Trump jolts first GOP debate, rivals scramble for attention
CLEVELAND (AP) — A combative Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman-turned-presidential candidate, jolted the first Republican debate of the 2016 campaign by warning he might run as an independent if denied the GOP nomination. His startling declaration left his onstage rivals scrambling to compete for attention the rest of the night.
Asked in the debate's opening minutes whether he could rule out a third-party run, Trump declared Thursday night, "I will not make the pledge at this time." He also refused to apologize for making crude comments about women, defended his changing policy positions and tangled with the debate moderators.
The closest former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a favorite of the party's moderate, establishment wing, came to tangling with Trump was a gentle critique of the businessman's over-the-top rhetoric.
"Mr. Trump's language is divisive," Bush said. "We're not going to win by doing what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do every day — dividing the country."
On immigration, one of the main topics of the night, Bush defended his call for a path to legal status for some of the people living in the U.S. illegally, an unpopular position among some Republican voters who equate legal status with amnesty.
"The great majority of people coming here have no other option," Bush said.
In a lengthy exchange with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Paul defended his opposition to the USA Patriot Act and laws giving government access to Americans' phone records. He said he wanted to collect more information from terrorists, not law-abiding Americans. - Read More at MSN
Trump jolts first GOP debate, rivals scramble for attention
posted by Fakhria @ 8/06/2015
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