Just The Good Stuff From Tonight's Republican Debate
The first Republican debate post-Super-Tuesday was Thursday night, and only four candidates were left standing. Whether you're looking for Trump's first incendiary statement of the night or his 15th, Digg has you covered with all the highlights.
Who Came Out On Top?
According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump spoke the most times by far, which was certainly helped by the fact that he got the most direct questions, and was also attacked the most by other candidates.
Interestingly, the high number of speaking opportunities actually translated into time for Trump, but not for Rubio.
Will You Support Donald Trump As The Nominee?
When asked if they would support the Republican nominee even if the nominee is Trump, everyone said yes … for now.
Rubio Zinged Cruz's Zinger
Cruz tried to play the patronizing Dad card on Donald Trump for a second time in the debate, but Marco Rubio swooped in and zinged them both.
Should A Gay Couple Be Able To Adopt?
When asked about gay adoption, Ted Cruz said he'd leave the decision to the states, like he believes marriage should have been.
Gay adoptive parents weren't too happy with the prospect of their parenthood becoming illegal:
Meanwhile, John Kasich rolled back his support for the protection of LGBT consumers in the market place.
Cruz Told Trump To Count To Ten, Trump Gave Him The Stink Eye
After a fiery spat between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio over Trump University, Cruz tried to stand out by asking, "Is this the kind of debate you want in the general election?" When Trump tried to interrupt, Cruz told Donald to "Count to 10."
Trump, Rubio, And Megyn Kelly Fought And Fought About Trump University
Bringing up Marco Rubio's attack on Trump University from the last debate, Megyn Kelly produced a series of damning facts that supported Marco's claims that Trump University was, in fact, a racket. The question created a heated debate between the three.
Megyn Kelly Called Out Trump On A Series Of Flip-Flops
Megyn Kelly pulled out her receipts AGAIN, by showing a series of clips of Trump saying one thing and then reversing his opinion within days, weeks or months: first on Afghanistan, second on Syrian refugees and third on President George W. Bush. In response, Trump said that politicians needed to be allowed to be flexible:
"I've never seen a successful person who didn't have a certain degree of flexibility…you have to be flexible because you learn."
Marco Rubio shot back at Trump saying:
"there's a difference between flexibility and saying what you need to say to get people to do what you want them to do."
Trump's Alright With Waterboarding … And More!
In response to a question about the morality and legality of waterboarding, Trump said he was fine with the practice and more, calling those subject to the illegal torture-method "animals."
Cruz responded to Trump's strong propositions by saying "cursing at people doesn't make you a tough guy."
But What Was On Ted Cruz's Mouth?
Was it paper, a crumb, or the souls of a thousand children?
How Flexible Is Trump On Immigration?
In a recent report by Buzzfeed, they claim that The New York Times has a tape from December of Trump stating that his position on immigration is "flexible." When asked about the report, Trump responded saying:
"I think being off the record is a very important [and] powerful thing…in terms of immigration there always has to be some tug and pull…you have to be able to have some flexibility…I would never release off the record conversations…[I'm] not very flexible [on this issue]."
Trump Donated To Clinton's Presidential Campaign Four Times In 2008
Ted Cruz brought up Donald Trump's history of donations to Democrats and specifically Hillary Clinton — who he donated to repeatedly when she ran for Senator and President.
"Donald Trump in 2008 wrote four checks to Hillary Clinton to be president."
Trump gave a simple response.
"It was for business…I support politicians."
Who Are The Mystery Dabbers?!
Debates are supposed to be high-minded and polished affairs, but that doesn't stop the audience from goofing around. A perfect example is these girls who weredabbing behind Megyn Kelly the whole night.
Trump's Lost Businesses
Marco Rubio brought up Trump's failed businesses, such as Trump Steaks, that were referenced in Mitt Romney's recent take-down speech.
This sparked a series of vicious attacks by Trump where he mockingly called Rubio "little Marco."
Rubio Responded To Personal Attacks, Trump Changed The Topic To His Dick?
Moderators asked Marco Rubio about recent personal attacks on Donald Trump. Rubio simply responded that Trump deserved it:
"If there's anyone who deserves to be attacked that way it's Donald Trump."
Trump shot back with a true zinger that had something to do with Rubio's hands and Donald Trumps…penis?
Trump Responded To Mitt Romney
In response to a speech given by Mitt Romney where the ex-presidential candidate was highly critical of Donald Trump, Trump said:
"he was a failed candidate…it was an embarrassment to everybody…he wants to be relevant, he wants to be back in the game."
Can Any Of Them Beat Hillary?
Rubio and Trump sparred over polls, when Trump claimed that he's the only one who could take on Hillary according to the numbers.
In fact, the latest CNN poll says that Trump is dead wrong — projecting a higher chance of success against Hillary Clinton for both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Trump Went In Winning The Popularity Contest
Going into the debate, Trump held a lead in the contest for the most popular candidate, according to FiveThirtyEight. Ted Cruz came in last.
Stats Say Cruz Went In Having The Most Complex Debate Speech
According to UCSB, Ted Cruz has the most complex debate speech (measured by words per sentence and syllables per word). Did it sound that way?
Cruz Was Throwing Shade At Trump Before It Even Started
Referencing the last debate, where Marco Rubio called out Trump's for-profit university for being a racket, Cruz tweeted this out hours before the debate even began:
Talking Time Going In Correlates To Delegate Number
In a measurement of total talking time throughout all of the debates before tonight's, the candidates stack up according to their delegate-count — with Donald Trump in the lead and John Kasich on bottom.
Where Was Ben Carson?
After Super Tuesday earlier this week, the Republican pack has once again been culled. The former neurosurgeon Ben Carson announced on Wednesday that he sees no "path forward" and therefore would not participate in the March 3rd debate. Looking at the delegate count we can see why.
