GOP front-runners spar in debate with Iowa caucuses loom

The billionaire businessman declared the eligibility issue could put the GOP at risk of a disastrous loss to Democrats. “You can’t do that to the party”.

Party leaders are anxiously looking on, hoping that someone will be able to dampen Trump’s and Cruz’ momentum. He said New Yorkers came together to support each other after thousands were killed and cleaned up the site of the destroyed 110-story World Trade Centre’s twin towers, enduring “the smell of death” for months.

That just reinforced Cruz’s point that it was an opportunistic attack Trump really did not believe.

Mr Cruz has steered clear of criticising Mr Trump during his rise to the top of the national polls, but that ended during Thursday’s debate. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. Seeking to undermine Rubio’s qualifications for president, Christie suggested that senators “talk and talk and talk” while governors such as himself are “held accountable for everything you do”.

Republican presidential candidates (L) Donald Trump and Sen Ted Cruz (R) participate in the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina.

But by the end of the night it seemed certain that Thursday’s debate would largely not change the 2016 race.

Rubio, once viewed by the Republican establishment and many donors as a rising star, said Mr Cruz was a political opportunist who was not a consistent conservative.

“Our country is being run horribly”. “And I will gladly accept the mantle of anger”.

Under the constitution the President of the United States must be a “natural born citizen”.

Cruz has largely responded to Trump with humor – or ignored him altogether – but in recent days, he has started returning fire.

“He’s not a conservative”, Bush said.

Bush responded, citing Boeing and saying high tariffs would lead Japan to retaliate against the United States and buy Airbus aircraft instead.

Republican presidential candidates drew a sharp contrast Thursday night with the optimistic portrait of the economy and the nation’s security that President Obama painted in his State of the Union address this week, warning that sticking with Democrats in the November election could have dire consequences.

Trump, Cruz and Christie will be joined by Florida Gov. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

The sixth debate of the GOP field was a more than two-hour gathering focused on economic, domestic and worldwide policy and featured the top seven candidates based on polling. Christie made the comment when asked how important it was to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power.

Moderator: “You’ve called President Obama’s executive action on gun control unconstitutional and insane”. “Sending that signal makes it impossible”, Bush said. He lamented cuts to the Navy and other parts of the military and remarked that USA military planes are older than the pilots. Israel considers Jerusalem to be its capital but that designation isn’t internationally recognized because the Palestinians also claim the city for their future capital.

“Interestingly enough, Donald J. Trump would be disqualified, because Donald’s mother was born in Scotland”, Cruz said. “You have to have certainty”, he told Cruz.

Cruz touted his record as solicitor general in Texas and in the Senate, saying it sets him apart from his rivals.