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Republican debate: Trump 'totally pro-Israel' as candidates talk foreign policy – live Republican debate: Trump defends against attacks from Rubio and Cruz – live
(35 minutes later)
4.11am GMT
04:11
Ted Cruz is on TV claiming to be the only one who has been taking on Donald Trump. Save Jeb Bush:
The only one else in the field who was willing to take on Donald was Jeb Bush. I was glad to welcome Marco to the debate for the first time.
Cruz also says “Marco and I are friends” but his voice kind of rises uncomfortably as he says it.
Updated
at 4.11am GMT
4.08am GMT
04:08
Usually we attempt a rather extensive roundup of reactions on social media to what happened on the debate stage. But tonight this is the first one we came across and we’re left wondering what there is to add.
"My party has gone batshit crazy." -- Lindsey Graham at @washpressclub dinner
4.03am GMT
04:03
Trump on rivals: 'they're desperate'
Cuomo continues to ask Trump what it was like to be ganged up on by the senators.
“I knew it was going to happen. I just enjoyed it. ...I really anticipated it.”
Trump on senators Cruz and Rubio:
“They’re desperate, I mean what are they going to do, they’re losing by massive amounts.”
Then Trump hilariously cuts Cuomo off:
It was a good test, it was really a good test, I really liked it and I enjoyed it. And now I go down and speak to people other than you.”
4.01am GMT
04:01
Top Tweeted moments
Via the friendly metrics folks at Twitter, here are the debate’s top-Tweeted moments, with links to videos:
1. Rubio and Trump debate healthcare plans; Rubio says Trump repeats himself https://t.co/QshBLZecD02. Trump to Cruz: “You’re the basket case...Don’t get nervous” https://t.co/GbzM4oAInY3. Cruz criticizes Trump for past statements regarding Obamacare. https://t.co/3ljJvzqdig
3.57am GMT
03:57
Trump: "I think it's going to be over fairly quickly'
CNN’s Chris Cuomo is interviewing Donald Trump. Cuomo asks Trump about being attacked from both sides, by Cruz and Rubio.
Trump says “I thought it was exciting and I thought it was great. I’ve dealt with the toughest people in the world in my lifetime. I’ve dealt with much tougher... I think it’s really a good test.
“The problem with Marco, he’s a choke artist, he chokes... he kept repeating himself. ... One thing I learned from sports, I was a very good athlete, when you’re a choker you’re always a choker.
“You know Marco, I’m 20 points up on him...
“I think it’s going to be over fairly quickly, and I don’t think there’s going to be a [contested] convention.”
3.52am GMT
03:52
Closing statements
Carson: What kind of person do you want your kids to emulate. Several years ago a movie was made about these hands... [holds out hands] I’m asking you tonight, America, to join hands with me to heal inspire and revive America.
Kasich: I poll strongly against Clinton. Executive experience matters. Notice that I have the foreign policy experience, a lot of years, not just a few years. I will hit the ground running and we will get America moving again.
Rubio: This campaign has come a long way. The votes are starting to count. The time for games are over. It’s time to narrow it down and I’m asking you to get behind me. Let’s end the silliness and looniness.
Cruz: Washington deals are bankrupting this country. There are several dealmakers on this stage but I’m the only one who has stood up to Washington deals. Planned Parenthood bad, Iranian deal bad, religious liberty good, Obamacare bad, IRS bad, border good, jobs good.
Trump: Nobody knows politicians better than I do. They’re all talk and no action. Look at this country. I will get it done. Politicians will never ever get it done and we will make America great again.
Trump sounded a little tired, or hoarse, there.
They’re done. Five days till Super Tuesday.
3.51am GMT
03:51
James Pethokoukis
The answers about Apple are quite disappointing, finds James Pethokoukis. Isn’t this the party of small government?
In the Apple encryption question, all the Republicans are ignoring what a tremendous bit of government over-reach this is.
The GOP is supposed to be the small government party, and at least the candidates should raise an eyebrow when government is ignoring a company’s claims that a federal order would trash its products and marketplace position.
Tech advances will almost inevitably lead to an age of ubiquitous encryption. The common-sense answer here is the one that Apple boss Tim Cook and some in Congress are proposing: scrap the government’s court order and instead form a government commission of experts to provide recommendations that balance corporate interests, privacy, and national security.
Also not a great moment for the GOP trying to make inroads into Silicon Valley.
3.48am GMT
03:48
From the comments / who's winning?
We asked and you answered:
Kasich is the only one who sounds reasonable, and knows something about policy.
Presumably this disqualifies him from winning the nomination.
Game over man, Game over! Wrap it up guys Trump wins, going any further is just sheer cruelty to the rest of them... on second thoughts lets keep watching actually
So the republicans are having a civil war using a robot and a deeply unlikable lunatic to take down a populist crazy billionaire... weird election man. Weird.
Rubio; but it's not a real estate deal, Donald, Israel is not a real estate deal!
Not sure the Palestinians would agree 100% with that, Marco, not that you give a shit what they think.
Who’s winning? Tell us in the comments?
The NRA. People with mental health problems who want to own guns. People that murder doctors.
Once again it feels like everyone lost.
3.44am GMT3.44am GMT
03:4403:44
Commercial break number two. Tell us in the comments: Who’s winning?Commercial break number two. Tell us in the comments: Who’s winning?
3.42am GMT3.42am GMT
03:4203:42
Trump is asked, in effect, why not build a wall on the Canadian border too – couldn’t Isis fighters enter the United States from Canada?Trump is asked, in effect, why not build a wall on the Canadian border too – couldn’t Isis fighters enter the United States from Canada?
“You’re talking about a border that’s many many many times longer,” Trump says. And we have less problem with that border, not counting “the tremendous amount of drugs that are coming in.”“You’re talking about a border that’s many many many times longer,” Trump says. And we have less problem with that border, not counting “the tremendous amount of drugs that are coming in.”
3.40am GMT
03:40
Now question on Apple’s decision to defy an FBI request to disable a self-destruct mode on an iPhone to comply with an investigation of the San Bernardino terror attack.
“Apple doesn’t want to do it because they think it hurts their brand. Well let me tell you their brand isn’t superior to the national security of America,” Rubio says.
Cruz agrees, saying Apple should be required to comply with the search order, because it applies to only one phone, not to all phones. “On the question of unlocking this cell phone... we should enforce the court order.. Apple doesn’t have a right.”
Carson agrees. “If they don’t comply with that, you’re encouraging chaos in our system.”
Kasich says, “you know what the problem is, where’s the president been?” He says the president should have “locked the door” on a meeting between intelligence community folks and Apple until they compromise. And kept the whole thing out of the newspapers.
Updated
at 3.40am GMT
3.35am GMT
03:35
Cruz to Trump: “For 40 years you’ve been funding liberal politicians.”
Trump: “I funded you.”
Cruz admits Trump gave him five grand.
Then there is a big messy Cruz-Rubio-Trump mess.
Blitzer gets control back with effort.
3.32am GMT
03:32
Interesting Beck boost for Rubio:
From a Cruz backer https://t.co/SfAFS6WonH
Rubio is killing it.#gopdebate
Updated
at 3.33am GMT
3.31am GMT
03:31
Cruz now says he’s going to upload an interview to his web site in which Trump advocates for toppling Gaddafi, despite Trump’s just having said he never wanted to remove Gaddafi.
“If you care about Israel, you don’t write checks to politicians that are undermining Israel,” Cruz says.
Kasich tries to talk but Blitzer says Trump gets to because he was attacked.
“There is nobody on this stage that has done more for Israel than I have... you are all talk and no action,” Trump says.
Then Trump gestures respectively to Rubio and Cruz: “First of all, this guy’s a choke artist and this guy’s a liar.”
Carson gets a big cheer with the line: “Can someone attack me please?”
3.27am GMT
03:27
Trump is asked about a prospective ceasefire in Syria.
He says “it’s a meaningless cease fire” so he doesn’t support this particular deal.
Cruz says he’s hopeful but skeptical. Then he says Russia has strengthened its position because the Obama administration had given Russia the region. Then Cruz says Trump and Rubio supported the Obama Libya policy and Rubio supported John Kerry for secretary of state.
Trump says he never supported deposing Gaddafi. Rubio says he supported Kerry to get Clinton out of the state department.
Updated
at 3.28am GMT
3.23am GMT
03:23
Dr Carson, how would you deal with North Korea?
“People say I whine a lot because I don’t get enough time. I’m going to whine,” says Carson. “Because I didn’t get asked about taxes. I didn’t get asked about Israel.”
Wolf tells Carson to go for it. “This is your time.”
Carson says the IRS “is not honest and we need to get rid of them.” Carson says he went to Israel a couple months ago and talked to a lot of people and none of them did not think that the United States had not turned its back on Israel. Carson says Kim Jong-Un is unstable but understands strength and that the United States should strengthen regional alliances and develop a strategic defense initiative.
3.19am GMT
03:19
Kasich is back to North Korea. He’s asked whether he would assassinate Kim Jong-Un. He says Chinese intervention is needed in North Korea.
“You look for any measure you can to be able to solve the problem,” Kasich says.
But would he risk war for regime change?
“If there was an opportunity to remove the leader of North Korea, and create stability... but I’m also aware of the fact that there are 10m people in Seoul... perhaps the Chinese can accomplish that working with this man who is now the leader,” Kasich says.
Trump gets the North Korea question and he starts talking about defending Japan “for peanuts.”
3.16am GMT
03:16
Kasich is up. He seems to get dinged almost immediately, after a jag he takes into North Korea policy.
Rubio is up. He accuses Trump of taking an “anti-Israel position.” He says you can’t be an honest broker when “one side acts in bad faith.”
Then Rubio and Trump get in another slapfight, with a pretty good line from Rubio about the Palestinians not being a real estate deal.
“A deal between Israel and the Palestinians, given the current makeup of the Palestinians, is not possible,” Rubio says. “I will be on Israel’s side every day.”
Trump: I’m a negotiator. I have done very well over the years.
Rubio: The Palestinians are not a real estate deal.
Trump: A deal is a deal.
Rubio: Not dealing with terrorists. Have you ever dealt with terrorists?
Trump: You will never bring peace.
3.13am GMT
03:13
They’re back! Question for Trump. You said you wanted to be “neutral” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How can that be when Israel is America’s closest ally in the Middle East?
“As president there is nothing that I would rather do than to bring peace to Israel and it’s neighbors generally,” Trump says. “It doesn’t help if I start saying – I am very pro-Israel.. but it doesn’t do anything to start demeaning the neighbors.”
“With that being said, I am totally pro-Israel.”
Cruz: “This is another area in which Donald agrees with Hillary Clinton... If I’m president, America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel... it is not equivalent.”
Trump continues to imagine brokering a Middle East peace as president: “If I could bring peace, that would be a fantastic thing, it would be one of my greatest achievements as president.”
3.06am GMT
03:06
OK folks, commercial break after only one hour.
Who’s winning? Tell us in the comments?