the first debate
1:12:50
night of the 2016 presidential campaign continues
1:12:52
from Cleveland after a short timeout. Stick around.
1:12:56
Social issues next. Let's discuss some social
1:13:18
issues across the board. Governor Bush, let's
1:13:21
start with you. Many Republicans have been outraged
1:13:24
recently by a series of videos on Planned Parenthood.
1:13:27
You now say that you support ending federal funding
1:13:30
for this organization. However, until late 2014,
1:13:33
right before you started your campaign, you sat
1:13:35
on the board of a Bloomberg charity that quite
1:13:37
publicly gave tens of millions of dollars to
1:13:40
Planned Parenthood while you were a director.
1:13:43
How could you not know about these well -publicized
1:13:45
donations? And if you did know, how could you
1:13:48
help a charity so openly committed to abortion
1:13:51
rights? I joined the Bloomberg Foundation because
1:13:53
of Mike Bloomberg's shared commitment for meaningful
1:13:56
education reform. That's why I was on it. We
1:13:58
never had a debate about the budget. It was presented
1:14:03
and we approved it, not item by item. Here's
1:14:06
my record. As governor of the state of Florida,
1:14:08
I defunded Planned Parenthood. I created a culture
1:14:11
of life in our state. We were the only state
1:14:15
to appropriate money for crisis pregnancy centers.
1:14:19
We expanded dramatically the number of adoptions
1:14:21
out of our foster care system. We created, we
1:14:24
did parental notification laws. We ended partial
1:14:28
birth abortion. We did all of this and we were
1:14:30
the first state to do a choose life license plate.
1:14:32
Now 29 states have done it and tens of millions
1:14:35
of dollars have gone to create a culture where
1:14:38
more people, more babies are adopted. But did
1:14:40
you know? No, I didn't know, but it doesn't matter.
1:14:43
I was working on this board because of the education.
1:14:45
My record is clear. My record as a pro -life
1:14:48
governor is not in dispute. I am completely pro
1:14:52
-life, and I believe that we should have a culture
1:14:54
of life that's informed by my faith from beginning
1:14:56
to end. And I did this not just as it related
1:14:59
to unborn babies. I did it at the end -of -life
1:15:01
issues as well. This is something that goes way
1:15:04
beyond politics, and I hope one day that we get
1:15:06
to the point where we respect life in its fullest
1:15:09
form across the board. Senator Rubio, you favor
1:15:14
a rape and incest exception to abortion bans.
1:15:17
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York just said
1:15:20
yesterday those exceptions are preposterous.
1:15:22
He said they discriminate against an entire class
1:15:25
of human beings. If you believe that life begins
1:15:27
at conception, as you say you do, how do you
1:15:29
justify ending a life just because it begins
1:15:33
violently through no fault of the baby? Well,
1:15:35
Megan, first of all, I'm not sure that that's
1:15:37
a correct assessment of my record. I would go
1:15:40
on to add that I believe all... You don't favor
1:15:41
a rape and an incest exception. I have never
1:15:43
said that, and I have never advocated that. What
1:15:45
I have advocated is that we pass law in this
1:15:47
country that says all human life, at every stage
1:15:50
of its development, is worthy of protection.
1:15:51
In fact, I think that law already exists. It's
1:15:54
called the Constitution of the United States.
1:15:56
And let me go further. I believe that every single
1:16:00
human being is entitled to the protection of
1:16:03
our laws, whether they can vote or not. whether
1:16:06
they can speak or not, whether they can hire
1:16:08
a lawyer or not, whether they have a birth certificate
1:16:09
or not. And I think future generations will look
1:16:12
back at this history of our country and call
1:16:14
us barbarians for murdering millions of babies
1:16:17
who we never gave them a chance to live. Mr.
1:16:21
Trump, in 1999, you said you were, quote, very
1:16:24
pro -choice, even supporting partial birth abortion.
1:16:28
You favored an assault weapons ban as well. In
1:16:31
2004, you said in most cases you identified as
1:16:33
a Democrat. Even in this campaign, your critics
1:16:36
say you often sound more like a Democrat than
1:16:39
a Republican, calling several of your opponents
1:16:40
on this stage things like clowns and puppets.
1:16:44
When did you actually become a Republican? I
1:16:51
don't think they like me very much. I'll tell
1:16:54
you what. I've evolved on many issues over the
1:16:57
years and you know who else has is Ronald Reagan
1:16:59
evolved on many issues and I am pro -life and
1:17:03
if you look at the question I was in business
1:17:06
they asked me a question as to pro -life or choice
1:17:08
and I said if you let it run that I hate the
1:17:13
concept of abortion I hate the concept of abortion
1:17:16
and then since then I've very much evolved and
1:17:19
what happened is friends of mine years ago were
1:17:23
going to have a child and it was going to be
1:17:26
aborted and it wasn't aborted and that child
1:17:29
today is a total superstar a great great child
1:17:32
and i saw that and i saw other instances and
1:17:36
i am very very proud to say that i am pro -life
1:17:39
as far as being a republican is concerned i come
1:17:41
from a place new york city which is virtually
1:17:43
i mean it's almost exclusively Democrat, and
1:17:48
I have really started to see some of the negatives.
1:17:52
As an example, and I have a lot of liking for
1:17:55
this man, but the last number of months of his
1:17:58
brother's administration were a catastrophe,
1:18:01
and unfortunately those few months gave us President
1:18:04
Obama, and you can't be happy about that. Governor
1:18:08
Bush, I want to ask you on the subject of name
1:18:11
-calling. your fellow candidates. A story appeared
1:18:13
today quoting an anonymous GOP donor who said
1:18:16
you called Mr. Trump a clown, a buffoon, something
1:18:19
else that cannot be repeated on television. None
1:18:22
of which is true. Is it true? No, it's not true.
1:18:24
But I have said that Mr. Trump's language is
1:18:27
divisive. I want to win. I want one of these
1:18:30
people here or the ones at 5 o 'clock to be the
1:18:32
next president of the United States. We're not
1:18:34
going to win by doing what Barack Obama and Hillary
1:18:37
Clinton do each and every day, dividing the country,
1:18:40
creating a grievance kind of environment. We're
1:18:43
going to win when we unite people with a hopeful,
1:18:46
optimistic message. I have that message because
1:18:48
I was a governor of a state that saw people lifted
1:18:51
up because we had high sustained economic growth.
1:18:53
Our economy grew at double the rate. of the nation.
1:18:57
We created 1 .3 million jobs. We led the nation
1:19:00
seven out of those eight years. We were only
1:19:02
one of two states that went to AAA bond rating.
1:19:05
I cut taxes $19 billion. If you do that and apply
1:19:09
conservative principles the right way, you create
1:19:11
an environment where everybody rises up. That's
1:19:13
how we're going to win, campaigning in places
1:19:15
to give people hope that their life is better
1:19:17
because too many people are suffering today in
1:19:20
America. Mr. Trump, 30 seconds. Well, first of
1:19:22
all, Jeb, I... I am very happy that you denied
1:19:26
that, and I appreciate that very much. I mean,
1:19:28
he's a true gentleman. He really is. The one
1:19:30
thing he did say about... And I mean that. The
1:19:33
one thing he did say about me, however, was my
1:19:35
tone, and I also understand that. But when you
1:19:38
have people that are cutting Christians' heads
1:19:41
off, when you have a world at the border and
1:19:44
at so many places that it's medieval times, we've
1:19:47
never... It's almost got to be as bad as it ever
1:19:50
was in terms of the violence and the horror.
1:19:53
We don't have time for tone. We have to go out
1:19:56
and get the job done. Subject of gay marriage
1:20:00
and religious liberty. Governor Kasich, if you
1:20:03
had a son or daughter who was gay or lesbian,
1:20:05
how would you explain to them your opposition
1:20:07
to same -sex marriage? Well, look, I'm an old
1:20:11
-fashioned person here, and I happen to believe
1:20:13
in traditional marriage, but I've also said the
1:20:16
court is ruled. How would you explain to your
1:20:18
child? Megan, the court is ruled, and I said
1:20:21
we'll accept it. And guess what? I just went
1:20:24
to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens
1:20:26
to be gay. Because somebody doesn't think the
1:20:28
way I do, doesn't mean that I can't care about
1:20:32
them or I can't love them. So if one of my daughters
1:20:35
happened to be that, of course I would love them
1:20:37
and I would accept them. Because you know what?
1:20:39
That's what we're taught when we have strong
1:20:42
faith. So issues like that are planted to divide
1:20:50
us. I think the simple fact of the matter is,
1:20:52
and this is where I would agree with Jeb, and
1:20:55
I've been saying it all along, we need to give
1:20:57
everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect,
1:20:59
and let them share in this great American dream
1:21:02
that we have, Megan. So, look, I'm going to love
1:21:05
my daughters. I'm going to love them no matter
1:21:07
what they do. Because you know what? God gives
1:21:10
me unconditional love. I'm going to give it to
1:21:12
my family and my friends and the people around
1:21:14
me. In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling
1:21:21
on same -sex marriage, Carol Fox on Facebook
1:21:24
wants to know the following, quote, what will
1:21:27
you do to ensure Christians are not prosecuted
1:21:29
for speaking out against gay marriage? And will
1:21:32
Christians be forced to conduct business that
1:21:34
conflicts with their religious beliefs? Look,
1:21:37
I don't want my marriage or my guns registered
1:21:41
in Washington. And if people have an opinion
1:21:47
that's a religious opinion that is... heartly
1:21:50
felt, obviously they should be allowed to practice
1:21:53
that and no government should interfere with
1:21:55
them. One of the things that really got to me
1:22:00
was the thing in Houston where you had the government,
1:22:03
the mayor, actually trying to get the sermons
1:22:05
of ministers. When the government tries to invade
1:22:09
the church to enforce its own opinion on marriage,
1:22:12
that's when it's time to resist. Many in the
1:22:20
Black Lives Matter movement and beyond believe
1:22:23
that overly aggressive police officers targeting
1:22:26
young African -Americans is the civil rights
1:22:28
issue of our time. Do you agree? And if so, how
1:22:32
do you plan to address it? If not, why not? Well,
1:22:37
I think the most important thing we can do when
1:22:39
it comes to policing is something you've had
1:22:40
a guest on who's a friend of mine, Milwaukee
1:22:42
County Sheriff David Clark, who's talked to me
1:22:44
many times about this in the past. It's about
1:22:46
training. It's about making sure that law enforcement
1:22:49
professionals, not only on the way in to their
1:22:51
positions, but all the way through their time,
1:22:53
have the proper training, particularly when it
1:22:55
comes to use of force, and that we protect and
1:22:58
stand up and support those men and women who
1:22:59
are doing their jobs in law enforcement. And
1:23:01
for the very few that don't, that there are consequences
1:23:04
to show that we treat everyone the same here
1:23:06
in America. Thank you. Coming up, more of our
1:23:11
debate, including questions about President Obama's
1:23:15
foreign policy and these guys and their better
1:23:18
ideas. Coming up. Welcome back to Cleveland.
1:23:38
Our next topic. is foreign policy. Candidates,
1:23:41
you may not have seen the late developing news
1:23:43
today. Our Fox Pentagon team broke earlier this
1:23:46
evening about a top Iranian general traveling
1:23:49
to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir
1:23:52
Putin. His name is General Qasem Soleimani. He's
1:23:55
blamed for hundreds of U .S. troops deaths in
1:23:59
Iraq and Afghanistan. His trip to Russia appears
1:24:02
to directly violate U .N. Security Council resolutions.
1:24:06
To confine him, to iran so mr trump if you were
1:24:12
president how would you respond to this i would
1:24:15
be so different from what you have right now
1:24:18
like the polar opposite we have a president who
1:24:22
doesn't have a clue i would say he's incompetent
1:24:26
but i don't want to do that because that's not
1:24:28
nice But if you look at the deals we make, whether
1:24:34
it's the nuclear deal with 24 -hour periods,
1:24:37
and by the way, before you get to the 24 hours,
1:24:40
you have to go through a system. You look at
1:24:43
Sergeant Bergdahl. We get Bergdahl, a traitor,
1:24:46
and they get five of the big, great killers,
1:24:48
leaders that they want. We have people in Washington
1:24:52
that don't know what they're doing. Now, I agree.
1:25:00
Now with Iran We're making a deal. You would
1:25:04
say we want him. We want him. We want our prisoners.
1:25:07
We want all these things We don't get anything.
1:25:09
We're giving them a hundred and fifty billion
1:25:11
dollars plus They are going to be I'll tell you
1:25:14
what if Iran was a stock You folks should go
1:25:17
out and buy it right now because you'll quadruple
1:25:19
this what's happened in Iran is a disgrace And
1:25:23
it's going to lead to destruction in large portions
1:25:26
of the world Another new development today. Senior
1:25:30
defense officials tell Fox they strongly suspect
1:25:33
Russia was behind a cyber attack on the chairman
1:25:36
of the Joint Chiefs Office, Imei. This comes
1:25:39
in the wake of the director of national intelligence
1:25:42
blaming the Chinese for the largest ever cyber
1:25:45
attack, stealing personal data of tens of millions
1:25:48
of Americans. Senator Cruz, in your view, have
1:25:52
Russia and China committed acts of cyber war?
1:25:56
And if you were president, what would you do
1:25:58
about it well brett of course they have and over
1:26:01
the last six and a half years we've seen the
1:26:03
consequences of the obama clinton foreign policy
1:26:06
leading from behind is a disaster we have abandoned
1:26:11
and alienated our friends and allies And our
1:26:13
enemies are stronger. Radical Islam is on the
1:26:16
rise. Iran's on the verge of acquiring a nuclear
1:26:18
weapon. China is waging cyber warfare against
1:26:21
America. Russia, General Soleimani, you just
1:26:24
mentioned. The Iranian general is the head of
1:26:27
the al -Quds forces. He's directly responsible
1:26:29
for the murder of over 500 American servicemen
1:26:33
in Iraq. And part of this Iranian deal was lifting
1:26:37
the international sanctions on General Soleimani.
1:26:39
The day General Soleimani flew back from Moscow
1:26:42
to Iran was the day we believed that Russia used
1:26:46
cyber warfare against the Joint Chiefs. We need
1:26:49
a new commander in chief that will stand up to
1:26:53
our enemies and that will have credibility. It
1:26:55
is worth emphasizing that Iran released our hostages
1:27:01
in 1981 the day. Ronald Reagan was sworn into
1:27:05
office. Dr. Carson, in August of 2012, President
1:27:10
Obama famously declared that if Syrian President
1:27:12
Bashar al -Assad used chemical weapons, quote,
1:27:15
that's a red line for us and that there would
1:27:18
be enormous consequences. One year later, with
1:27:20
overwhelming evidence that Assad had, in fact,
1:27:23
used chemical weapons and crossed that red line,
1:27:26
President Obama declined to use military force
1:27:28
against the Assad regime. As president, Would
1:27:31
you have used military force there? Well, what
1:27:35
we have to stop and think about is the fact that
1:27:37
we have weakened ourselves militarily to such
1:27:40
an extent that it affects all of our military
1:27:43
policies. Our Navy is at its smallest size since
1:27:46
1917. Our Air Force since 1940. In recent testimony,
1:27:53
the Commandant of the Marine Corps said half
1:27:55
of the non -deployed units were not ready. you
1:28:01
know the sequester is cutting the heart out of
1:28:03
our personnel our generals are retiring because
1:28:06
they don't want to be part of this and at the
1:28:08
same time our enemies are increasing our our
1:28:12
friends can't trust us anymore you know ukraine
1:28:15
was a nuclear armed state they gave away their
1:28:18
nuclear arms with the understanding that we would
1:28:20
protect them we won't even give them offensive
1:28:22
weapons you know we turned our back on israel
1:28:25
our ally you know And in a situation like that,
1:28:29
of course Obama's not going to be able to do
1:28:31
anything. I would shore up our military first,
1:28:35
because if you don't get the military right,
1:28:36
nothing else is going to work. Governor Walker,
1:28:39
as president, what would you do if Russian President
1:28:42
Vladimir Putin started a campaign to destabilize
1:28:46
NATO allies, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, mirroring
1:28:50
the actions Putin took at the early days of Ukraine?
1:28:53
Well, first off, per the cyber attack with Russia
1:28:56
the other day, it's sad to think right now, but
1:28:58
probably the Russian and Chinese government know
1:29:01
more about Hillary Clinton's email server than
1:29:03
do the members of the United States Congress.
1:29:06
And that has put our national security at risk.
1:29:10
If I'm president, he won't think about that.
1:29:13
You know, Putin believes in the old Lenin adage
1:29:14
that you probe with bayonets. When you find mush,
1:29:17
you push. When you find steel, you stop. Under
1:29:20
Obama and Clinton, we found a lot of mush over
1:29:22
the last few years. We need to have a national
1:29:24
security that puts steel in front of our enemies.
1:29:26
I would send weapons to Ukraine. I would work
1:29:29
with NATO to put forces on the eastern border
1:29:32
of Poland and the Baltic nations. And I would
1:29:35
reinstate, put in place back in the missile defense
1:29:37
system that we had in Poland and in the Czech
1:29:40
Republic. We would find steel. Governor Huckabee,
1:29:44
the culture of the American military is definitely
1:29:46
changing. Women are moving into combat roles.
1:29:49
Don't ask, don't tell has obviously been dropped.
1:29:51
And now Defense Secretary Ashton Carter recently
1:29:54
directed the military to prepare for a moment
1:29:57
when it is welcoming transgender persons to serve
1:30:01
openly. As commander in chief, how would you
1:30:04
handle that? The military is not a social experiment.
1:30:08
The purpose of the military is kill people and
1:30:10
break things. It's not to transform the culture
1:30:13
by trying out some ideas that some people think
1:30:16
would make us a different country and more diverse.
1:30:19
The purpose is to protect America. I'm not sure
1:30:23
how paying for transgender surgery for soldiers,
1:30:26
sailors, airmen, Marines makes our country safer.
1:30:30
We've reduced the military by 25 % under President
1:30:34
Obama. The disaster is that we've forgotten why
1:30:37
we have a military, the purpose of it. is to
1:30:41
make sure that we protect every American wherever
1:30:43
that American is. And if American is calling
1:30:45
out for help, whether it's in Benghazi or at
1:30:47
the border, then we ought to be able to answer
1:30:50
it. We've not done that because we've decimated
1:30:52
our military. We're flying B -52s. The most recent
1:30:56
one that was put in service was November of 1962.
1:31:01
A lot of the B -52s we're flying, we've only
1:31:03
got 44 that are in service, combat ready. And
1:31:07
the fact is, most of them are older than me.
1:31:09
And that's pretty scary. Senator Paul, the first
1:31:17
budget you proposed as senator cut all financial
1:31:20
aid to Israel. You have since changed your view
1:31:23
on that issue. What made you change your mind?
1:31:27
Well, let's be clear. I'm the only one on the
1:31:29
stage who actually has a five -year budget that
1:31:32
balances. I've put pencil to paper, and I've
1:31:35
said I would cut spending, and I've said exactly
1:31:38
where. Each one of my budgets has taken a meat
1:31:42
axe to foreign aid because I think we ought to
1:31:44
quit sending it to countries that hate us. I
1:31:48
think we ought to quit sending it to countries
1:31:50
that burn our flag. Israel's not one of those.
1:31:54
But even Benjamin Netanyahu said that ultimately
1:31:57
they will be stronger when they're independent.
1:32:00
My position is exactly the same. We shouldn't
1:32:03
borrow money from China to send it anywhere,
1:32:05
but why don't we start with eliminating aid to
1:32:08
our enemies? Okay, but you still say that Israel
1:32:10
could be one of the countries that is cut from
1:32:13
financial aid. I still say exactly what my original
1:32:16
opinion is. Do you borrow money from China to
1:32:18
send it to anyone? Out of your surplus, you can
1:32:21
help your allies, and Israel is a great ally,
1:32:24
and this is no particular animus of Israel. But
1:32:27
what I will say, and I will say over and over
1:32:29
again, we cannot... Give away money we don't
1:32:32
have. We do not project power from bankruptcy
1:32:35
court. We're borrowing a million dollars a minute.
1:32:38
It's got to stop somewhere. Governor Christie,
1:32:41
what do you think of that answer? You know, if
1:32:45
we want to deal with these issues, we have to
1:32:47
deal with them in a way that makes sense. I agree
1:32:49
with what Dr. Carson said earlier. The first
1:32:51
thing we need to do to make America stronger
1:32:53
is to strengthen our military. And I put out
1:32:56
a really specific plan. No less than 500 ,000
1:32:59
active duty soldiers in the Army. No less than
1:33:01
185 ,000 active duty Marines in the Marine Corps.
1:33:04
Bring us to a 350 ship Navy again and modernize
1:33:07
the Ohio class of submarines and bring our Air
1:33:10
Force back to 2 ,600 aircraft that are ready
1:33:12
to go. Those are the kind of things that are
1:33:14
going to send a clear message around the world.
1:33:16
Those are the things that we need to start working
1:33:17
on immediately to make our country stronger and
1:33:20
make it better. Those are the things that we
1:33:22
need to be able to be doing. And as we move towards
1:33:25
dealing with foreign aid, I don't disagree with
1:33:27
Senator Paul's position that we shouldn't be
1:33:28
funding our enemies. But I absolutely believe
1:33:31
that Israel is a priority to be able to fund
1:33:33
and keep them strong and safe after eight years
1:33:36
of this administration. Governor, thank you.
1:33:38
Brett, can I jump in on this one? Senator, we're
1:33:42
going to finish up with some more questions.
1:33:44
Thank you. We have to stand you by because after
1:33:45
the break, we're going to let the candidates
1:33:47
make their closing statements, their final thoughts,
1:33:49
and God. Stay tuned for that. moments here together.
1:34:16
We're going to allow the candidates to offer
1:34:17
their final thoughts. But first we want to ask
1:34:19
them an interesting closing question from Chase
1:34:22
Norton on Facebook, who wants to know this of
1:34:25
the candidates. I want to know if any of them
1:34:27
have received a word from God on what they should
1:34:30
do and take care of first. Senator Cruz, start
1:34:35
from you. Any word from God? Well... I am blessed
1:34:39
to receive a word from God every day and receiving
1:34:41
the scriptures and reading the scriptures and
1:34:43
God speaks through the Bible. I'm the son of
1:34:49
a pastor and an evangelist and I've described
1:34:52
many times how my father, when I was a child,
1:34:56
was an alcoholic. He wasn't a Christian and my
1:34:58
father left my mother. and left me when I was
1:35:01
just three years old and someone invited him
1:35:03
to Clay Road Baptist Church and he gave his heart
1:35:06
to Jesus and it turned him around and he got
1:35:08
on a plane and he flew back to my mother and
1:35:10
me. I would also note that the scripture tells
1:35:15
us, you shall know them by their fruits. We see
1:35:18
lots of campaign conservatives. But if we're
1:35:21
going to win in 2016, we need a consistent conservative,
1:35:24
someone who's been a fiscal conservative, a social
1:35:26
conservative, a national security conservative.
1:35:28
There are real differences among the candidates
1:35:31
on issues like amnesty, like Obamacare, like
1:35:34
religious liberty, like life and marriage. And
1:35:36
I have been proud to fight and stand for religious
1:35:38
liberty, to stand against Planned Parenthood,
1:35:41
to defend life for my entire career. And I will
1:35:46
be proud to continue to do so as president of
1:35:48
the United States. Governor Kasich, same question.
1:35:55
Well, Megan, my father was a mailman. His father
1:35:58
was a coal miner. My mother's mother could barely
1:36:01
speak English, and their son today stands on
1:36:04
this podium in the great state of Ohio, not only
1:36:06
as the governor, but a candidate for president
1:36:08
of the United States. I do believe in miracles.
1:36:14
You know, I've had a lot of elections. My elections
1:36:18
are really not about campaigns. i tell my people
1:36:21
that that these are about a movement and a movement
1:36:25
to do what to restore common sense a movement
1:36:29
to do things like provide economic growth and
1:36:31
a movement not to let anybody be behind you know
1:36:34
today the country is divided you ask a question
1:36:36
about the police and the difficulty in communities
1:36:39
we've got to unite our country again because
1:36:42
we're stronger when we are united and we are
1:36:45
weaker when we are divided and we've got to listen
1:36:48
to other people's voices respect them but keep
1:36:51
in mind and i believe i believe in in terms of
1:36:55
the things that i've read in my lifetime the
1:36:58
lord's not picking us But because of how we respect
1:37:01
human rights, because that we are a good force
1:37:04
in the world, he wants America to be strong.
1:37:06
He wants America to succeed. And he wants America
1:37:09
to lead. And nothing's more important to me than
1:37:12
my family, my faith, and my friends. Governor
1:37:17
Walker, same question. Well, thanks, Megan. I'm
1:37:22
certainly an imperfect man, and it's only by
1:37:24
the blood of Jesus Christ that I've been redeemed
1:37:26
from my sins. So I know that God doesn't call
1:37:29
me to do a specific thing. God hasn't given me
1:37:31
a list of Ten Commandments, if you will, of things
1:37:33
to act on the first day. What God calls us to
1:37:36
do is follow His will. And ultimately, that's
1:37:38
what I'm going to try and do. And I hope people
1:37:40
have seen in my state, even in the big challenges
1:37:42
I took on when I had over 100 ,000 protesters
1:37:45
in and around our Capitol trying to do what I
1:37:46
thought was the right thing, it wasn't just how
1:37:48
I took on those political battles. It was ultimately
1:37:51
how I acted, not responding in kind, not lashing
1:37:54
out, but just being decent going forward and
1:37:56
living my life in a way that would be a testimony
1:37:59
to him and our faith. Senator Ruby, I want to
1:38:01
ask you the same question, but I do want to mention
1:38:03
a woman just came here to the stage and asked,
1:38:06
what about the veterans? I want to hear more
1:38:09
about what these candidates are going to do for
1:38:11
our nation's veterans. So I put the question
1:38:13
to you about God and the veterans, which you
1:38:16
may find to be related. Well, first let me say
1:38:18
I think God has blessed us. He's blessed the
1:38:20
Republican Party with some very good candidates.
1:38:22
The Democrats can't even find one. And I believe
1:38:34
God has blessed our country. This country has
1:38:36
been extraordinarily blessed, and we have honored
1:38:38
that blessing, and that's why God has continued
1:38:40
to bless us. And he's blessed us with young men
1:38:42
and women willing to risk their lives and sometimes
1:38:44
die in uniform for the safety and security of
1:38:46
our people. Unfortunately, today we have a VA
1:38:49
that does not do enough for them. I am proud
1:38:51
that last year we helped change the law. We changed
1:38:54
the law to give the power to the VA secretary,
1:38:56
the ability to fire any executive that isn't
1:38:58
doing their job. And it is outrageous they've
1:39:00
only fired one person to date. When I'm president
1:39:03
of the United States, we're going to have a VA
1:39:05
that cares more about our veterans than about
1:39:07
the bureaucrats who work at the VA. about god
1:39:15
and his role but also one of the issues that
1:39:19
that the public was very interested in and we
1:39:21
touched on earlier is race relations in this
1:39:23
country and how divided we seem right now and
1:39:26
what if anything you can do you would do as the
1:39:30
next president to help heal that divide well
1:39:33
i think the bully pulpit is a wonderful place
1:39:35
to start uh healing that divide you know we have
1:39:38
the purveyors of hatred who take every single
1:39:42
incident between people of two races and try
1:39:45
to make a race war out of it and drive wedges
1:39:48
into people. And this does not need to be done.
1:39:50
What we need to think about instead, you know,
1:39:53
I was asked by an NPR reporter once, why don't
1:39:56
I talk about race that often? I said, it's because
1:39:58
I'm a neurosurgeon. And she thought that was
1:40:00
a strange response. I said, you see, when I take
1:40:03
someone to the operating room, I'm actually operating
1:40:06
on the thing that makes them who they are. The
1:40:08
skin doesn't make them who they are. The hair
1:40:10
doesn't make them who they are. And it's time
1:40:12
for us to move beyond that because, you know,
1:40:19
our strength as a nation comes in our unity.
1:40:26
We are the United States of America, not the
1:40:28
divided states. And those who want to destroy
1:40:30
us are trying to divide us, and we shouldn't
1:40:32
let them do it. Thank you. Now, each candidate
1:40:37
will make a closing statement. You'll all have
1:40:40
30 seconds to make a closing statement for this
1:40:43
debate. We'll start with Ohio Governor John Kasich.
1:40:48
You know, tonight we hear about what people want
1:40:52
to do. I want to tell you what I've done. I was
1:40:54
a member of the Armed Services Committee for
1:40:56
18 years. I spent a big chunk of my life studying
1:41:00
national security issues and our role in the
1:41:03
world. Number two, I was the chairman of the
1:41:06
House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects
1:41:08
the last time we balanced the budget. And it
1:41:11
was the first time we'd done it since man walked
1:41:13
on the moon. We had a $5 trillion surplus and
1:41:16
we cut taxes. I spent 10 years in the private
1:41:19
sector actually learning how business works.
1:41:22
And now I'm the governor of Ohio and I inherited
1:41:24
a state that was on the brink of dying. And we've
1:41:28
turned it all around with jobs and balanced budgets
1:41:30
and rising credit and tax cuts. And the state
1:41:33
is unified and people have hope again in Ohio.
1:41:46
Well, thank you, Megan. Listen, I was born into
1:41:48
a middle -class family in New Jersey. My dad
1:41:51
came home from serving in the Army after having
1:41:53
lost his father, worked in the Breyers ice cream
1:41:55
plant in Newark, New Jersey, was the first person
1:41:57
to graduate from college, put himself through
1:42:00
college at night. My mom was a secretary. I was
1:42:03
appointed United States Attorney on September
1:42:05
10th, 2001, and spent the next seven years of
1:42:08
my career fighting terrorism and putting terrorists
1:42:11
in jail. I'm a conservative pro -life governor
1:42:14
in a state where it's really tough to be both.
1:42:16
In a state like New Jersey with lots of Democrats,
1:42:19
but still we cut taxes, we balance budgets, we
1:42:22
fought the teachers' union. This president has
1:42:24
had weak leadership, which has led to bad choices.
1:42:26
We've got to stop worrying about being loved
1:42:28
and start worrying about being respected, and
1:42:30
that's exactly how I'll lead our country. Senator
1:42:34
Paul, closing statement. I'm a different kind
1:42:38
of Republican. I've introduced a five -year balanced
1:42:41
budget. I've introduced the largest tax cut in
1:42:44
our history. I stood for 10 and a half hours
1:42:47
on the Senate floor to defend your right to be
1:42:50
left alone. But I've also gone to Chicago. I've
1:42:55
gone to Detroit. I've been to Ferguson. I've
1:42:57
been to Baltimore because I want our party to
1:43:00
be bigger, better, and bolder. And I'm the only
1:43:02
one that leads Hillary Clinton in five states
1:43:05
that were won by President Obama. I'm a different
1:43:08
kind of Republican. Senator Marco Rubio. Thank
1:43:14
you. You know, both of my parents were born into
1:43:16
poor families on the island of Cuba. They came
1:43:19
to America because it was the only place where
1:43:21
people like them could have a chance. Here in
1:43:23
this country, they never made it big, but the
1:43:25
very purpose of their life was to give us the
1:43:26
chance to do all the things they never could.
1:43:28
My father was a bartender, and the journey from
1:43:31
the back of that bar to this stage tonight, to
1:43:33
me, that's the essence of the American dream.
1:43:35
It's what makes our nation different. And I'm
1:43:38
running for president because I want that to
1:43:40
still be possible for the people trying to do
1:43:42
that now. I run for president because I believe
1:43:44
that we can't just save the American dream. We
1:43:46
can expand it to reach more people and change
1:43:49
more lives than ever before. And that's why I'm
1:43:51
asking for your vote. So we can make America
1:43:53
greater than it's ever been. And make of this
1:43:56
century a new American century. Thank you, Senator.
1:44:02
Senator Ted Cruz. If I am elected president,
1:44:07
let me tell you about my first day in office.
1:44:09
The first thing I intend to do is to rescind
1:44:12
every illegal and unconstitutional executive
1:44:14
action taken by Barack Obama. The next thing
1:44:18
I intend to do is instruct the Department of
1:44:20
Justice to open an investigation into these videos
1:44:23
and to prosecute Planned Parenthood for any criminal
1:44:26
violations. The next thing I intend to do is
1:44:30
instruct the Department of Justice and the IRS
1:44:32
to start persecuting religious liberty. I intend
1:44:35
to cancel the Iran deal and finally move the
1:44:39
U .S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. I will
1:44:44
keep my word. My father fled Cuba, and I will
1:44:48
fight to defend liberty because my family knows
1:44:50
what it's like to lose it. Dr. Carson, closing
1:44:53
statement. Well, I haven't said anything about
1:44:57
me being the only one to do anything so let me
1:45:00
try that I'm the only one to separate Siamese
1:45:02
twins the only The only one to operate on babies
1:45:10
while they were still in the mother's womb the
1:45:12
only one to take out half of a brain Although
1:45:14
you would think if you go to Washington that
1:45:16
someone had beat me to it But I'm very hopeful
1:45:26
that I'm not the only one who's willing to pick
1:45:28
up the baton of freedom because freedom is not
1:45:31
free and we must fight for it every day. Every
1:45:34
one of us must fight for it because we're fighting
1:45:36
for our children and the next generation. Governor
1:45:41
Mike Huckabee, closing statement. It seems like
1:45:46
this election has been a whole lot about a person
1:45:48
who's very high in the polls but doesn't have
1:45:51
a clue about how to govern. It's been filled
1:45:56
with scandals and who could not lead. And of
1:45:59
course, I'm talking about Hillary Clinton. I
1:46:08
think America is in trouble, but it's not beyond
1:46:14
repair. But it's going to take leadership who
1:46:16
sees the greatness of this country and who believes
1:46:19
that once again, we can be one nation under God.
1:46:23
I'll be my best. to do that and thank you for
1:46:27
your support. Governor Scott Walker. Thanks.
1:46:34
I'm a guy with a wife and two kids and a Harley.
1:46:37
One article called me aggressively normal. I
1:46:41
ran for governor because I was worried about
1:46:42
my kids' future. Then I took on the big government
1:46:45
union bosses and we won. They tried to recall
1:46:48
me and we won. They target us again and we won.
1:46:53
We balanced the budget, cut taxes, and turned
1:46:55
our state around with big, bold reforms. It wasn't
1:46:59
too late for Wisconsin, and it's not too late
1:47:02
for America. That's why I ask for your vote.
1:47:06
Governor Bush, closing statement, sir. Here's
1:47:10
what I believe. I believe we're at the verge
1:47:12
of the greatest time to be alive in this world.
1:47:15
But Washington is holding us back. How we tax,
1:47:18
how we regulate. We're not embracing the energy
1:47:20
revolution in our midst. A broken immigration
1:47:22
system that has been politicized rather than
1:47:25
turning it into an economic driver. We're not
1:47:27
protecting and preserving our entitlement system
1:47:29
or reforming for the next generation. All these
1:47:32
things languish while we have politicians in
1:47:35
Washington using these as wedge issues. Here's
1:47:37
my commitment to you, because I did it as Florida.
1:47:40
We can fix these things. We can grow economically
1:47:42
and restore America's leadership in the world.
1:47:44
so that everybody has a chance to rise up. I
1:47:47
humbly ask for your vote whenever you're going
1:47:49
to get to vote, whenever the primary is. Thank
1:47:52
you all very much. Mr. Trump, closing statement,
1:47:56
sir. Our country is in serious trouble. We don't
1:48:02
win anymore. We don't beat China in trade. We
1:48:06
don't beat Japan with their millions and millions
1:48:09
of cars coming into this country in trade. We
1:48:13
can't beat Mexico at the border or in trade.
1:48:16
We can't do anything right. Our military has
1:48:20
to be strengthened. Our vets have to be taken
1:48:22
care of. We have to end Obamacare, and we have
1:48:26
to make our country great again, and I will do
1:48:28
that. Thank you. Thank you. Gentlemen, thank
1:48:33
you. It's over. That's it. You relieved? You
1:48:39
were nervous before? They don't look relieved.
1:48:41
They're like, get me out of here. Thank you all
1:48:43
very much. And that will do it for the first
1:48:45
Republican primary debate night of the 2016 presidential
1:48:48
race. Our thanks to the candidates who will now
1:48:51
be joined by their families on stage. But we're
1:48:54
not done. The Kelly file starts in a moment.
1:48:57
I'll be running over to the other set. But first,
1:48:59
Brett, Chris, they're here with me. We're going
1:49:01
to say hello to the candidates. All right, Dr.
1:49:03
Carson. How are you doing? Nice to see you. I'm
1:49:05
going to have a little treat today. Great to
1:49:07
see you, Doc. You're kind of ruining it for us.
1:49:17
No, it's the moment. You know, it's the moment.
1:49:18
The families have been sitting here in this arena.
1:49:21
on pins and needles. Way more nervous than these
1:49:24
guys. Way more nervous. You know, waiting for
1:49:26
every answer, waiting for everything. And now,
1:49:29
you know, they get up, they get their hugs, they
1:49:31
get their kisses. It's got to be a big relief.
1:49:34
I mean, they're only human, right? Just to get
1:49:35
this over with. Can I also say that at the risk
1:49:38
of sounding Pollyanna -ish, I actually think
1:49:41
all ten candidates did quite well. Look at Senator
1:49:44
Cruz. Oh, look at this. Look at Senator Cruz.
1:49:47
But I think they all handled themselves well.
1:49:50
I thought they all... made their points. They
1:49:52
all had moments, Chris. They all had some moment
1:49:56
on some issue. And they really ran the gamut
1:49:58
as far as the different issues. We've been working
1:50:01
in that cocoon for a long time. They were all
1:50:03
very respectful. Here comes one of them now.
1:50:05
Senator, thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you,
1:50:08
Senator. Hello Mrs. Rubio, how are you? If you
1:50:20
can hear at home, Senator Rubio is mocking Chris
1:50:23
Wallace, that's fun. That's always good for a
1:50:26
laugh. That's good. Look at all these families
1:50:29
up here. Well, listen. It's a nice moment because
1:50:31
they duke it out, but then at the end, they're
1:50:34
friendly. This has been fun. We're one down.
1:50:37
One down. That is it for us. Governor Bush, good
1:50:41
to see you. That's it for us. And guess what?
1:50:47
The Kelly file starts right now. Let's see if
1:50:50
I make it.