Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A FIERY MARCO Rubio went hard after Donald Trump in last night’s Republican debate, lacerating the frontrunner’s position on immigration, his privileged background, his speaking style and more.
Ted Cruz piled on, too, questioning the front-runner’s conservative credentials, as the two senators tag-teamed Trump in a debate that reflected the increasing urgency of their effort to take down the billionaire businessman before he becomes unstoppable.
It was a rare night where the bombastic Trump found himself on the defensive.
The two-hours-plus debate played out as a raucous night of tit-for-tat insults, with candidates shouting over one another so much that it was hard to follow at times.
The showdown came just days before the Super Tuesday 11-state round of mega-voting that could all but lock up the nomination.
When Trump faulted Rubio on a deal to buy a $179,000 house, the Florida senator shot back that if Trump “hadn’t inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan.”
Trump fired back: “No, no, no, that is so wrong. We’ll work on that. I took $1 million and I turned it into $10 billion.”
Immigration
In another rough exchange, Rubio accused Trump of shifting his position on deportation, hiring people from other countries to take jobs from Americans and being fined for worker violations.
Joining in, Cruz criticised Trump for suggesting he alone had “discovered the issue of illegal immigration”.
Trump shot back at Rubio: “I hired tens of thousands of people. You’ve hired nobody.”
As for Cruz, Trump took a more personal tack, touting his own ability to get along with others and adding: “You get along with nobody. … You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Both Rubio and Cruz said that Trump had had to pay a $1 million fine for illegal immigration hiring.
The candidates were pressed on why they haven’t released their tax returns as promised.
The GOP’s 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, suggested this week that Trump was holding back because there was a “bombshell” that would be revealed.
Trump said he’s been audited by the IRS every year and can’t release his returns while that’s going on.
Rubio and Cruz both promised to release more of theirs in the next two days.
Rubio was the principal aggressor of the night, and he held nothing back.
Taking on Trump’s declaration that he’d build a wall on the Mexican border, Rubio declared: “If he builds a wall the way he built Trump Tower he’ll be using illegal immigrant labour to do it.”
Trump, for his part, insisted that even though officials in Mexico have said they won’t pay for his planned wall, “Mexico will pay for the wall”.
And he said that because Mexico’s current and former presidents had criticised him on the issue, “the wall just got 10 feet taller”.
Trump, known for his frequent use of coarse and profane language on the campaign trail, scolded former Mexican President Vicente Fox for using a profanity in talking about Trump’s plan for the wall.
“He should be ashamed of himself and he should apologise,” declared Trump.
Repetition
After Trump mocked Rubio for his “meltdown” in a previous debate when the Florida senator repeated rote talking points, Rubio swatted right back, scolding Trump for spouting the same five things over and over:
Everyone’s dumb. He’s going to make America great again. We’re going to win, win, win. He’s winning in the polls.
Trump was hardly silent, responding to both Rubio and Cruz: “This guy’s a choke artist and this guy’s a liar. … Other than that I rest my case.”
While Rubio was loaded for bear from the start, Cruz ramped up his criticism as the night wore on and argued that Trump wouldn’t be an effective opponent against Hillary Clinton in the general election.
The finger-pointing extended to foreign affairs, with Cruz saying of Trump’s plans to negotiate a solution to the Mideast conflict, “He thinks Palestinians are a real estate deal.”
Making light of Cruz’s repeated attempts to diminish him, Trump said: “Keep fighting, keep swinging, man, swing for the fences.”
There was this back-and-forth after one particularly heated exchange:
Cruz to Trump: “Donald, relax.”
Trump to Cruz: “I’m relaxed. You’re the basket case.”
The debate’s location in Houston gave a nod to the primacy of Texas in the Super Tuesday voting: There are 595 delegates at stake, 155 in Texas.
The debate audience included former President George HW Bush, 91, and his wife, Barbara — who missed out on the chance to see their son Jeb take part. He dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the first states to vote.
The other two remaining candidates, Ben Carson and John Kasich, were largely left to watch the fireworks flying overhead.
At one point, as the top three candidates mixed it up, Carson spoke up: “Can somebody attack me please.”
Later, he complained, “I didn’t get asked about taxes, I didn’t get asked about Israel.”
When all five were asked about North Korea’s president, he said, “We should make sure that he knows that if he ever shoots a missile at us it’ll be the last thing he does.”
Kasich, for his part, said he would try to find a way to effect regime change in North Korean but “perhaps the Chinese can actually accomplish that”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
It’s only the cost of 2 bicycle sheds or Simon and michweals salary the sad part is someone sanctioned he would continue to get the same salary when nama is finished why and more importantly who name this person and then sack him for sanctioning a salary for a job that doesn’t exist
In fairness to praise on this one. I would never have known about the government’s plans in he hadn’t highlighted it. Fair play.
@Gavin Smartr: in fairness to Pearse
@Gavin Smartr: Did the Irish Daily Mail have it first.
@Steve White: probably did Steve but I definitely wouldn’t have seen it there.
Does he do a job at all? I think we should be told!
€206 per hour for a 40 hour week. I’ll do the job for a quarter of that.
@David Connell: A lot of tax to come out of that don’t forget.
@Pat Barry: SO?? when I put €80 diesel in the car I don’t say ‘ oh, I put €44 euros in / the rest is just tax’
how many bank accounts have fffg and cronies got outside the state (diehard patriots)
Nobody needs to be paid that much money! It is absolutely obscene!
@Andrew Harrington: Why? People get paid what they are worth generally. 430k isn’t a huge salary given what achieved , and he might leave he’d easily find jobs paying more than that in the private sector.
@Andrew Harrington: reality is when you put each individual TD’S cost to scrutiny from salary to expenses to a secretary parliamentary assistants (all family members) committee chairs postage phones and other perks they each cost roughly €350,000 to €400,000 not bad for most of whom are absolutely useless
@Paul O’Mahoney: I have heard that one many years ago where the CEO of British Telecom before privatisation received a huge salary increase and when it was questioned the excuse was that he would have received a lot more in the private sector particularly in the U.S. with his experience and qualifications. The BBC went along to recruitment agencies in the U.S. and these agencies more or less laughed when they saw his C.V. and politely informed them that people with his qualifications were 2 a penny in the U.S.
@Paul O’Mahoney: lol it wasn’t hard to make money from NAMA but he did have to deal with a lot of irate developers in fairness. I agree that he could get at least this much in the private sector.
The point is does he need to be paid that much to do the job he will do in NTMA? No. So now he has the choice, stay in a still well paid job and be comfortable or go for the big bucks in private sector. The state does not need him to be paid for NAMA skills in his old job! That was my understanding anyway.
Like, why was he getting that at nama.
Which all means he’ll hold onto his salary
Watch this space, all the language is typical of political speak by FF and FG. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if he retains that salary. It’s like the government has no power or control over these things….
No person is worth that salary from taxpayers money government rubbing irish people’s noses again there are some many people living on the breadline it’s an utter disgrace
@Pauline Cahill: Check out the cost of every TD a complete joke
@Pauline Cahill: So what if there are people on the breadline a person’s salary didn’t cause people being on the breadline. This is typical, Irish begrudgery at its finest , “rubbing people’s nose in it,” another simpleton quote. If people who don’t want to be on the breadline work harder, educate yourself, and grow up and take responsibility for yourself and your life .
the laugh is people think this is usual ..its standard procedure in the “public service”
It’s sickening.
On the other article debunked the cost of cars for the Ukrainians, the cars still cost phucking just short of 40,000 a piece!!! And paid for insurance, tax and phucking fuel!!! What the phuck, I drive a banger, 16 years old, 50 miles a day commuting, over €80 a week for phucking diesel! How the phuck can I not get this phucking deal! Some phucking state we live in. And the government can’t understand why people are protesting??!
@den: but den ya don’t understand you work hard and pay tax so why would ya be entitled to anything? It’s the poor people in this country that never worked a day in their lives and the folks that enter the country with no documents that need to be looked after, if my landlord decides to sell the house I’m living in for the past 15years decides to sell up I’m screwed even though I’ve never missed one months do ya think I’d be priorised over the low life that won’t pay 15euro a week out of their dol money for a roof over their head. In this country you’re probably better off not working but that’s me like most people I want to work even though every morning I wish I didn’t have to get out of the bed but once your ya enjoy it
@Nikki Swift: that’s not me
@Nikki Swift: too true Nikki
He looks like an overfeed ho..mo
have your say