Trump revels in debate upset at rival event

“Tonight, it is Donald vs. Trump, or as they are known by their celebrity couple name, Dump”.

Donald Trump’s attempt to derail Thursday’s GOP debate was unsuccessful, at least from a ratings perspective. Without Trump on stage, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie found themselves with more room to make their case to voters seeking a more mainstream candidate.

Donald Trump tried something different with the most recent Republican presidential debate.

But his support in opinion polls, much of it from blue-collar men, has not wavered for months despite him insulting Mexican immigrants, threatening to deny Muslims entry to the U.S. and clashing with Republican establishment figures like Senator John McCain.

Ted Cruz, the hyper-conservative Texas senator, opened the debate in Iowa with a mocking impression of Mr Trump’s blunt, insulting style. In the end, the headline-grabbing Republican Trump managed to be on three channels at once.

Mr Cruz is neck-and-neck with Mr Trump in polls in Iowa, seen as a crucial state to woo in the early phases of winning the Republican nomination.

Trump, meanwhile, was busy throwing a rally for veterans at Drake University in Iowa Thursday night. “Since then, they have been excellent”, Trump said.

“Another GOP debate, you know one without Trump, but still no less of a circus”, Welch said.

But their claim seemed to have been undermined when Ted Cruz revealed what Kelly called the front-runner off-camera.

But with his focus back on the Granite State, Trump made politics local again, spending a portion of his speech returning to denounce another old foe, the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Cruz’s joke became one of the standout moments in the first half of the debate, gaining momentum on Twitter among news outlets and average Twitter users. “We need people who are going to stand up for themselves and the country”, he said.

Trump announced a dedicated website, DonaldTrumpForVets.com, for his supporters to donate funds for military veterans.

He chose not to participate in the debate due to his long-running feud with moderator Megyn Kelly – who he believes would have been unfair towards him – and because of a harsh statement from Fox.