The following is a transcript of the Republican
presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News at 9 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2015 in
Cleveland, Ohio. Transcript provided by Fox News.
FOX NEWS CHANNEL AND FACEBOOK
HOLD A 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE, CLEVELAND, OHIO
AUGUST 6, 2015
1.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FLA.
2.
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TEXAS
3.
SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY.
4.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, R-N.J.
5.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER, R-WIS.
6.
GOV. JOHN R. KASICH, R-OHIO
7.
DONALD TRUMP
8.
FORMER GOV. JEB BUSH, R-FLA.
9.
DR. BEN CARSON
10.
FORMER GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE, R-ARK.
1.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR
2.
MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR
3.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR
1.
KELLY: It is nine p.m. on the East Coast, and
the moment of truth has arrived. Welcome to the first debate night of the 2016
presidential campaign, live from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m
Megyn Kelly... (APPLAUSE) ... along with my co-moderators, Brett Baier and
Chris Wallace. Tonight... (APPLAUSE) Nice. Tonight, thousands of people here in
the Q, along with millions of voters at home will get their very first chance
to see the candidates face off in a debate, answering the questions you want
answered.
2.
BAIER: Less than a year from now, in this very
arena, one of these 10 candidates or one of the seven on the previous debate
tonight will accept the Republican party’s nomination. (APPLAUSE) Tonight’s
candidates were selected based on an average of five national polls. Just a few
hours ago, you heard from the candidates ranked 11th through 17. And now, the
prime-time event, the top 10.
3.
WALLACE: Also of note, Fox News is partnering
for tonight’s debate with Facebook. For the past several weeks, we’ve been
asking you for questions for the candidates on Facebook. Nearly 6 million of
you, 6 million, viewed the debate videos on our site, and more than 40,000 of
you submitted questions: some of which you will hear us asking the candidates
tonight.
4.
KELLY: As for the candidates who will be
answering those questions? Here they are. Positioned on the stage by how they stand
in the polls, in the center of the stage tonight, businessman Donald Trump.
(APPLAUSE) Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. (APPLAUSE) Wisconsin Governor
Scott Walker. (APPLAUSE) Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. (APPLAUSE)
5.
BAIER: Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson.
(APPLAUSE) Texas Senator Ted Cruz. (APPLAUSE) Florida Senator Marco Rubio. (APPLAUSE)
6.
WALLACE: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
(APPLAUSE) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. (APPLAUSE) And your very own
governor of Ohio... (APPLAUSE) ... John Kasich. (APPLAUSE) Brett -- Brett, I
think you would call that a home field advantage.
7.
BAIER: It might be. It might be. We’ll see.
8.
(UNKNOWN): Is this in the rules? An objection’s
coming.
9.
BAIER: It might be. The rules for tonight are
simple. One minute for answers, 30 seconds for follow-ups. And if a candidate
runs over, you’ll hear this. Pleasant, no? We also have a big crowd here with
us tonight in the home of the Cavaliers, as I mentioned. And while we expect
them... (APPLAUSE) ... we expect them to be enthusiastic, as you heard, we don’t
want to take anything away from the valuable time for the candidate. So, we’re
looking for somewhere between a reaction to a LeBron James dunk and the
Cleveland Public Library across the street. (LAUGHTER) Somewhere there, we’ll
find a balance tonight. Without further ado, let’s begin.
10.
BAIER: Gentlemen, we know how much you love
hand-raising questions. So we promise, this is the only one tonight: the only
one. Is there anyone on stage, and can I see hands, who is unwilling tonight to
pledge your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican party and pledge
to not run an independent campaign against that person. Again, we’re looking
for you to raise your hand now -- raise your hand now if you won’t make that
pledge tonight. Mr. Trump. (BOOING) Mr. Trump to be clear, you’re standing on a
Republican primary debate stage.
11.
TRUMP: I fully understand.
12.
BAIER: The place where the RNC will give the
nominee the nod.
13.
TRUMP: I fully understand.
14.
BAIER: And that experts say an independent
run would almost certainly hand the race over to Democrats and likely another
Clinton. You can’t say tonight that you can make that pledge?
15.
TRUMP: I cannot say. I have to respect the
person that, if it’s not me, the person that wins, if I do win, and I’m leading
by quite a bit, that’s what I want to do. I can totally make that pledge. If I’m
the nominee, I will pledge I will not run as an independent. But -- and I am
discussing it with everybody, but I’m, you know, talking about a lot of
leverage. We want to win, and we will win. But I want to win as the Republican.
I want to run as the Republican nominee.
16.
BAIER: So tonight, you can’t say if another
one of these...
17.
PAUL: This is what’s wrong!
18.
BAIER: OK.
19.
PAUL: I mean, this is what’s wrong. He buys
and sells politicians of all stripes, he’s already...
20.
BAIER: Dr. Paul.
21.
PAUL: Hey, look, look! He’s already hedging
his bet on the Clintons, OK? So if he doesn’t run as a Republican, maybe he
supports Clinton, or maybe he runs as an independent...
22.
BAIER: OK.
23.
PAUL: ...but I’d say that he’s already
hedging his bets because he’s used to buying politicians.
24.
TRUMP: Well, I’ve given him plenty of money.
25.
BAIER: Just to be clear, you can’t make a --
we’re gonna -- we’re going to move on. You’re not gonna make the pledge
tonight?
26.
TRUMP: I will not make the pledge at this
time.
27.
BAIER: OK. Alright.
28.
(LAUGHTER, BOOING)
29.
KELLY: Gentlemen, our first round of
questions is on the subject of electability in the general election, and we
start tonight with you, Dr. Carson. You are a successful neurosurgeon, but you
admit that you have had to study up on foreign policy, saying there’s a lot to
learn. Your critics say that your inexperience shows. You’ve suggested that the
Baltic States are not a part of NATO, just months ago you were unfamiliar with
the major political parties and government in Israel, and domestically, you
thought Alan Greenspan had been treasury secretary instead of federal reserve
chair. Aren’t these basic mistakes, and don’t they raise legitimate questions
about whether you are ready to be president?
30.
CARSON: Well, I could take issue with -- with
all of those things, but we don’t have time. But I will say, we have a debate
here tonight, and we will have an opportunity to explore those areas, and I’m
looking very much forward to demonstrating that, in fact, the thing that is
probably most important is having a brain, and to be able to figure things out
and learn things very rapidly. So, you know, experience comes from a large
number of different arenas, and America became a great nation early on not
because it was flooded with politicians, but because it was flooded with people
who understood the value of personal responsibility, hard work, creativity,
innovation, and that’s what will get us on the right track now, as well.
31.
WALLACE: Senator Rubio, when Jeb Bush announced
his candidacy for presidency, he said this: “There’s no passing off
responsibility when you’re a governor, no blending into the legislative crowd.”
Could you please address Governor Bush across the stage here, and explain to
him why you, someone who has never held executive office, are better prepared
to be president than he is, a man who you say did a great job running your
state of Florida for eight years.
32.
RUBIO: Well, thank you for the question, Chris,
and it’s great to be here tonight. Let me begin by saying this: I’m not new to
the political process; I was making a contribution as the speaker of the third
largest and most diverse state in the country well before I even got into the
Senate. I would add to that that this election cannot be a resume competition.
It’s important to be qualified, but if this election is a resume competition,
then Hillary Clinton’s gonna be the next president, because she’s been in
office and in government longer than anybody else running here tonight. Here’s
what this election better be about: This election better be about the future,
not the past. It better be about the issues our nation and the world is facing
today, not simply the issues we once faced. This country is facing an economy
that has been radically transformed. You know, the largest retailer in the
country and the world today, Amazon, doesn’t even own a single store? And these
changes have been disruptive. They have changed people’s lives. The jobs that
once sustained our middle class, they either don’t pay enough or they are gone,
and we need someone that understands that as our nominee. If I’m our nominee,
how is Hillary Clinton gonna lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck? I
was raised paycheck to paycheck. How is she -- how is she gonna lecture me --
how is she gonna lecture me about student loans? I owed over $100,000 just four
years ago. If I’m our nominee, we will be the party of the future. (APPLAUSE)
33.
BAIER: Governor Bush, you have insisted that
you’re your own man. You say you have a life experience uniquely your own. Not
your father’s, not your brother’s. But there are several opponents on this
stage who get big- applause lines in early voting states with this line: quote,
“the last thing the country needs is another Bush in the Oval Office.” So do
you understand the real concern in this country about dynastic politics?
34.
BUSH: Absolutely, I do, and I’m gonna run
hard, run with heart, and run to win. I’m gonna have to earn this. Maybe the
barrier -- the bar’s even higher for me. That’s fine. I’ve got a record in
Florida. I’m proud of my dad, and I’m certainly proud of my brother. In
Florida, they called me Jeb, because I earned it. I cut taxes every year,
totaling $19 billion. We were -- we had -- we balanced every budget. We went
from $1 billion of reserves to $9 billion of reserves. We were one of two
states that went to AAA bond rating. They keep -- they called me Veto Corleone.
Because I vetoed 2,500 separate line-items in the budget. (APPLAUSE) I am my
own man. I governed as a conservative, and I govern effectively. And the net
effect was, during my eight years, 1.3 million jobs were created. We left the
state better off because I applied conservative principles in a purple state
the right way, and people rose up. (APPLAUSE)
35.
KELLY: Mr. Trump, one of the things people
love about you is you speak your mind and you don’t use a politician’s filter.
However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to
women. You’ve called women you don’t like “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and
disgusting animals.” (LAUGHTER) Your Twitter account...
36.
TRUMP: Only Rosie O’Donnell. (LAUGHTER)
37.
KELLY: No, it wasn’t. (APPLAUSE) Your Twitter
account... (APPLAUSE)
38.
TRUMP: Thank you.
39.
KELLY: For the record, it was well beyond
Rosie O’Donnell.
40.
TRUMP: Yes, I’m sure it was.
41.
KELLY: Your Twitter account has several
disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on
Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does
that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president,
and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be
the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?
42.
TRUMP: I think the big problem this country
has is being politically correct. (APPLAUSE) I’ve been challenged by so many
people, and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness. And to
be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time either. This country is in
big trouble. We don’t win anymore. We lose to China. We lose to Mexico both in
trade and at the border. We lose to everybody. And frankly, what I say, and
oftentimes it’s fun, it’s kidding. We have a good time. What I say is what I
say. And honestly Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice
to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have
treated me. But I wouldn’t do that. (APPLAUSE) But you know what, we -- we need
strength, we need energy, we need quickness and we need brain in this country
to turn it around. That, I can tell you right now.
43.
WALLACE: Senator Cruz, your colleague, Senator
Paul, right there next to you, said a few months ago he agrees with you on a
number of issues, but he says you do nothing to grow the party. He says you feed
red meat to the base, but you don’t reach out to minorities. You have a toxic
relationship with GOP leaders in Congress. You even called the Republican
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell a liar recently. (APPLAUSE) How can you win in
2016 when you’re such a divisive figure?
44.
CRUZ: Chris, I believe the American people are
looking for someone to speak the truth. (APPLAUSE) If you’re looking for
someone to go to Washington, to go along to get along, to get -- to agree with
the career politicians in both parties who get in bed with the lobbyists and
special interests, then I ain’t your guy. There is a reason... (APPLAUSE) ....
that we have $18 trillion in debt. Because as conservatives, as Republicans, we
keep winning elections. We got a Republican House, we’ve got a Republican
Senate, and we don’t have leaders who honor their commitments. I will always
tell the truth and do what I said I would do. (APPLAUSE)
45.
BAIER: Governor Christie, you’re not exactly the
darling of conservatives. You tout your record as a Republican governor in a
blue state. On Facebook, the most people talking about you, not surprisingly,
come from your state of New Jersey, and one of the top issues they are talking
about is the economy. This -- this may be why. Under your watch, New Jersey has
undergone nine credit rating downgrades. The state’s 44th in private sector
growth. You face an employee pension crisis and the Garden State has the third
highest foreclosure rate in the country. So why should voters believe that your
management of the country’s finances would be any different?
46.
CHRISTIE: If you think it’s bad now, you should’ve
seen it when I got there. (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE) The fact is -- the fact is, in
the eight years before I became governor, taxes and fees were raised at the
state level 115 times. In the eight years before I became governor, spending
was increased 56 percent. And in the eight years before I become governor,
taxes and fees were raised at the state level 115 times. In the eight years
before I became Governor, spending was increased 56 percent, and in the eight
years before I became governor, there was zero net private sector job growth in
New Jersey. Zero. For eight years. So, what did we do? We came in, we balanced
an $11 billion deficit on a $29 billion budget by cutting over 800 programs in
the state budget. We brought the budget into balance with no tax increases. In
fact, we vetoed five income tax increases during my time as governor. We cut
business taxes $2.3 billion, and we cut regulation by one-third of what my predecessor
put in place. And, what’s happened since? A hundred ninety-two thousand private
sector jobs in the five and a half years I’ve been governor. We have a lot of
work to do in New Jersey, but I am darn proud we’ve brought our state back.
(APPLAUSE)
47.
KELLY: Governor Walker, you’ve consistently said
that you want to make abortion illegal even in cases of rape, incest, or to
save the life of the mother. You recently signed an abortion law in Wisconsin
that does have an exception for the mother’s life, but you’re on the record as
having objected to it. Would you really let a mother die rather than have an
abortion, and with 83 percent of the American public in favor of a life
exception, are you too out of the mainstream on this issue to win the general
election?
48.
WALKER: Well, I’m pro-life, I’ve always been
pro-life, and I’ve got a position that I think is consistent with many
Americans out there in that... (APPLAUSE) ...in that I believe that that is an
unborn child that’s in need of protection out there, and I’ve said many a time
that that unborn child can be protected, and there are many other alternatives
that can also protect the life of that mother. That’s been consistently proven.
Unlike Hillary Clinton, who has a radical position in terms of support for
Planned Parenthood, I defunded Planned Parenthood more than four years ago,
long before any of these videos came out... (APPLAUSE) ...I’ve got a position
that’s in line with everyday America. (APPLAUSE)
49.
WALLACE: Governor Huckabee, like Governor
Walker, you have staked out strong positions on social issues. You favor a
constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. You favor a constitutional
amendment banning abortions, except for the life of the mother. Millions of
people in this country agree with you, but according to the polls, and again
this an electability question, according to the polls, more people don’t, so
how do you persuade enough Independents and Democrats to get elected in 2016?
50.
HUCKABEE: Chris, I disagree with the idea that
the real issue is a constitutional amendment. That’s a long and difficult
process. I’ve actually taken the position that’s bolder than that. A lot of
people are talking about defunding Planned Parenthood, as if that’s a huge game
changer. I think it’s time to do something even more bold. I think the next
president ought to invoke the Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the
constitution now that we clearly know that that baby inside the mother’s womb
is a person at the moment of conception. The reason we know that it is is
because of the DNA schedule that we now have clear scientific evidence on. And,
this notion that we just continue to ignore the personhood of the individual is
a violation of that unborn child’s Fifth and 14th Amendment rights for due
process and equal protection under the law. It’s time that we recognize the
Supreme Court is not the supreme being, and we change the policy to be pro-life
and protect children instead of rip up their body parts and sell them like they’re
parts to a Buick. (APPLAUSE)
51.
BAIER: Senator Paul, you recently blamed the
rise of ISIS on Republican hawks. You later said that that statement, you could
have said it better. But, the statement went on, and you said, quote, “Everything
they’ve talked about in foreign policy, they’ve been wrong for the last 20
years.” Why are you so quick to blame your own party?
52.
PAUL: First of all, only ISIS is responsible for
the terrorism. Only ISIS is responsible for the depravity. But, we do have to
examine, how are we going to defeat ISIS? I’ve got a proposal. I’m the leading
voice in America for not arming the allies of ISIS. (APPLAUSE) I’ve been
fighting amidst a lot of opposition from both Hillary Clinton, as well as some
Republicans who wanted to send arms to the allies of ISIS. ISIS rides around in
a billion dollars worth of U.S. Humvees. It’s a disgrace. We’ve got to stop --
we shouldn’t fund our enemies, for goodness sakes. So, we didn’t create ISIS --
ISIS created themselves, but we will stop them, and one of the ways we stop
them is by not funding them, and not arming them. (APPLAUSE)
53.
KELLY: Governor Kasich, You chose to expand
Medicaid in your state, unlike several other governors on this stage tonight,
and it is already over budget by some estimates costing taxpayers an additional
$1.4 billion in just the first 18 months. You defended your Medicaid expansion
by invoking God, saying to skeptics that when they arrive in heaven, Saint
Peter isn’t going to ask them how small they’ve kept government, but what they
have done for the poor. Why should Republican voters, who generally want to
shrink government, believe that you won’t use your Saint Peter rationale to
expand every government program?
54.
KASICH: Well, first of all... (APPLAUSE) --
first of all, Megyn, you should know that -- that President Reagan expanded
Medicaid three or four times. Secondly, I had an opportunity to bring resources
back to Ohio to do what? To treat the mentally ill. Ten thousand of them sit in
our prisons. It costs $22,500 a year... (APPLAUSE) -- to keep them in prison. I’d
rather get them their medication so they could lead a decent life. Secondly, we
are rehabbing the drug-addicted. Eighty percent of the people in our prisons
have addictions or problems. We now treat them in the prisons, release them in
the community and the recidivism rate is 10 percent and everybody across this
country knows that the tsunami of drugs is -- is threatening their very
families. So we’re treating them and getting them on their feet. And, finally,
the working poor, instead of them having come into the emergency rooms where it
costs more, where they’re sicker and we end up paying, we brought a program in
here to make sure that people could get on their feet. And do you know what?
Everybody has a right to their God-given purpose. And finally, our Medicaid is
growing at one of the lowest rates in the country. And, finally, we went from
$8 billion in the hole to $2 billion in the black. We’ve cut $5 billion in
taxes... (BUZZER NOISE) -- and we’ve grown 350,000 jobs. (APPLAUSE)
55.
WALLACE: Gentlemen, we’re turning to a new
subject that all of you have been talking about and some of you have been
disagreeing about, and that is the issue of immigration. Governor Bush, you
released a new plan this week on illegal immigration focusing on enforcement,
which some suggest is your effort to show that you’re not soft on that issue. I
want to ask you about a statement that you made last year about illegal
immigrants. And here’s what you said. “They broke the law, but it’s not a
felony, it’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family.” Do you
stand by that statement and do you stand by your support for earned legal
status? BUSH: I do. I believe that the great majority of people coming here
illegally have no other option. They want to provide for their family. But we
need to control our border. It’s not -- it’s our responsibility to pick and
choose who comes in. So I -- I’ve written a book about this and yet this week,
I did come up with a comprehensive strategy that -- that really mirrored what
we said in the book, which is that we need to deal with E-Verify, we need to
deal with people that come with a legal visa and overstay. We need to be much
more strategic on how we deal with border enforcement, border security. We need
to eliminate the sanctuary cities in this country. It is ridiculous and
tragic... (APPLAUSE)
56.
BUSH: -- that people are dying because of the
fact that -- that local governments are not following the federal law. There’s
much to do. And I think rather than talking about this as a wedge issue, which
Barack Obama has done now for six long years, the next president -- and I hope
to be that president -- will fix this once and for all so that we can turn this
into a driver for high sustained economic growth. And there should be a path to
earned legal status... (BUZZER NOISE)
57.
BUSH: -- for those that are here. Not -- not
amnesty, earned legal status, which means you pay a fine and do many things
over an extended period of time.
58.
WALLACE: Thank you, sir. (APPLAUSE) Mr.
Trump, it has not escaped anybody’s notice that you say that the Mexican
government, the Mexican government is sending criminals -- rapists, drug
dealers, across the border. Governor Bush has called those remarks, quote, “extraordinarily
ugly.” I’d like you -- you’re right next to him -- tell us -- talk to him
directly and say how you respond to that and -- and you have repeatedly said
that you have evidence that the Mexican government is doing this, but you have
evidence you have refused or declined to share. Why not use this first
Republican presidential debate to share your proof with the American people?
59.
TRUMP: So, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t
even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris. You wouldn’t even be talking
about it. (APPLAUSE) This was not a subject that was on anybody’s mind until I
brought it up at my announcement. And I said, Mexico is sending. Except the
reporters, because they’re a very dishonest lot, generally speaking, in the
world of politics, they didn’t cover my statement the way I said it. The fact
is, since then, many killings,murders, crime, drugs pouring across the border,
are money going out and the drugs coming in. And I said we need to build a
wall, and it has to be built quickly. And I don’t mind having a big beautiful
door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally. But we
need, Jeb, to build a wall, we need to keep illegals out. (CHEERING AND
APPLAUSE)
60.
WALLACE: Mr. Trump, I’ll give you 30 seconds
-- I’ll give you 30 seconds to answer my question, which was, what evidence do
you have, specific evidence that the Mexican government is sending criminals
across the border? Thirty seconds.
61.
TRUMP: Border Patrol, I was at the border
last week. Border Patrol, people that I deal with, that I talk to, they say
this is what’s happening. Because our leaders are stupid. Our politicians are
stupid. And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more
cunning. And they send the bad ones over because they don’t want to pay for
them. They don’t want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid
leaders of the United States will do it for them? And that’s what is happening
whether you like it or not. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
62.
WALLACE: All right. Obviously there’s a lot more
to talk about this. We’re going to have more questions for the candidates on
illegal immigration, plus other key topics including your questions on
Facebook.
63.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
64.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will be your plan on
making immigration easier for those that want to do it legally?
65.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What specific steps would you
take to contain the growth of ISIS?
66.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I’d like to know what the
candidates are going to do so that I feel safe in my own country again.
67.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
68.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
69.
WALLACE: Welcome back to FOX News/Facebook
Republican Debate Night. We’re going to continue the questions now on illegal
immigration. We kind of ended with a cliffhanger there. So let’s continue the
conversation.
70.
WALLCE: Governor Kasich, I know you don’t like
to talk about Donald Trump. But I do want to ask you about the merit of what he
just said. When you say that the American government is stupid, that the
Mexican government is sending criminals, that we’re being bamboozled, is that
an adequate response to the question of illegal immigration?
71.
KASICH: Chris, first of all, I was just saying
to Chris Christie, they say we’re outspoken, we need to take lessons from
Donald Trump if we’re really going to learn it. Here is the thing about Donald
Trump. Donald Trump is hitting a nerve in this country. He is. He’s hitting a
nerve. People are frustrated. They’re fed up. They don’t think the government
is working for them. And for people who want to just tune him out, they’re
making a mistake. Now, he’s got his solutions. Some of us have other solutions.
You know, look, I balanced the federal budget as one of the chief architects
when I was in Washington. Hasn’t been done since. I was a military reformer. I
took the state of Ohio from an $8 billion hole and a 350,000 job loss to a $2
billion surplus and a gain of 350,000 jobs.
72.
WALLACE: Respectfully, can we talk about illegal
immigration?
73.
KASICH: But the point is that we all have
solutions. Mr. Trump is touching a nerve because people want the wall to be
built. They want to see an end to illegal immigration. They want to see it, and
we all do. But we all have different ways of getting there. And you’re going to
hear from all of us tonight about what our ideas are.
74.
WALLACE: All right, well, Senator Rubio, let me
see if I can do better with you. Is it as simple as our leaders are stupid,
their leaders are smart, and all of these illegals coming over are criminals?
75.
RUBIO: Let me set the record straight on a
couple of things. The first is, the evidence is now clear that the majority of
people coming across the border are not from Mexico. They’re coming from
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras. Those countries are the source of the people
that are now coming in its majority. I also believe we need a fence. The
problem is if El Chapo builds a tunnel under the fence, we have to be able to
deal with that too. And that’s why you need an e-verify system and you need an
entry-exit tracking system and all sorts of other things to prevent illegal
immigration. But I agree with what Governor Kasich just said. People are
frustrated. This is the most generous country in the world when it comes to
immigration. There are a million people a year who legally immigrate to the
United States, and people feel like we’re being taken advantage of. We feel
like despite our generosity, we’re being taken advantage of. And let me tell
you who never gets talked about in these debates. The people that call my
office, who have been waiting for 15 years to come to the United States. And
they’ve paid their fees, and they hired a lawyer, and they can’t get in. And
they’re wondering, maybe they should come illegally. (APPLAUSE)
76.
RUBIO: And so these are important issues, and we
should address it. It’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and
otherwise we’re going to keep talking about this for the next 30 years, like we
have for the last 30 years.
77.
WALLACE: Governor Walker. (APPLAUSE)
78.
WALLACE: Governor Walker, from 2002 until as
recently as 2013, just two years ago, you supported comprehensive immigration
reform, including a path to citizenship. Now you say that was a quick reaction
to something you hadn’t really thought about, and that you’ve changed your
mind. Other than politics, could you explain why in the last two years you’ve
changed your position on a path to citizenship, and are there other past
positions that we shouldn’t hold you to?
79.
WALKER: Chris, I actually said that on your show
earlier this year. (CROSSTALK) I acknowledged that. I said I actually listened
to the American people. And I think people across America want a leader who’s
actually going to listen to them. I talked to border state governors and other
elected officials. I look at how this president, particularly through last
November, messed up the immigration system in this country. Most importantly, I
listened to the people of America. I believe we need to secure the border. I’ve
been to the border with Governor Abbott in Texas and others, seeing the
problems that they have there. There is international criminal organizations
penetrating our southern based borders, and we need to do something about it.
Secure the border, enforce the law, no amnesty, and go forward with the legal
immigration system that gives priority to American working families and wages.
(APPLAUSE) WALLACE: Senator Cruz, some 1,400 people submitted questions on this
very hot topic of illegal immigration on Facebook, and a number of them were
about the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco, allegedly shot down by an
illegal. Doug Bettencourt sent this question, “will you support Kate Steinle’s
Law,” which would impose a mandatory five-year prison term for an illegal who
is deported and then returns to this country? “And will you defund sanctuary
cities for violating federal law?”
80.
CRUZ: Chris, absolutely yes. And not only will I
support it-- (APPLAUSE) -- I have authored Kate’s law in the United States
Senate and filed that legislation. I tried to get the Senate to vote to pass
Kate’s law on the floor of the Senate just one week ago, and the leader of our
own party blocked a vote on Kate’s law. You know, there was reference made to
our leaders being stupid. It’s not a question of stupidity. It’s that they don’t
want to enforce the immigration laws. That there are far too many in the
Washington cartel that support amnesty. President Obama has talked about
fundamentally transforming this country. There’s 7 billion people across the
face of the globe, many of whom want to come to this country. If they come
legally, great. But if they come illegally and they get amnesty, that is how we
fundamentally change this country, and it really is striking. A majority of the
candidates on this stage have supported amnesty. I have never supported
amnesty, and I led the fight against Chuck Schumer’s gang of eight amnesty
legislation in the Senate.
81.
KELLY: Alright, gentlemen, we’re gonna switch
topics now and talk a bit about terror and national security. Governor
Christie. You’ve said that Senator Paul’s opposition to the NSA’s collection of
phone records has made the United States weaker and more vulnerable, even going
so far as to say that he should be called before Congress to answer for it if
we should be hit by another terrorist attack. Do you really believe you can
assign blame to Senator Paul just for opposing he bulk collection of people’s
phone records in the event of a terrorist attack?
82.
CHRISTIE: Yes, I do. And I’ll tell you why:
because I’m the only person on this stage who’s actually filed applications
under the Patriot Act, who has gone before the federal -- the Foreign
Intelligence Service court, who has prosecuted and investigated and jailed
terrorists in this country after September 11th. I was appointed U.S. attorney
by President Bush on September 10th, 2001, and the world changed enormously the
next day, and that happened in my state. This is not theoretical to me. I went
to the funerals. We lost friends of ours in the Trade Center that day. My own
wife was two blocks from the Trade Center that day, at her office, having gone
through it that morning. When you actually have to be responsible for doing
this, you can do it, and we did it, for seven years in my office, respecting
civil liberties and protecting the homeland. And I will make no apologies,
ever, for protecting the lives and the safety of the American people. We have
to give more tools to our folks to be able to do that, not fewer, and then
trust those people and oversee them to do it the right way. As president, that
is exactly what I’ll do.
83.
PAUL: Megyn, may I respond? (APPLAUSE) May I
respond?
84.
KELLY: Go ahead, sir.
85.
PAUL: I want to collect more records from
terrorists, but less records from innocent Americans. The Fourth Amendment was
what we fought the Revolution over! John Adams said it was the spark that led
to our war for independence, and I’m proud of standing for the Bill of Rights,
and I will continue to stand for the Bill of Rights. (APPLAUSE)
86.
CHRISTIE: And -- and, Megyn? Megyn, that’s a --
that, you know, that’s a completely ridiculous answer. “I want to collect more
records from terrorists, but less records from other people.” How are you
supposed to know, Megyn?
87.
PAUL: Use the Fourth Amendment!
88.
CHRISTIE: What are you supposed to...
89.
PAUL: Use the Fourth Amendment!
90.
CHRISTIE: ...how are you supposed to -- no, I’ll
tell you how you, look...
91.
PAUL: Get a warrant!
92.
CHRISTIE: Let me tell you something, you
go...
93.
PAUL: Get a judge to sign the warrant!
94.
CHRISTIE: When you -- you know, senator... (CROSSTALK)
95.
KELLY: Governor Christie, make your point.
96.
CHRISTIE: Listen, senator, you know, when you’re
sitting in a subcommittee, just blowing hot air about this, you can say things
like that. (APPLAUSE) When you’re responsible for protecting the lives of the
American people, then what you need to do is to make sure...
97.
PAUL: See, here’s the problem. CHRISTIE: ...is
to make sure that you use the system (ph) the way it’s supposed to work. Here’s
the problem, governor. Here’s the problem, governor. You fundamentally
misunderstand the Bill of Rights. Every time you did a case, you got a warrant
from a judge. I’m talking about searches without warrants...
98.
CHRISTIE: There is no...
99.
PAUL: ...indiscriminately, of all Americans’
records, and that’s what I fought to end. I don’t trust President Obama with
our records. I know you gave him a big hug, and if you want to give him a big
hug again, go right ahead. (APPLAUSE)
100.
KELLY: Go ahead, governor.
101.
CHRISTIE: And you know -- you know, Senator
Paul? Senator Paul, you know, the hugs that I remember are the hugs that I gave
to the families who lost their people on September 11th. Those are the hugs I
remember, and those had nothing to do -- and those had nothing to do with
politics, unlike what you’re doing by cutting speeches on the floor of the
Senate, then putting them on the Internet within half an hour to raise money
for your campaign...
102.
KELLY: Alright.
103.
CHRISTIE: ...and while still putting our country
at risk. (CROSSTALK)
104.
KELLY: Alright, we’ve gotta cut it off there. We
have plenty more we want to get to. That was an interesting exchange, thank you
for that.
105.
CHRISTIE: You know what, Megyn, can I...
106.
KELLY: Well, I want to move on, because I have
-- we’re gonna get to you, governor, but I -- I really wanna get to a Facebook
questioner. His name is Alex Chalgren, and he has the following question:
107.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
108.
QUESTION: My question is, how would the
candidates stop the treacherous actions of ISIS -- ISIL and its growing
influence in the U.S., if they were to become president?
109.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
110.
KELLY: Senator Cruz, I wanna talk to you about
this, because many of the Facebook users and -- and -- the -- the folks on
Facebook wanted the candidates to speak to ISIS tonight. You asked the chairman
of the joint chiefs a question: “What would it take to destroy ISIS in 90 days?”
He told you “IISIS will only be truly destroyed once they are rejected by the
populations in which they hide.” And then you accused him of pushing Medicaid
for the Iraqis. How would you destroy ISIS in 90 days?
111.
CRUZ: Megyn, we need a commander in chief that
speaks the truth. We will not defeat radical Islamic terrorism so long as we
have a president unwilling to utter the words, “radical Islamic terrorism”.
(APPLAUSE) When I asked General Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs, what
would be required militarily to destroy ISIS, he said there is no military
solution. We need to change the conditions on the ground so that young men are
not in poverty and susceptible to radicalization. That, with all due respect,
is nonsense. It’s the same answer the State Department gave that we need to
give them jobs. What we need is a commander in chief that makes -- clear, if
you join ISIS, if you wage jihad on America, then you are signing your death
warrant.
112.
KELLY: You don’t see it as... (APPLAUSE) ...an
ideological problem -- an ideological problem in addition to a military one?
(APPLAUSE)
113.
CRUZ: Megyn, of course it’s an ideological
problem, that’s one of the reasons I introduce the Expatriate Terrorist Act in
the Senate that said if any American travels to the Middle East and joining
ISIS, that he or she forfeits their citizenship so they don’t use a passport to
come back and wage jihad on Americans. (APPLAUSE) Yes, it is ideological, and
let me contrast President Obama, who at the prayer breakfast, essentially acted
as an apologist. He said, “Well, gosh, the crusades, the inquisitions--” We need a president that shows the courage that Egypt’s
President al-Sisi, a Muslim, when he called out the radical Islamic terrorists
who are threatening the world. (APPLAUSE)
114.
KELLY: Governor Bush, for days on end in this
campaign, you struggled to answer a question about
whether knowing what we know now...
115.
BUSH: ...I remember...
116.
KELLY: ...we would’ve invaded Iraq...
117.
BUSH: ...I remember, Megyn. (LAUGHTER)
118.
KELLY: I remember it too, and ISIS, of course,
is now thriving there.
119.
BUSH?: You finally said, “No.” To the families
of those who died in that war who say they liberated and deposed a ruthless
dictator, how do you look at them now and say that your brother’s war was a
mistake? BUSH: Knowing what we know now, with faulty intelligence, and not
having security be the first priority when -- when we invaded, it was a
mistake. I wouldn’t have gone in. However, for the people that did lose their
lives, and the families that suffer because of it -- I know this full well
because as governor of the state of Florida, I called every one of them; every one
of them that I could find to tell them that I was praying for them, that I
cared about them, and it was really hard to do. And, every one of them said
that their child did not die in vain, or their wife, of their husband did not
die in vain. So, why it was difficult for me to do it was based on that. Here’s
the lesson that we should take from this, which relates to this whole subject,
Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left
Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of the void that we left, and
that void now exists as a caliphate the size of Indiana. To honor the people
that died, we need to -- we need to --- stop the -- Iran agreement, for sure,
because the Iranian mullahs have their blood on their hands, and we need to
take out ISIS with every tool at our disposal. (APPLAUSE)
120.
KELLY: Governor Walker, in February you said
that we needed to gain partners in the Arab world. Which Arab country not
already in the U.S. led coalition has potential to be our greatest partner?
121.
WALKER: What about then (ph), we need to focus
on the ones we have. You look at Egypt, probably the best relationship we’ve
had in Israel, at least in my lifetime, incredibly important. You look at the
Saudis -- in fact, earlier this year, I met with Saudi leaders, and leaders
from the United Arab Emirates, and I asked them what’s the greatest challenge
in the world today? Set aside the Iran deal. They said it’s the disengagement
of America. We are leading from behind under the Obama-Clinton doctrine --
America’s a great country. We need to stand up and start leading again, and we
need to have allies, not just in Israel, but throughout the Persian Gulf.
122.
KELLY: Dr. Carson, in one of his first acts
as commander in chief, President Obama signed an executive order banning
enhanced interrogation techniques in fighting terror. As president, would you
bring back water boarding?
123.
CARSON: Well, thank you, Megyn, I wasn’t sure
I was going to get to talk again. (APPLAUSE)
124.
KELLY: We have a lot for you, don’t worry. (LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
125.
KELLY: Fear not, you may rue that request.
126.
CARSON: Alright. You know, what we do in
order to get the information that we need is our business, and I wouldn’t
necessarily be broadcasting what we’re going to do. (APPLAUSE) We’ve gotten
into this -- this mindset of fighting politically correct wars. There is no
such thing as a politically correct war. (APPLAUSE) The left, of course, will
say Carson doesn’t believe in the Geneva Convention, Carson doesn’t believe in
fighting stupid wars. And -- and what we have to remember is we want to utilize
the tremendous intellect that we have in the military to win wars. And I’ve
talked to a lot of the generals, a lot of our advanced people. And believe me,
if we gave them the mission, which is what the commander-in-chief does, they
would be able to carry it out. And if we don’t tie their hands behind their
back, they will do it... (BUZZER NOISE) -- extremely effectively. (APPLAUSE)
127.
BAIER: Gentlemen, the next series of questions
deals with ObamaCare and the role of the federal government. Mr. Trump,
ObamaCare is one of the things you call a disaster.
128.
TRUMP: A complete disaster, yes.
129.
BAIER: Saying it needs to be repealed and
replaced.
130.
TRUMP: Correct.
131.
BAIER: Now, 15 years ago, uncalled yourself a liberal
on health care. You were for a single-payer system, a Canadian-style system. Why
were you for that then and why aren’t you for it now? TRUMP: First of all, I’d
like to just go back to one. In July of 2004, I came out strongly against the
war with Iraq, because it was going to destabilize the Middle East. And I’m the
only one on this stage that knew that and had the vision to say it. And that’s
exactly what happened.
132.
BAIER: But on ObamaCare...
133.
TRUMP: And the Middle East became totally
destabilized. So I just want to say. As far as single payer, it works in
Canada. It works incredibly well in Scotland. It could have worked in a
different age, which is the age you’re talking about here. What I’d like to see
is a private system without the artificial lines around every state. I have a
big company with thousands and thousands of employees. And if I’m negotiating
in New York or in New Jersey or in California, I have like one bidder. Nobody
can bid. You know why? Because the insurance companies are making a fortune
because they have control of the politicians, of course, with the exception of
the politicians on this stage. But they have total control of the politicians.
They’re making a fortune. Get rid of the artificial lines and you will have... (BUZZER
NOISE) -- yourself great plans. And then we have to take care of the people
that can’t take care of themselves. And I will do that through a different
system. (CROSSTALK)
134.
BAIER: Mr. Trump, hold up one second.
135.
PAUL: I’ve got a news flash...
136.
BAIER: All right, now, hold on, Senator Paul...
137.
PAUL: News flash, the Republican Party’s been
fighting against a single-payer system...
138.
BAIER: OK.
139.
PAUL: -- for a decade. So I think you’re on the
wrong side of this if you’re still arguing for a single-payer system.
140.
TRUMP: I’m not -- I’m not are -- I don’t think
you heard me. You’re having a hard time tonight.
141.
BAIER: All right, let me... (APPLAUSE) Mr.
Trump, it’s not just your past support for single- payer health care. You’ve
also supported a host of other liberal policies. Use -- you’ve also donated to
several Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton included, Nancy Pelosi. You
explained away those donations saying you did that to get business-related
favors. And you said recently, quote, “When you give, they do whatever the hell
you want them to do.”
142.
TRUMP: You’d better believe it.
143.
BAIER: So what specifically did...
144.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That’s true.
145.
BAIER: -- they do?
146.
TRUMP: If I ask them, if I need them, you know,
most of the people on this stage I’ve given to, just so you understand, a lot
of money.
147.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not me. Not me. (LAUGHTER) But
you’re welcome to give me (INAUDIBLE) Donald if you’d like.
148.
TRUMP: Many of them.
149.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, to be clear... (CROSSTALK)
-- he supported Charlie Crist.
150.
TRUMP: Not much.
151.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Charlie... (CROSSTALK)
152.
TRUMP: But I... (CROSSTALK) -- Donald, if you...
(CROSSTALK) I have good...
153.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- this campaign, I hope you
will give to me.
154.
TRUMP: Good.
155.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
156.
TRUMP: Sounds good. Sounds good to me, Governor.
I will tell you that our system is broken. I gave to many people, before this,
before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they
call, I give. And do you know what? When I need something from them two years
later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me.
157.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what did you get?
158.
TRUMP: And that’s a broken system.
159.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What
did you get from Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi?
160.
TRUMP: Well, I’ll tell
you what, with Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding and she came to my
wedding. You know why? She didn’t have a choice because I gave. I gave to a
foundation that, frankly, that foundation is supposed to do good. I didn’t know
her money would be used on private jets going all over the world. It was. But...
(BUZZER NOISE) (CROSSTALK)
161.
BAIER: Hold on. We’re going to -- we’re going to
move on. (CROSSTALK) We’ll come back to you, Governor Walker.
162.
WALKER: Just one second on this, though. We --
we spent a lot of time talking about Hillary Clinton and ---and pitting us back
and forth. Let’s be clear, we should be talking about Hillary Clinton on that
last subject, because everywhere in the world that Hillary Clinton touched is
more messed up today than before she and the president (INAUDIBLE).
163.
BAIER: We have many questions to come.
164.
WALKER: It’s true.
165.
BAIER: Many questions to come. (APPLAUSE) Governor
Huckabee, on Facebook, John Pietricone asked this, “Will you abolish or take
away the powers and cut the size of the EPA, the IRS, the Department of
Education?” Now, broadly... (APPLAUSE) -- broadly, the size of government is a
big concern for Facebook users, Facebook persons, as well as, obviously,
conservatives. But year after year, decade after decade, there are promises
from Republicans to shrink government. But year after year, decade after
decade, it doesn’t happen. In fact, it gets bigger, even under Republican
politicians. So the question is, at this point, is the government simply too
big for any one person, even a Republican, to shrink?
166.
HUCKABEE: It’s not too big to shrink. But the
problem is we have a Wall Street-to-Washington access of power that has
controlled the political climate. The donor class feeds the political class who
does the dance that the donor class wants. And the result is federal government
keeps getting bigger. Every person on this stage who has been a governor will
tell that you the biggest fight they had was not the other party. Wasn’t even
the legislature. It was the federal government, who continually put mandates on
the states that we had to suck up and pay for. And the fact is there are a lot
of things happening at the federal level that are absolutely beyond the
jurisdiction of the Constitution. This is power that should be shifted back to
the states, whether it’s the EPA, there is no role at the federal level for the
Department of Education. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
167.
HUCKABEE: And I’m still one who says that we can
get rid of the Internal Revenue Service if we would pass the fair tax, which is
a tax on consumption rather than a tax on people’s income, and move power back
where the founders believed it should have been all along.
168.
BAIER: Dr. Carson...
169.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bret, Bret, Bret...
170.
BAIER: Dr. Carson, do you agree with that?
171.
CARSON: What I agree with is that we need a
significantly changed taxation system. And the one that I’ve advocated is based
on tithing, because I think God is a pretty fair guy. And he said, you know, if
you give me a tithe, it doesn’t matter how much you make. If you’ve had a
bumper crop, you don’t owe me triple tithes. And if you’ve had no crops at all,
you don’t owe me no tithes. So there must be something inherently fair about
that. And that’s why I’ve advocated a proportional tax system. You make $10
billion, you pay a billion. You make $10, you pay one. And everybody gets
treated the same way. And you get rid of the deductions, you get rid of all the
loopholes, and... (DOUBLE BELL RINGS)
172.
BAIER: Governor Bush?
173.
CARSON: And I have a lot more to say about
it.
174.
BAIER: We’re going to come back to you, Dr.
Carson. Governor Bush, you are one of the few people on the stage who advocates
for Common Core education standards, reading and math. A lot of people on this
stage vigorously oppose federal involvement in education. They say it should all
be handled locally. President Obama’s secretary of education, Arnie Duncan, has
said that most of the criticism of Common Core is due to a, quote, “fringe
group of critics.” Do you think that’s accurate?
175.
BUSH: No, I don’t. And I don’t believe the
federal government should be involved in the creation of standards directly or
indirectly, the creation of curriculum or content. It is clearly a state
responsibility. I’m for higher standards... (APPLAUSE) ... measured in an
intellectually honest way, with abundant school choice, ending social
promotion. And I know how to do this because as governor of the state of
Florida I created the first statewide voucher program in the country, the
second statewide voucher program, in the country and the third statewide voucher
program in the country. And we had rising student achievement across the board,
because high standards, robust accountability, ending social promotion in third
grade, real school choice across the board, challenging the teachers union and
beating them is the way to go. And Florida’s low income kids had the greatest
gains inside the country. Our graduation rate improved by 50 percent. That’s
what I’m for.
176.
BAIER: Senator Rubio, why is Governor Bush wrong
on Common Core?
177.
RUBIO: Well, first off, I too believe in
curriculum reform. It is critically important in the 21st Century. We do need
curriculum reform. And it should happen at the state and local level. That is
where educational policy belongs, because if a parent is unhappy with what
their child is being taught in school, they can go to that local school board
or their state legislature, or their governor and get it changed. Here’s the
problem with Common Core. The Department of Education, like every federal
agency, will never be satisfied. They will not stop with it being a suggestion.
They will turn it into a mandate. In fact, what they will begin to say to local
communities is, you will not get federal money unless do you things the way we
want you to do it. And they will use Common Core or any other requirements that
exists nationally to force it down the throats of our people in our states.
(APPLAUSE)
178.
BAIER: And do you agree with your old friend?
179.
BUSH: He is definitely my friend. And I think
the states ought to create these standards. And if states want to opt out of
Common Core, fine. Just make sure your standards are high. Because today in
America, a third of our kids, after we spend more per student than any country
in the world other than a couple rounding errors, to be honest with you, 30
percent are college- and/or career-ready. If we are going to compete in this
world we’re in today, there is no possible way we can do it with lowering
expectations and dumbing down everything. Children are going to suffer and
families’ hearts are going to be broken that their kids won’t be able to get a
job in the 21st Century. (APPLAUSE)
180.
BAIER: We have many more questions coming on a
host of topics, here from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Stay with us.
181.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
182.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would make stand out as
the best choice for the Republican nomination?
183.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you intend to go about
student loan reform?
184.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will be the first
thing you will do to stimulate economic growth in our country and bring more
jobs to the United States?
185.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
186.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
187.
KELLY: It’s just before 10:00 p.m. on the East
Coast. Welcome back to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and the very
first Republican primary debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Ten candidates
on the stage, selected based on their standing in five national polls. And
tonight they are facing off, answering the questions you want asked. We hope. (LAUGHTER)
188.
WALLACE: Gentlemen, we’re obviously digging into
some subjects in depth, but we’re also going to change it up every once in a
while throughout the next hour and have many rounds where we ask, you are not
going to like it, only a couple of candidates questions on those subjects. This
is the first of the many rounds, and it’s about somebody whose name probably
hasn’t been mentioned enough so far tonight. Governor Kasich, let me start with
you. Whoever the Republican nominee -- (APPLAUSE) Whoever the Republican
nominee is, it looks at least for now like whoever that nominee is, he or she, will
be facing off against Hillary Clinton. You know how she will come after whoever
the Republican nominee is. She will say that you, whoever it is, support the
rich while she supports the middle class. That you want to suppress the rights
of women and minorities. She wants to move the country forward while you, the
Republicans, want to take the country back to the past. How will you, if you’re
the nominee, how will you answer that and take Hillary Clinton on?
189.
KASICH: Let’s start off with my father being a
mailman. So I understand the concerns of all the folks across this country,
some of whom having trouble, you know, making ends meet. But I think she will
come in a narrow way. The nominee of this party, if they’re going to win, has
got to come at it in a big way, which is pro-growth. Which is balancing
budgets. You know, we were talking about it. People were saying, could we do
it? I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last
time it happened in Washington, and when we did it we had great economic
growth, we cut taxes, and we had a big surplus. Economic growth is the key.
Economic growth is the key to everything. But once you have economic growth, it
is important that we reach out to people who live in the shadows, the people who
don’t seem to ever think that they get a fair deal. And that includes people in
our minority community; that includes people who feel as though they don’t have
a chance to move up. You know, America is a miracle country. And we have to
restore the sense that the Amiracle (ph) will apply to you. Each and every one
of the people in this country who’s watching tonight, lift everybody, unite
everybody and build a stronger United States of America again. It will be and
can be done.
190.
WALLACE: I know that all of you would like to
answer this question, but we’re only going to ask one other candidate before we
move on to a different subject, Dr. Carson. Basically, same question to you. If
Hillary Clinton is the nominee and she comes at you with that kind of line of
attack, how will you take Iraq?
191.
CARSON: If Hillary is the candidate, which I
doubt, that would be a dream come true. (LAUGHTER) But you know, the fact of
the matter is, she is the epitome of the progressive -- the secular progressive
movement. And she counts on the fact that people are uninformed, the Alinsky
Model, taking advantage of useful idiots. Well, I just happen to believe that
people are not stupid. (APPLAUSE) And the way I will come at it is to educate
people, help people to actually understand that it is that progressive movement
that is causing them the problems. You know, you look at the -- the national
debt and how it’s being driven up. If I was trying to destroy this country,
what I would do is find a way to drive wedges between all the people, drive the
debt to an unsustainable level, and then step off the stage as a world leader
and let our enemies increase while we decreased our capacity as a military
person. And that’s what she’s doing. (APPLAUSE)
192.
WALLACE: Gentlemen, we’re
going to turn now to the subject of the economy, jobs and money and the
government. And Governor Bush, I’m going to start with you. You have
made a bold promise in your announcement. You have promised four percent
economic growth and 19 million new jobs if you are fortunate enough to serve
two terms as president. That many jobs, 19 million, would be triple what your
father and your brother accomplished together. And four percent growth, the
last president to average that was Lyndon Johnson during the height of the Vietnam
War. So question, how on Earth specifically would you pull that off?
193.
BUSH: We’ve done it 27 times since World War II.
I think we need to lift our spirits and have high, lofty expectations for this
great country of ours. The new normal of two percent that the left is saying
you can’t do anything about is so dangerous for our country. There’s 6 million
people living in poverty today, more than when Barack Obama got elected. 6.5
million people are working part-time, most of whom want to work full-time. We’ve
created rules and taxes on top of every aspiration of people, and the net
result is we’re not growing fast, income is not growing. A four percent growth
strategy means you fix a convoluted tax code. You get in and you change every
aspect of regulations that are job killers. You get rid of Obamacare and
replace it with something that doesn’t suppress wages and kill jobs. (APPLAUSE)
You embrace the energy revolution in our country. This president and Hillary
Clinton, who can’t even say she’s for the X.L. pipeline even after she’s left?
Give me a break. Of course we’re for it. We should be for these things to
create high sustained economic growth. And frankly, fixing our immigration
system and turning it into an economic driver is part of this as well. We can
do this. (APPLAUSE)
194.
WALLACE: Governor Walker. (APPLAUSE) Governor
Walker, when you ran for governor of Wisconsin back in 2010, you promised that
you would create 250,000 jobs in your first term, first four years. In fact,
Wisconsin added barely half that and ranked 35th in the country in job growth.
Now you’re running for president, and you’re promising an economic plan in
which everyone will earn a piece of the American dream. Given your record in
Wisconsin, why should voters believe you?
195.
WALKER: Well, the voters in Wisconsin elected me
last year for the third time because they wanted someone who aimed high, not
aimed low. Before I came in, the unemployment rate was over eight percent. It’s
now down to 4.6 percent. We’ve more than made up for the jobs that were lost
during the recession. And the rate in which people are working is almost five
points higher than it is nationally. You know, people like Hillary Clinton
think you grow the economy by growing Washington. One report last year showed
that six of the top 10 wealthiest counties in America were in or around
Washington, D.C.. I think most of us in America understand that people, not the
government creates jobs. And one of the best things we can do is get the
government out of the way, repeal Obamacare, put in -- reign in all the out of
control regulations, put in place and all of the above energy policy, give
people the education, the skills that the need to succeed, and lower the tax
rate and reform the tax code. That’s what I’ll do as president, just like I did
in Wisconsin. (APPLAUSE)
196.
WALLACE: Governor Christie, I want to engage you
and Governor Huckabee in a subject that is a big issue in both of your
campaigns, and that is entitlement reform. You say that you -- to save the
system that you want to raise the retirement age -- have to raise the
retirement age, and to cut benefits for Social Security and Medicare, and you
say that some of the candidates here on the stage are lying. Governor Huckabee
says he can save Social Security and Medicare without doing any of that. Is he
lying?
197.
CHRISTIE: No, he’s not lying, he’s just wrong. I
mean, so, there’s a difference -- I’m the only guy on this stage who’s put out
a detailed, 12 point plan on entitlement reform and here’s why -- because 71%
of federal spending right now is on entitlements, and debt service, 71%. And we
have spent the last hour and five minutes talking about the other 29%, and no
time on the 71%, and that makes no sense. Now, let me tell you exactly what we
would do on Social Security. Yes, we’d raise the retirement age two years, and
phase it in over 25 years, that means we’d raise it one month a year for 25
years when we’re all living longer, and living better lives. Secondly, we would
needs (ph) test Social Security for those who are making over $200,000 dollars
a year in retirement income, and have $4 to $5 million dollars in liquid assets
saved. They don’t need that Social Security check. Social Security is meant to
be -- to make sure that no one who’s worked hard, and played by the rules, and
paid into the system grows old in poverty in America. If we don’t deal with
this problem, it will bankrupt our country, or lead to massive tax increases,
neither one that we want in this country. (APPLAUSE)
198.
WALLACE: Governor Huckabee? You say that changing
entitlements, the kind of thing that Governor Christie is talking about, would
be breaking a promise to the American people, and you say that you can keep
those programs, save Social Security, save Medicare, without those kinds of
reforms through a Fair (ph) tax, which is a broad tax on consumption. Please
explain to Governor Christie how that would work, and how you could save these
programs without the kind of painful reforms he says we need?
199.
HUCKABEE: Well, lets all be reminded, 60 million
Americans are on Social Security, 60 million. A third of those people depend on
90% of their income from Social Security. Nobody in this country is on Social
Security because they made the decision when they were starting work at 14 that
they wanted to trust some of their money with the government. The government
took it out of their check whether they wanted them to or not. And, if person
goes to 65, they’re going to spend 51 years with the government reaching into
their pocket at every paycheck. Now, here’s the point, whose fault is it that
the system is screwed up? Is it the recipients, or is it the government? And,
if Congress wants to mess with the retirement program, why don’t we let them
start by changing their retirement program, and not have one, instead of
talking about getting rid of Social Security and Medicare that was robbed $700
billion dollars to pay for Obamacare. It’s always that the government figures
that they can do this off the backs of people, many of whom are poor, and
depend on that money, and I just think it’s fundamentally lying to people and
stealing from them, and we shouldn’t be doing it. (APPLAUSE)
200.
CHRISTIE: Chris...
201.
WALLACE: ...Thirty seconds.
202.
CHRISTIE: Yeah, sure. And, I don’t disagree with
ending Congress’ retirement program. I’m a governor, I don’t have a retirement
program in my state, and I don’t disagree with that. But, here’s the news to
the American people, he’s complaining about the lying and stealing. The lying
and stealing has already occurred. The trust fund is filled with IOU’s. We can’t
fix the problem just by ending (ph) Congress’ retirement, that’s worth about, “this”
much. We need to go at the fundamental problem, and the fundamental problem is
that this system is broken. It has been stolen from. We have been lied to, and
we need a strong leader to tell the truth and fix...
203.
WALLACE: ...Alright, this is it. Thirty Seconds,
finally.
204.
HUCKABEE: Well, you ask about how we fund it.
One of the reasons that Social Security is in so much trouble is that the only
funding stream comes from people who get a wage. The people who get wages is
declining dramatically. Most of the income in this country is made by people at
the top who get dividends and -- and capital gains. The fair (ph) transforms
the process by which we fund Social Security and Medicare because the money
paid in consumption is paid by everybody, including illegals, prostitutes,
pimps, drug dealers, all the people that are freeloading off the system now.
(APPLAUSE) That’s why it ought to be a transformed system. (APPLAUSE)
205.
WALLACE: All right. Enough. (APPLAUSE) Mr.
Trump.
206.
KELLY: (OFF MIKE) Sounds like somebody’s a
little R-rated. (APPLAUSE)
207.
WALLACE: Mr. Trump, you talk a lot about how you
are the person on this stage to grow the economy. I want to ask you about your business
record. Trump corporations -- Trump corporations, casinos and hotels, have
declared bankruptcy four times over the last quarter-century. In 2011, you told
Forbes Magazine this: “I’ve used the laws of the country to my advantage.” But
at the same time, financial experts involved in those bankruptcies say that
lenders to your companies lost billions of dollars. Question sir, with that
record, why should we trust you to run the nation’s business?
208.
TRUMP: Because I have
used the laws of this country just like the greatest people that you read about
every day in business have used the laws of this country, the chapter laws, to
do a great job for my company, for myself, for my employees, for my family, et
cetera. I have never gone bankrupt, by the way. I have never. But out of
hundreds of deals...
209.
WALLACE: No, but the concept sir...
210.
TRUMP: Excuse me. Excuse me.
211.
WALLACE: ... that’s your line, but your
companies have gone bankrupt.
212.
TRUMP: Excuse me, what am I saying? Out of hundreds of
deals that I’ve done, hundreds, on four occasions I’ve taken advantage of the
laws of this country, like other people. I’m not going to name their
names because I’m not going to embarrass, but virtually every person that you
read about on the front page of the business sections, they’ve used the law. The
difference is, when somebody else uses those laws, nobody writes about it. When
I use it, they say, “Trump, Trump, Trump.” The fact is, I built a net worth of
more than $10 billion. I have a great, great company. I employ thousands of
people. And I’m very proud of the job I did. Again Chris, hundreds and hundreds
of deals. Four times, I’ve taken advantage of the laws. And frankly, so has
everybody else in my position.
213.
WALLACE: Well sir, let’s
just talk about the latest example... (APPLAUSE) ... which is Trump
Entertainment Resorts, which went bankrupt in 2009. In that case alone, lenders
to your company lost over $1 billion and more than 1,100 people were laid off.
214.
TRUMP: Well, I...
215.
WALLACE: Is that the way that you’d run the
country?
216.
TRUMP: Let me just tell you about the lenders.
First of all, these lenders aren’t babies. These are total killers. These are
not the nice, sweet little people that you think, OK? (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE) You
know, I mean you’re living in a world of the make-believe, Chris, you want to
know the truth. (APPLAUSE) And I had the good sense to leave Atlantic City,
which by the way, Caesars just went bankrupt. Every company, Chris can tell
you, every company virtually in Atlantic City went bankrupt. (LAUGHTER) Every
company. And let me just tell you. I had the good sense, and I’ve gotten a lot
of credit in the financial pages, seven years ago I left Atlantic City before
it totally cratered, and I made a lot of money in Atlantic City, and I’m very
proud of it. I want to tell you that. Very, very proud of it.
217.
WALLACE: So...
218.
TRUMP: And by the way, this country right now
owes $19 trillion. And they need somebody like me to straighten out that mess.
(APPLAUSE)
219.
WALLACE: Senator Rubio. Senator Rubio, more than
3,000 people sent us questions about the economy and jobs on Facebook. And here
is a video question from Tania Cioloko from Philadelphia. Here she is.
220.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
221.
QUESTION: Please describe one action you would
do to make the economic environment more favorable for small businesses and
entrepreneurs and anyone dreaming of opening their own business.
222.
(CLOSE VIDEO CLIP)
223.
RUBIO: That’s a great question.
224.
WALLACE: Senator, how do you answer Tania?
225.
RUBIO: That’s a great question. First of all, it
begins by having leaders that recognize that the economy we live in today is
dramatically different from the one we had five years ago. It’s an economy that
now has placed us in global competition with dozens of other countries around
the world. Now, the big companies that have connections with Washington, they
can affect policies to help them, but the small companies like the one Tania is
talking about, they’re the ones that are struggling. The first thing we need to
do is we need to even out the tax code for small businesses so that we lower
their tax rate to 25 percent, just as we need to lower it for all businesses. We
need to have a regulatory budget in America that limits the amount of
regulations on our economy. We need to repeal and replace Obamacare and we need
to improve higher education so that people can have access to the skills they
need for 21st century jobs. And last but not least, we need to repeal
Dodd-Frank. It is eviscerating small businesses and small banks. (APPLAUSE) 20
-- over 40 percent of small and mid-size banks that loan money to small
businesses have been wiped out over the -- since Dodd-Frank has passed. We need
to repeal and replace Dodd-Frank. We need to make America fair again for all
businesses, but especially those being run by small business owners.
226.
WALLACE: Senator Rubio, thank you. (APPLAUSE)
227.
BAIER: Gentlemen, another question for a few
of you. Yesterday, just yesterday, President Obama criticized Republican
lawmakers trying to block the Iran deal, calling
them knee-jerk partisans, adding that hardliners in Iran who chant “death to
America” were quote, “making common cause with the Republican caucus.” Here’s
what two of your opponents on the five p.m. debate stage said about Iran.
228.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
229.
PERRY: I will tell you one thing. I would’ve a
whole lot rather had Carly Fiorina over there doing our negotiation than John
Kerry. Maybe we would’ve gotten a deal where we didn’t give everything away. But
the issue for us is to have a Congress that stands up and says not only no, but
hell no, to this money going to a regime that is going to use it for terror...
230.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
231.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
232.
FIORINA: When America does not lead, the world
is a dangerous and a tragic place. This is a bad deal. Obama broke every rule
of negotiation. Yes, our allies are not perfect, but Iran is at the heart of
most of the evil that is going on in the Middle East through their proxy.
233.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
234.
BAIER: Now, I wanna ask a few of you this.
First, Governor Walker. You’ve said that you would tear up the Iran deal on day
one. If this deal is undone, what then?
235.
WALKER: Well, first off, let’s remember. I still
remember, as a kid, tying a yellow ribbon around a tree in front of my house
during the 444 days that Iran held 52 Americans hostage. Iran is not a place we
should be doing business with. To me, you terminate the deal on day one, you
reinstate the sanctions authorized by Congress, you go to Congress and put in
place even more crippling sanctions in place, and then you convince our allies
to do the same. This is not just bad with Iran, this is bad with ISIS. It is
tied together, and, once and for all, we need a leader who’s gonna stand up and
do something about it. It’s yet another example of the failed foreign policy of
the Obama-Clinton doctrine. (APPLAUSE)
236.
BAIER: Senator Paul, would you tear up the deal
on day one?
237.
PAUL: I oppose the Iranian deal, and will vote
against it. I don’t think that the president negotiated from a position of
strength, but I don’t immediately discount negotiations. I’m a Reagan conservative.
Reagan did negotiate with the Soviets. But you have to negotiate from a
position of strength, and I think President Obama gave away too much, too
early. If there’s going to be a negotiation, you’re going to have to believe
somehow that the Iranians are going to comply. I asked this question to John
Kerry, I said “do you believe they’re trustworthy?” and he said “No.” And I
said, “well, how are we gonna get them to comply?” I would have never released
the sanctions before there was consistent evidence of compliance.
238.
BAIER: Governor Huckabee, what do you think
about what Senator Paul just said?
239.
HUCKABEE: Ronald Reagan said “trust, but verify.”
President Obama is “trust, but vilify.” He trusts our enemies and vilifies
everyone who disagrees with him. And the reason we disagree with him has
nothing ot do with party. (APPLAUSE) (CROSSTALK)
240.
HUCKABEE: It has to do with the incredibly
dangerous place that this world is gonna be as a result of a deal in which we
got nothing. We didn’t even get four hostages out. We got nothing, and Iran
gets everything they want. We said we would have anywhere, anytime negotiations
and inspections, we gave that up. We said that we would make sure that they
didn’t have any nuclear capacity, we gave that up. The president can’t tell you
what we got. I’ll tell you what the world got. The world has a burgeoning
nuclear power that didn’t, as the Soviets, say “we might defend ourselves in a
war.” What the Iranians have said is, “we will wipe Israel off the face of the
map, and we will bring death to America.” When someone points a gun at your
head and loads it, by God, you ought to take them seriously, and we need to
take that seriously.
241.
BAIER: Thank you, gentlemen.
242.
KELLY: Well, the first debate night of the
2016 presidential campaign continues from Cleveland after a short time-out.
Stick around. Social issues, next.
243.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
244.
KELLY: Senator Rubio, you favor a rape and
incest exception to abortion bans. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York just said
yesterday those exceptions are preposterous. He said they discriminate against
an entire class of human beings. If you believe that life begins at conception,
as you say you do, how do you justify ending a life just because it begins
violently, through no fault of the baby?
245.
RUBIO: Well, Megyn, first of all, I’m not sure
that that’s a correct assessment of my record. I would go on to add that I
believe all--
246.
KELLY: You don’t favor a rape and incest
exception?
247.
RUBIO: I have never said that. And I have never
advocated that. What I have advocated is that we pass law in this country that
says all human life at every stage of its development is worthy of protection. In
fact, I think that law already exists. It is called the Constitution of the
United States. (APPLAUSE)
248.
RUBIO: And let me go further. I believe that
every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether
they can vote or not. Whether they can speak or not. Whether they can hire a
lawyer or not. Whether they have a birth certificate or not. And I think future
generations will look back at this history of our country and call us
barbarians for murdering millions of babies who we never gave them a chance to
live. (APPLAUSE)
249.
KELLY: Mr. Trump, in 1999, you said you were,
quote, “very pro-choice.” Even supporting partial-birth abortion. You favored
an assault weapons ban as well. In 2004, you said in most cases you identified
as a Democrat. Even in this campaign, your critics say you often sound more
like a Democrat than a Republican, calling several of your opponents on the
stage things like clowns and puppets. When did you actually become a
Republican?
250.
TRUMP: I don’t think they like me very much.
I’ll tell you what. I’ve evolved on many issues over the years. And you know
who else has? Is Ronald Reagan evolved on many issues. And I am pro-life. And
if you look at the question, I was in business. They asked me a question as to
pro-life or choice. And I said if you let it run, that I hate the concept of
abortion. I hate the concept of abortion. And then since then, I’ve very much
evolved. And what happened is friends of mine years ago were going to have a
child, and it was going to be aborted. And it wasn’t aborted. And that child
today is a total superstar, a great, great child. And I saw that. And I saw
other instances. And I am very, very proud to say that I am pro-life. As far as
being a Republican is concerned, I come from a place, New York City, which is
virtually, I mean, it is almost exclusively Democrat. And I have really started
to see some of the negatives -- as an example, and I have a lot of liking for
this man, but the last number of months of his brother’s administration were a
catastrophe. And unfortunately, those few months gave us President Obama. And
you can’t be happy about that. (APPLAUSE)
251.
KELLY: Governor Bush, I want to ask you, on
the subject of name calling of your fellow candidates, a story appeared today
quoting an anonymous GOP donor who said you called Mr. Trump a clown, a
buffoon, something else that cannot be repeated on television.
252.
BUSH: None of which is true.
253.
KELLY: Is it true?
254.
BUSH: No. It’s not true. But I have said that
Mr. Trump’s language is divisive. I want to win. I want one of these people
here or the ones at 5:00, to be the next president of the United States. We’re
not going on win by doing what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do each and
every day. Dividing the country. Saying, creating a grievance kind of
environment. We’re going to win when we unite people with a hopeful, optimistic
message. I have that message because I was a governor of a state that saw
people lifted up, because we had high sustained economic growth. Our economy
grew at double the rate of the nation. We created 1.3 million jobs. We led the
nation seven out of those eight years. We were only one of two states that went
to AAA bond rating. I cut taxes, $19 billion. If you do that and apply
conservative principles the right way, you create an environment where
everybody rises up. That’s how we’re going to win. Campaigning in places to
give people hope that their life is better because too many people are
suffering today in America.
255.
KELLY: Mr. Trump, 30 seconds.
256.
TRUMP: First of all, Jeb, I am very happy
that you denied that, and I appreciate that very much. He is a true gentleman.
He really is. One thing he did say, and I mean that. The one thing he did say
about me, however, was my tone. And I also understand that. But when you have
people that are cutting Christians’ heads off, when you have a world that the
border and at so many places, that it is medieval times, we’ve never -- it
almost has to be as bad as it ever was in terms of the violence and the horror,
we don’t have time for tone. We have to go out and get the job done. (APPLAUSE)
257.
KELLY: The subject of gay marriage and religious
liberty. Governor Kasich, if you had a son or daughter who was gay or lesbian,
how would you explain to them your opposition to same-sex marriage?
258.
KASICH: Well, look, I’m an old-fashioned person
here, and I happen to believe in traditional marriage. But I’ve also said the
court has ruled --
259.
KELLY: How would you -- how would you explain it
to a child?
260.
KASICH: Wait, Megyn, the court has ruled, and I
said we’ll accept it. And guess what, I just went to a wedding of a friend of
mine who happens to be gay. Because somebody doesn’t think the way I do, doesn’t
mean that I can’t care about them or can’t love them. So if one of my daughters
happened to be that, of course I would love them and I would accept them.
Because you know what? (APPLAUSE) That’s what we’re taught when we have strong
faith. (APPLAUSE) So the issues like that, issues like that are planted to
divide us. I think the simple fact of the matter is, and this is where I would
agree with Jeb, and I’ve been saying it all along, we need to give everybody a
chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American
dream that we have, Megyn. So, look, I’m going to love my daughters, I’m going
to love them no matter what they do. Because, you know what, God gives me
unconditional love. I’m going to give it to my family and my friends and the
people around me.
261.
KELLY: Senator Paul, in the wake of the Supreme
Court’s ruling on same sex marriage, Carol Fox on Facebook want to know the
following. Quote, what will you do to ensure Christians are not prosecuted for
speaking out against gay marriage and will Christians be forced to conduct
business that conflicts with their religious beliefs?
262.
PAUL: Look, I don’t want my marriage or my guns
registered in Washington. And if people have an opinion, it’s a religious
opinion that is heartly felt, obviously they should be allowed to practice that
and no government should interfere with them. One of the things, one of the
things that really got to me was the thing in Houston where you had the
government, the mayor actually, trying to get the sermons of ministers. When
the government tries to invade the church to enforce its own opinion on
marriage, that’s when it’s time to resist.
263.
KELLY: Governor Walker, many in the Black Live
Matter movement, and beyond, believe that overly-aggressive police officers
targeting young African Americans is the civil rights issue of our time. Do you
agree? And if so, how do you plan to address it? And if not, why not?
264.
WALKER: Well, I think the most important thing
we can do when it comes to policing -- it’s something you’ve had a guest on who’s
a friend of mine Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clark, who’s talked to me about
this many times in the past -- it’s about training. It’s about making sure that
law enforcement professionals, not only in the way in to their positions but
all the way through their time, have the proper training, particularly when it
comes to the use of force. And that we protect and stand up and support those
men and women who are doing their jobs in law enforcement. And for the very few
that don’t, that there are consequences to show that we treat everyone the same
here in America.
265.
KELLY: Thank you.
266.
MODERATOR: Coming up more of our debate,
including questions about President Obama’s foreign
policy and these guys and their better ideas. Coming up.
267.
(COMMERCIAL
BREAK)
268.
BAIER: Welcome back to Cleveland. Our next topic is foreign policy. Candidates, you may
not have seen the late developing news today our Fox Pentagon team broke
earlier this evening about a top Iranian general traveling to Moscow to meet
with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His name is General Qassem Soleimani, he’s
blamed for hundreds of U.S. troops death in Iraq, and Afghanistan. His trip to
Russia appears to directly violate U.N. Security Council resolutions to confine
him to Iran. So, Mr. Trump, if you were president, how would you respond to
this?
269.
TRUMP: I would be so different from what you
have right now. Like, the polar opposite. We have a president who doesn’t have
a clue. I would say he’s incompetent, but I don’t want to do that because that’s
not nice. (LAUGHTER) But if you look at the deals we make, whether it’s the
nuclear deal with 24 hour periods -- and by the way, before you get to the 24
hours, you have to go through a system. You look at Sergeant Bergdahl, we get
Bergdahl, a traitor, and they get five of the big, great killers leaders that
they want. We have people in Washington that don’t know what they’re doing.
Now... (APPLAUSE) I agree. (APPLAUSE) Now, with Iran, we’re making a deal, you
would say, we want him. We want out our prisoners. We want all these things,
and we don’t get anything. We’re giving them $150 billion dollars plus, they
are going to be -- I’ll tell you what, if Iran was a stock, you folks should go
out and buy it right now because you’ll quadruple -- this, what’s happening in
Iran, is a disgrace, and it’s going to lead to destruction in large portions of
the world. (APPLAUSE)
270.
BAIER: Another new development today, Senior
Defense officials tell Fox they strongly suspect Russia was behind the cyber
attack on the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs office...
271.
(UNKNOWN): ...Please.
272.
BAIER: ...email. This comes in the wake of the
director of national intelligence blaming the Chinese for the largest ever
cyber attack, stealing personal data of tens of millions of Americans. Senator
Cruz, in your view, have Russia and China committed of cyber war, and if you
were president, what would you do about it?
273.
CRUZ: Well, Bret, of course they have, and over
the last six and a half years we’ve seen the consequences of the Obama-Clinton
foreign policy. Leading from behind is a disaster. We have abandoned and
alienated our friends and allies, and our enemies are stronger. Radical Islam
is on the rise, Iran’s on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon, China is
waging cyber warfare against America, Russia -- General Soleimani, you just
mentioned, the Iranian general is the head of the al Quds forces. He’s directly
responsible for the murder of over 500 American servicemen in Iraq, and part of
this Iranian deal was lifting the international sanctions on General Soleimani.
The day General Soleimani flew back from Moscow to Iran was the day we believed
that Russia used cyber warfare against the joint chiefs. We need a new
commander in chief that will stand up to our enemies, and that will have
credibility... (APPLAUSE) It is worth emphasizing that Iran released our
hostages in 1981 the day Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. (APPLAUSE)
274.
BAIER: Dr. Carson, in August of 2012
President Obama famously declared Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used
chemical weapons, quote, “that’s a red line for us,” and that there would be
enormous consequences. One year later, and with overwhelming evidence the Assad
had, in fact, used chemical weapons and crossed that red line, President Obama
declined to use military force against the Assad regime. As president, would
you have used military force there?
275.
CARSON: Well, what we have to stop and think
about is that we have weakened ourselves militarily to such an extent that if
affects all of our military policies. Our Navy is at its smallest size since
1917; our Air Force, since 1940. In recent testimony, the commandant of the
Marine Corps said half of the non-deployed units were not ready and you know,
the sequester is cutting the heart out of our personnel. Our generals are
retiring because they don’t want to be part of this, and at the same time, our
enemies are increasing. Our -- our friends can’t trust us anymore. You know,
Ukraine was a nuclear-armed state. They gave away their nuclear arms with the
understanding that we would protect them. We won’t even give them offensive
weapons. You know, we turned our back on Israel, our ally. You know, and a
situation like that, of course Obama’s not going to be able to do anything. I
would shore up our military first, because if you don’t get the military right,
nothing else is going to work. (APPLAUSE)
276.
BAIER: Governor Walker, as president, what would
you do if Russian President Vladimir Putin started a campaign to destabilize
NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, mirroring the actions Putin took at the
early days of Ukraine?
277.
WALKER: Well first off, for the cyber attack
with Russia the other day, it’s sad to think right now, but probably the
Russian and Chinese government know more about Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server
than do the members of the United States Congress. (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE) And --
and that has put our national security at risk. If I am president, he won’t
think about that. You know, Putin believes in the old Lenin adage: you probe
with bayonets. When you find mush, you push. When you find steel, you stop. Under
Obama and Clinton, we found a lot of mush over the last two years. We need to
have a national security that puts steel in front of our enemies. I would send
weapons to Ukraine. I would work with NATO to put forces on the eastern border
of Poland and the Baltic nations, and I would reinstate, put in place back in
the missile defense system that we had in Poland and in the Czech Republic.
(APPLAUSE) We define (ph) steel.
278.
BAIER: Governor -- Governor Huckabee, the
culture of the American military is definitely changing. Women are moving into
combat roles. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has obviously been dropped. And now Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter recently directed the military to prepare for a moment
when it is welcoming transgender persons to serve openly. As commander in
chief, how would you handle that?
279.
HUCKABEE: The military is not a social
experiment. The purpose of the military is kill people and break things.
(APPLAUSE) It’s not to transform the culture by trying out some ideas that some
people think would make us a different country and more diverse. The purpose is
to protect America. I’m not sure how paying for transgender surgery for
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines makes our country safer. We’ve reduced the
military by 25 percent... (APPLAUSE) ... under President Obama. The disaster is
that we’ve forgotten why we have a military. The purpose of it is to make sure
that we protect every American, wherever that American is, and if an American
is calling out for help, whether it’s in Benghazi or at the border, then we
ought to be able to answer it. We’ve not done that because we’ve decimated our
military. We’re flying B-52s. The most recent one that was put in service was
November of 1962. A lot of the B-52s we’re flying, we’ve only got 44 that are
in service combat ready, and the fact is, most of them are older than me. And
that’s pretty scary. (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE)
280.
BAIER: Senator Paul, the first budget your
proposed as senator cut all financial aid to Israel. You have since changed
your view on that issue. What made you change your mind.
281.
PAUL: Well, let’s be clear, I’m the only one on
the stage who actually has a five-year budget that balances. I’ve put pencil to
paper...
282.
(UNKNOWN): I do.
283.
PAUL: ... and I’ve said -- and I’ve said I would
cut spending, and I’ve said exactly where. Each one of my budgets has taken a
meat axe to foreign aid, because I think we ought to quit sending it to
countries that hate us. (APPLAUSE) I think we ought to quit sending it to
countries that burn our flag. Israel is not one of those. But even Benjamin
Netanyahu said that ultimately, they will be stronger when they’re independent.
My position is exactly the same. We shouldn’t borrow money from China to send
it anywhere, but why don’t we start with eliminating aid to our enemies.
284.
BAIER: OK. But you still say that Israel could
be one of the countries that is cut from financial aid?
285.
PAUL: I still say exactly what my original
opinion is. Do you borrow money from China to send it to anyone? Out of your
surplus, you can help your allies, and Israel is a great ally. And this is no
particular animus of Israel, but what I will say, and I will say over and over
again, we cannot give away money we don’t have. We do not project power from
bankruptcy court. We’re borrowing a million dollars a minute. (APPLAUSE) It’s
got to stop somewhere.
286.
BAIER: Governor Christie, what do you think of
that answer?
287.
CHRISTIE: Well, listen. You know, if we want to
deal with these issues, we have to deal with them in a way that makes sense. I
agree with what Dr. Carson said earlier. The first thing we need to do to make
America stronger is to strengthen our military, and I put out a really specific
plan: no less than 500,000 active duty soldiers in the Army. No less than
185,000 active duty marines in the Marine Corps. Bring us to a 350 ship Navy
again, and modernize the Ohio class of submarines, and bring our Air Force back
to 2,600 aircraft that are ready to go. Those are the kind of things that are
going to send a clear message around the world. Those are the things that we
need to start working on immediately to make our country stronger and make it
better. Those are the things that we need to be able to be doing. And as we
move towards dealing with foreign aid, I don’t disagree with Senator Paul’s
position that we shouldn’t be funding our enemies. But I absolutely believe
that Israel is a priority to be able to fund and keep them strong and safe
after eight years of this administration. (APPLAUSE)
288.
BAIER: Governor, thank you.
289.
CRUZ: Brett, can I -- Brett, can I jump in on
this one?
290.
BAIER: Senator, we’re going to finish up with
some more questions, thank you.
291.
KELLY: We have to stand you by, because after
the break, we’re going to let the candidates make their closing statements,
their final thoughts, and God. Stay tuned for that.
292.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
293.
KELLY: Welcome back. In our final moments
here together, we’re going to allow the candidates to offer their final
thoughts. But first, we want to ask them an interesting closing question from
Chase Norton on Facebook, who wants to know this of the candidates: “I want to
know if any of them have received a word from God on what they should do and
take care of first.” Senator Cruz, start from you. Any word from God?
294.
CRUZ: Well, I am blessed to receive a word
from God every day in receiving the scriptures and reading the scriptures. And
God speaks through the Bible. (APPLAUSE) I’m the son of a pastor and evangelist
and I’ve described many times how my father, when I was a child, was an
alcoholic. He was not a Christian. And my father left my mother and left me
when I was just three years old. And someone invited him to Clay Road Baptist
Church. And he gave his heart to Jesus and it turned him around. And he got on
a plane and he flew back to my mother and me. (APPLAUSE) I would also note that
the scripture tells us, “you shall know them by their fruit.” We see lots of “campaign
conservatives.” But if we’re going to win in 2016, we need a consistent conservative,
someone who has been a fiscal conservative, a social conservative, a national
security conservative. There are real differences among the candidates on
issues like amnesty, like Obamacare, like religious liberty, like life and
marriage. And I have been proud to fight and stand for religious liberty, to
stand against Planned Parenthood, to defend life for my entire career. And I
will be proud to continue to do so as president of the United States. (CHEERING
AND APPLAUSE)
295.
KELLY: Governor Kasich, same question.
296.
KASICH: Well, Megyn, my father was a mailman.
His father was a coal miner. My mother’s mother could barely speak English. And
their son today stands on this podium in the great state of Ohio not only as
the governor, but a candidate for president of the United States. (CHEERING AND
APPLAUSE) I do believe in miracles. You know, I’ve had a lot of elections. But
my elections are really not about campaigns. I tell my people that these are
about a movement. And a movement to do what? To restore common sense. A
movement to do things like provide economic growth. And a movement not to let
anybody be behind. You know, today the country is divided. You asked a question
about the police and the difficulty in communities. We’ve got to unite our
country again, because we’re stronger when we are united and we are weaker when
we are divided. And we’ve got to listen to other people’s voices, respect them,
but keep in mind, and I believe in terms of the things that I’ve read in my
lifetime, the lord is not picking us. But because of how we respect human
rights, because that we are a good force in the world, he wants America to be
strong. He wants America to succeed. And he wants America to lead. And nothing
is more important to me than my family, my faith, and my friends. (CHEERING AND
APPLAUSE)
297.
KELLY: Governor Walker, same question.
298.
WALKER: Well, thanks, Megyn. I’m certainly an
imperfect man. And it’s only by the blood of Jesus Christ that I’ve been
redeemed from my sins. So I know that God doesn’t call me to do a specific
thing, God hasn’t given me a list, a Ten Commandments, if you will, of things
to act on the first day. What God calls us to do is follow his will. And
ultimately that’s what I’m going to try to do. And I hope people see it in my
state, even in the big challenges I took on when I had over 100,000 protesters
in and around our capital, trying to do what I thought was the right thing. It
wasn’t just how I took on those political battles. It was ultimately how I
acted. Not responding in kind. Not lashing out. But just being decent going
forward and living my life in a way that would be a testimony to him and our
faith. (APPLAUSE)
299.
KELLY: Senator Rubio, I want to ask you the same
question. But I do want to mention, a woman just came here to the stage and
asked, what about the veterans? I want to hear more about what these candidates
are going to do for our nation’s veterans. So I put the question to you about
God and the veterans, which you may find to be related.
300.
RUBIO: Well, first, let me say I think God has
blessed us. He has blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates.
The Democrats can’t even find one. (LAUGHTER) (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) And I
believe God has blessed our country. This country has been extraordinarily
blessed. And we have honored that blessing. And that’s why God has continued to
bless us. And he has blessed us with young men and women willing to risk their
lives and sometimes die in uniform for the safety and security of our people. Unfortunately
today we have a VA that does not do enough for them. I am proud that last year
we helped change the law. We changed the law to give the power to the VA
secretary the ability to fire any executive that isn’t doing their job. And it
is outrageous they’ve only fired one person to date. When I’m president of the
United States, we’re going to have a VA that cares more about our veterans than
about the bureaucrats who work at the VA. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
301.
KELLY: Dr. Carson, a question to you about
God and his role, but also, one of the issues that the public was very
interested in, and we touched on it earlier, is race relations in this country,
and how divided we seem right now. And what, if anything, you can do -- you
would do as the next president to help heal that divide.
302.
CARSON: Well, I think the bully pulpit is a
wonderful place to start healing that divide. You know, we have the purveyors
of hatred who take every single incident between people of two races and try to
make a race war out of it, and drive wedges into people. And this does not need
to be done. What we need to think about instead -- you know, I was asked by an
NPR reporter once, why don’t I talk about race that often. I said it’s because
I’m a neurosurgeon. And she thought that was a strange response. And you say --
I said, you see, when I take someone to the operating room, I’m actually
operating on the thing that makes them who they are. The skin doesn’t make them
who they are. The hair doesn’t make them who they are. And it’s time for us to
move beyond that. (APPLAUSE) Because -- (APPLAUSE) -- our strength as a nation
comes in our unity. We are the United States of America, not the divided
states. And those who want to divide us are trying to divide us, and we shouldn’t
let them do it. (APPLAUSE)
303.
BAIER: Now each candidate will make a closing
statement. You’ll all have 30 seconds to make a closing statement for this
debate. We’ll start with Ohio Governor John Kasich.
304.
KASICH: You know, tonight we hear about what
people want to do. I want to tell you what I’ve done. I was a member of the
Armed Services Committee for 18 years. I spent a big chunk of my life studying
national security issues and our role in the world. No. 2. I was the chairman
of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we
balanced a budget, and it was the first time we had done it since man walked on
the moon. We had a $5 trillion surplus and we cut taxes. I spent ten years in the private sector, actually learning
how business works. And now I’m the governor of Ohio, and I inherited a state
that was on the brink of dying. And we turned it all around with jobs and
balanced budgets and rising credit and tax cuts, and the state is unified, and
people have hope again in Ohio. (APPLAUSE)
305.
KELLY: Governor Christie?
306.
CHRISTIE: Well, thank you, Megyn. Listen, I was
born into a middle class family in New Jersey. My dad came home from serving in
the Army after having lost his father, worked in the Breyers ice cream plant in
Newark, New Jersey. Was the first person to graduate from college. He put
himself through college at night. My mom was a secretary. I was appointed
United States attorney on September 10, 2001. And I spent the next seven years
of my career fighting terrorism and putting terrorists in jail. I’m a
conservative, pro-life governor in a state where it is really tough to be both.
A state like New Jersey, with lots of Democrats, but still we cut taxes, we
balanced budgets. We fought the teacher’s union. This president has had weak
leadership, which has led to bad choices. We have got to stop worrying about
being loved and start worrying about being respected. And that’s exactly how I’ll
lead our country. (APPLAUSE)
307.
WALLACE: Senator Paul, closing statement.
308.
PAUL: I’m a different kind of Republican. I’ve
introduced a five-year balanced budget. I’ve introduced the largest tax cut in
our history. I stood for ten and a half hours on the Senate floor to defend
your right to be left alone. (APPLAUSE) But I’ve also gone to Chicago. I’ve
gone to Detroit. I’ve been to Ferguson, I’ve been to Baltimore, because I want
our party to be bigger, better and bolder, and I’m the only one that leads
Hillary Clinton in five states that were won by President Obama. I’m a
different kind of Republican. (APPLAUSE)
309.
BAIER: Senator Marco Rubio.
310.
RUBIO: Thank you. You know, both of my parents
were born into poor families on the island of Cuba. They came to America
because it was the only place where people like them could have a chance. Here
in this country, they never made it big, but the very purpose of their life was
to give us the chance to do all the things they never could. My father was a
bartender. And the journey from the back of that bar to this stage tonight, to
me, that is the essence of the American dream. It is what makes our nation
different. And I’m running for president because I want that to still be
possible for the people trying to do that now. I run for president because I
believe that we can’t just save the American dream; we can expand it to reach
more people and change more lives than ever before. And that’s why I’m asking
for your vote. So we can make America greater than it has ever been. And make
this century a new American century. (APPLAUSE)
311.
BAIER: Thank you, Senator.
312.
KELLY: Senator Ted Cruz.
313.
CRUZ: If I’m elected president, let me tell you
about my first day in office. The first thing I intend to do is to rescind
every illegal and unconstitutional executive action taken by Barack Obama.
(APPLAUSE) The next thing I intend to do is instruct the Department of Justice
to open an investigation into these videos and to prosecute Planned Parenthood
for any criminal violations. (APPLAUSE) The next thing I intend to do is
instruct the Department of Justice and the IRS to start (sic) persecuting
religious liberty, and then intend to cancel the Iran deal, and finally move
the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. (APPLAUSE) I will keep my word. My
father fled Cuba, and I will fight to defend liberty because my family knows
what it’s like to lose it.
314.
WALLACE: Dr. Carson, closing statement.
315.
CARSON: Well, I haven’t said anything about
me being the only one to do anything, so let me try that. I’m the only one to
separate siamese twins... (LAUGHTER) The -- the only one to operate on babies
while they were still in mother’s womb, the only one to take out half of a
brain, although you would think, if you go to Washington, that someone had beat
me to it. (LAUGHTER) But I -- but I’m very hopeful that I’m not the only onel
who’s willing to pick up the baton of freedom, because freedom is not free, and
we must fight for it every day. Every one of us must fight for it, because we’re
fighting for our children and the next generation. (APPLAUSE)
316.
BAIER: Governor Mike Huckabee, closing
statement.
317.
HUCKABEE: It seems like this election has been a
whole lot about a person who’s very high in the polls, that doesn’t have a clue
about how to govern. A person who has been filled with scandals, and who could
not lead, and, of course, I’m talking about Hillary Clinton. (LAUGHTER) I think
America...
318.
(UNKNOWN): Thank you.
319.
HUCKABEE: ... is in trouble, but it’s not beyond
repair. But it’s going to take leadership who sees the greatness of this
country, and who believes that once again we can be one nation, under God. I’ll
be my best to do that, and thank you for your support. (APPLAUSE)
320.
KELLY: Governor Scott Walker.
321.
WALKER: Thanks. I’m guy with a wife and two
kids, and Harley. One article called me “aggressively normal.” I ran for
governor because I was worried about my kids’ future. Then, I took on the big
government union bosses, and we won. They tried to recall me, and we won. They
target us again, and we won. We balanced the budget, cut taxes, and turned our
state around with big, bold reforms. It wasn’t too late for Wisconsin, and it’s
not too late for America. That’s why I ask for your vote.
322.
WALLACE: Governor Bush, closing statement, sir.
323.
BUSH: Here’s what I believe. I believe we’re at
the verge of the greatest time to be alive in this world. But Washington is
holding us back. How we tax, how we regulate. We’re not embracing the energy
revolution in our midst, a broken immigration system that has been politicized
rather than turning it into an economic driver. We’re not protecting and
preserving our entitlement system or reforming for the next generation. All
these things languish while we have politicians in Washington using these as
wedge issues. Here’s my commitment to you, because I did it as Florida. We can
fix these things. We can grow economically and restore America’s leadership in
the world, so that everybody has a chance to rise up. I humbly ask for your
vote, whenever you’re gonna get to vote, whenever the primary is. Thank you all
very much.
324.
BAIER: Mr. Trump, closing statement, sir.
325.
TRUMP: Our country is in serious trouble. We
don’t win anymore. We don’t beat China in trade. We don’t beat Japan, with
their millions and millions of cars coming into this country, in trade. We can’t
beat Mexico, at the border or in trade. We can’t do anything right. Our
military has to be strengthened. Our vets have to be taken care of. We have to
end Obamacare, and we have to make our country great again, and I will do that.
Thank you.
326.
BAIER: Gentlemen, thank you.
327.
KELLY: It’s over!
328.
BAIER: That’s it.
329.
KELLY: Are you relieved? You were nervous
before, they -- they don’t look relieved. They look “get me outta here.” Thank
you all very much, and that will do it for the first Republican primary debate
night of the 2016 presidential race. Our thanks to the candidates, who will now
be joined by their families on stage.
END
No comments:
Post a Comment