Fox Theater Detroit Hosts Heated Republican Presidential Debate with Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich
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Fox Theater Detroit Hosts Heated Republican Presidential Debate with Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich
The fabulous Fox Theater in downtown Detroit became the battleground for the 11th Republican presidential debate of the 2016 campaign. With 59 Michigan delegates at stake, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich faced tough questions from moderators Megyn Kelly, Bret Baier, and Chris Wallace. The debate opened with Trump addressing Mitt Romney's harsh criticism of his candidacy, calling Romney a failed candidate who embarrassed the Republican Party. Personal attacks dominated early exchanges, with candidates defending their rhetoric while claiming to want policy discussions. Cruz emphasized conservative principles and economic solutions, Rubio challenged Trump's conservative credentials, Kasich positioned himself as the adult on stage who could bring both parties together, and Trump defended his poll numbers and electability against Hillary Clinton.
March 4, 2016
Romney's Criticism Opens Contentious Debate
The 11th Republican presidential debate of the 2016 campaign took place at the fabulous Fox Theater in downtown Detroit, with 59 Michigan delegates hanging in the balance ahead of the following Tuesday's primary. Moderators Megyn Kelly, Bret Baier, and Chris Wallace, in partnership with Facebook, immediately confronted Donald Trump with Mitt Romney's blistering criticism delivered earlier that day. Romney had attacked Trump's domestic and foreign policy credentials while listing what he called Trump's personal shortcomings: bullying, greed, showing off, misogyny, and third-grade tactics.
Trump dismissed Romney as a failed candidate who should have easily beaten President Obama but embarrassed the Republican Party instead. He pivoted to trade policy, arguing that while both he and Romney believe in free trade, the current arrangements are destroying America. Trump cited massive trade deficits with China ($505 billion), Mexico ($58 billion), and Japan ($109 billion), promising to renegotiate every trade deal with the greatest people in the world lined up to help him.
David Duke Controversy Addressed
Kelly pressed Trump on the controversy surrounding his failure to immediately denounce white supremacist David Duke on Sunday. Trump responded that he had totally disavowed both David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, claiming this was the 18th person to ask him the question over two weeks. He explained that the original question on CNN involved groups he wasn't familiar with, and he wanted clarification before disavowing. Trump pointed to his Twitter account where he said he disavowed Duke immediately after the program, expressing frustration that the media ignored his Twitter statement while amplifying the controversy.
Rubio Defends Personal Attacks
Marco Rubio faced questions about his recent shift to personal attacks after previously stating such tactics were beneath the office he sought and would embarrass his children. Rubio had spent the past week mocking Trump's tan, spelling, and even suggesting he wet himself backstage at the previous debate. The Florida senator defended his change in approach by pointing out that Trump had mocked everyone throughout the campaign, including people with disabilities and every candidate on stage. Rubio argued that if anyone deserved to be attacked that way, it was Trump, but emphasized he would prefer to have a policy debate focused on strategies for dealing with ISIS, healthcare, and other important issues facing the country.
Trump responded by calling Rubio a lightweight, though he jokingly said he wanted to take that back because Rubio was not that much of a lightweight. The exchange descended into absurdity when Trump defended his hand size after Rubio had mocked them, guaranteeing the audience there was no problem with anything else that might be correlated with hand size.
Cruz Focuses on Economic Struggles
Ted Cruz attempted to elevate the conversation beyond personal insults, emphasizing that the debate should focus on struggling Americans rather than attacks between candidates. The Texas senator spoke about single mothers working multiple part-time jobs because their hours were reduced due to Obamacare, truck drivers and mechanics whose wages have stagnated while costs rise, and young people buried in student loans unable to find employment. Cruz criticized slogans like "make things great" that can be printed on baseball caps, arguing the real question is whether candidates understand the principles that made America great originally.
Cruz outlined his agenda: repealing every word of Obamacare, pulling back regulators killing small businesses, passing a simple flat tax, and abolishing the IRS. He promised these policies would cause small businesses to explode, creating millions of high-paying jobs with rising wages and expanding opportunity. Cruz emphasized that his campaign was the only one that had repeatedly beaten Trump and remained the only campaign that could beat him going forward.
Trump Defends His Electoral Success
Trump fired back at Cruz's claim to be the only candidate who could beat him, pointing out that he had won 10 contests compared to Cruz's three or four. On the previous Tuesday alone, Trump noted he received half a million more votes than Cruz and a full million more than Rubio. Trump questioned where Cruz got the idea that he was the only one who could beat Trump when Trump was beating him badly in actual results.
Rubio jumped in to argue that while Trump had done well, two-thirds of Republican primary and caucus voters had voted against Trump, showing they did not want him as the nominee. Rubio explained this was because Republicans would not turn over the conservative movement or the party of Lincoln and Reagan to someone whose positions are not conservative. He criticized Trump for defending Planned Parenthood for 30 seconds at the previous debate and suggested Trump thought the nuclear triad was a rock band from the 1980s. Rubio insisted their nominee must stand by conservative principles of limited government, free enterprise, and strong national defense, arguing Trump had not demonstrated commitment to these principles.
Polling Numbers Become Flashpoint
Trump countered with recent CNN polling showing him at 49 percent nationally compared to Cruz at 15 percent and Rubio at 14 percent. He also cited multiple polls showing him beating Hillary Clinton, including the Quinnipiac poll, a Fox poll, USA Today, and a poll in Ohio. Trump emphasized he was the only candidate who could beat Clinton and hadn't even started attacking her yet. Rubio disputed this, claiming Trump performed worse against Clinton than other candidates, but Trump insisted the polling data showed otherwise.
Kasich Positions Himself as the Adult
John Kasich dismissed the focus on process as boring, preferring to discuss his record of achievement. The Ohio governor noted that he beat Hillary Clinton by 11 points in polling, the largest margin of any candidate, because Democrats told him they could cross over and vote for him. Kasich attributed this to his focus on issues rather than engaging in scrums on the debate stage, claiming people consistently told him he seemed to be the adult on stage.
When asked about Mitt Romney's proposal that Republicans vote strategically in different states to prevent Trump from winning the nomination through a contested convention, Kasich said Romney was a great guy but didn't determine his strategy. The governor highlighted his record as chairman of the Budget Committee when the budget was balanced and significant job growth occurred with rising wages. In Ohio, he noted wages grew faster than the national average and the state added over 400,000 jobs. Kasich argued his formula works and he wouldn't need on-the-job training as president because he knew how to accomplish these goals.
Kasich Defends His Path Forward
When pressed on his single-digit finishes in nine out of 11 Super Tuesday states and whether his path required a contested convention, Kasich pushed back against being written off repeatedly by the media. He noted the media wrote him off before New Hampshire, after his second-place finish in New Hampshire, in the South, and on Super Tuesday. Yet he split delegates with Trump in Vermont, finished second in Massachusetts, and won delegates in Virginia. Kasich declared it was now March Madness and the campaign was heading north to his turf, promising he would win Ohio. He expressed frustration that people constantly asked him why he didn't get more time at debates, emphasizing his message of bringing people together, Republicans and Democrats alike. Kasich argued the strength of the country lies in neighborhoods and communities, not in Washington galloping in to save everyone.
