Leading GOP Candidates Square Off in CNN Debate
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Republican presidential candidates used the second US presidential election debates of this year to elevate themselves and taunt Donald Trump who has dominated the race for the White House.
The GOP debate on Wednesday night covered a broad range of subjects, including immigration, the struggling US middle class, the nuclear agreement with Iran and other challenging domestic and foreign policy issues.
Eleven Republicans gathered for the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Press TV reported on Thursday.
The combative debate highlighted a calculation among several candidates that the panel offered their best opportunity yet to convince American voters that they were more credible alternatives to front-runner Trump.
The candidates sought to cast doubt about Trump’s temperament, business record and overall fitness for president.
“We don’t need an apprentice in the White House. We have one right now,” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said of the billionaire real estate mogul, who was the former host of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” reality game show.
Trump responded with humor and defiance, as he often does. He insisted his successful business enterprise proves his temperament was “very good,” then questioned why Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was on the stage.
“Rand Paul shouldn’t even be on this stage. He’s No. 11, he's at 1 percent in polls,” Trump said.
The billionaire businessman also said that former President George W. Bush was to blame for the election of Barack Obama, during a heated exchange with his brother, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
“Because it was such a disaster, the last three months, that Abraham Lincoln couldn’t have been elected,” Trump charged.
Bush shot back at Trump, saying, “One thing about my brother, he kept us safe. I don’t know if you remember.”
Trump took credit for opposing the invasion of Iraq after it was launched in 2003. “I think it’s important because it’s about judgment. I didn’t want to go into Iraq and I fought it.”
The exchange quickly prompted Rand Paul to boast of his credentials as the most libertarian candidate. “I’ve made my career as an opponent of the Iraq War,” he said.
The debate was more inclusive than the first debate last month, allowing each of the 11 candidates to engage through a nearly three-hour forum that tested their endurance.
The debate underscored major policy differences between the candidates on other issues, including a dispute about whether the US should rescind or implement the Iran nuclear accord.
Governor John Kasich of Ohio mocked the idea that the agreement between Iran and world powers could be suddenly rejected by Washington, saying Americans “operate better in a world when our allies work with us.”
A Washington Post-ABC News poll released this week shows that Trump continues to dominate the crowded Republican field seeking the party’s nomination for US president.