Marco Rubio Challenges Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Credentials During Presidential Debate Exchange
Enjoying this? Share it with someone who needs to see it.
Up Next
Mr. Reagan Counts Down Donald Trump's Top 16 Greatest Hits and Funniest Presidential Moments in American History
14:29
Donald Trump Defends H-1B Visa Reversal and Torture Tactics at Fox News Detroit Debate
16:27
Tucker Carlson on Venezuela Operation: America Explicitly Becomes an Empire and What That Means for Free Speech
1:42:39
Marco Rubio Challenges Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Credentials During Presidential Debate Exchange
Marco Rubio confronts Donald Trump on foreign policy expertise during a heated presidential debate exchange, questioning whether negotiating hotel deals qualifies as international leadership experience. Trump fires back with characteristic confidence, insisting military commanders will follow his orders while Rubio and Ted Cruz outline detailed approaches to global threats from North Korea to Russia. The exchange captures a pivotal moment in the Republican primary as candidates debate who possesses the gravitas to lead America on the world stage.
Marco Rubio opened a direct challenge to Donald Trump's foreign policy readiness, arguing that negotiating hotel deals in foreign countries does not constitute genuine foreign policy experience. Rubio pressed Trump on his lack of seriousness regarding military structure and international relations, specifically citing Trump's controversial statement about military commanders following orders to kill the families of terrorists.
"If I tell them to do it, they're going to do it. That's just not true," Rubio said, critiquing Trump's understanding of military command structure. Rubio emphasized that foreign policy has become increasingly consequential, with America's future depending on strong international leadership.
Trump Defends Leadership Ability
Trump responded by dismissing Rubio's leadership credentials entirely: "I've gotten to know Marco over a period of time, believe me, he is not a leader. Believe me." Trump pivoted to his core campaign themes, highlighting the depleted state of the military and poor treatment of veterans.
"We have a depleted military. Totally depleted. We have, by the way, our vets are treated horribly. We're going to take care of our vets," Trump declared. He promised to rebuild the military with equipment chosen by generals and soldiers rather than by political contributors, and pointed to polling showing him leading on issues related to ISIS, the military, and border security.
Rubio Presses for Substantive Answers
Rubio refused to let the exchange end, pushing Trump to provide detailed foreign policy answers rather than personal attacks. He outlined the complexity of the current global situation, citing nuclear-armed North Korea, Chinese expansion in crucial shipping lanes, Vladimir Putin's instability in the Middle East, Iran's impending sanctions relief, and the spread of radical jihadists worldwide.
"This is a time for seriousness on these issues. You have yet to answer a single serious question about any of this," Rubio challenged. The Florida senator demanded Trump provide detailed answers on foreign policy matters.
The Putin Question
Trump defended his statements about Vladimir Putin, clarifying that Putin had made positive comments about him first. "Putin said about me, I didn't say about Putin, Putin said very nice things about me," Trump explained. He argued for a more cooperative approach: "Wouldn't it be nice if actually we could get along with Russia? We could get along with foreign countries? Instead of spending trillions and trillions of dollars."
Trump connected foreign spending to domestic needs, mentioning Flint, Michigan, and the need to rebuild American infrastructure. He suggested Russia could potentially help in the fight against ISIS.
Cruz Addresses North Korea Nuclear Threat
When Ted Cruz was asked about breaking news that North Korea's Kim Jong-un had ordered nuclear weapons on ready status, Cruz provided a detailed response. He welcomed the deployment of another carrier group to the South China Sea and congressional sanctions on North Korea, but traced the problem back to Clinton administration failures two decades earlier.
"This is all the result of the failures of the Clinton administration two decades ago that negotiated a deal with North Korea lifting the sanctions, allowing billions of dollars to flow in and they used that money to develop nuclear weapons in the first place," Cruz explained.
Cruz outlined a multi-layered strategy including missile defense systems in South Korea, space-based missile defense capabilities, and putting pressure on China as North Korea's effective client state. "A space-based missile defense can take out one, two, or three missiles before it can cross over and do damage," he noted.
Kasich's Global Strategy
John Kasich offered a rapid-fire tour of his foreign policy positions, covering multiple regions. On Russia, he advocated arming Ukrainians and warning that attacks on Finland or Sweden would be considered attacks on the United States. Regarding China, he promised to tell them they don't own the South China Sea and threatened cyber retaliation for hacking.
Kasich also addressed Egypt's struggles with ISIS, the strategic importance of keeping Turkey oriented toward the West rather than East, and the necessity of good human intelligence gathering. "That is called a semi trip around the world. If you gave me more time, I'd finish the trip," Kasich concluded.