Gloves Come Off At GOP Debate

With less than three weeks until Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, the renewed focus on the two candidates leading most preference polls suggests the overall shape of the 2016 contest may be solidifying – much to the dismay of Republican officials who fear neither Trump nor Cruz is electable in a general election.

Both men, who have been chasing the backing of the conservative Tea Party movement, had been on friendly terms prior to the debate.

The hard feelings were on display last night in SC during the latest GOP debate, with Cruz firing back at Trump, who continued to ask questions about his qualifications. The US Constitution mandates that only “natural born” citizens can become president of the United States. “You have a big lawsuit over your head while you’re running”.

Cruz blasted Trump for only bringing up the matter because his poll numbers had fallen in Iowa, where the first nomination vote will be held on February 1. “Now, since September, the Constitution hasn’t changed”.

Cruz shot back that he had spent many years studying constitutional law: “I’m not going to be taking legal advice from Donald Trump”.

(Cruz) “Socially liberal, or pro abortion, or pro gay marriage”.

The Queens-born Trump countered at the debate by saying “New York values” could be seen in how his city responded to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Mr. Bush asked Mr. Trump when he said he stood by his plans to “temporarily ban” Muslims from entering the U.S. “We rebuilt downtown Manhattan, and everybody in the world watched and everybody in the world loved NY and loved New Yorkers”. “That was a very insulting statement that Ted made”.

Florida senator Marco Rubio went even further, saying Mrs Clinton was “disqualified for being commander in chief”, accusing her of mishandling classified information and lying to the families of Americans killed in the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. “You can’t do that to the party”, he told the Texas senator.

But Cruz tried to use Trump’s own previous words against him in response.

The lovefest appears to be over, as Trump continues to raise eligibility questions about Cruz’s birth in Canada to an American mother and Cruz hits the Republican frontrunner over his past support for Democrats. Hillary Clinton can not be president.

Cruz and Marco Rubio have been at each other’s throats for months and now it’s an all out war.

While Cruz has noted that he’s been rising in the polls, Trump countered on Friday that the Texas Senator isn’t doing well nationally, in SC or in New Hampshire.

“I know nothing about it, but I hear it’s a very big thing”, Trump said of the loan in an interview with Bloomberg Politics posted online Thursday.

“New York values”, he added, “are in many ways the epitome of what formed this country…the Statue of Liberty is in our harbor”.

Trump’s deft ability to speak plainly about complicated policy topics, coupled with a strong anti-establishment fervor throughout the country, continues to find him a supportive audience.