Donald Trump has managed to score big with supporters during debates, making him a front-runner for the Republican Party nomination for the 2016 presidential race. Although some analysts didn’t take his candidacy seriously at first, Trump has proved a real contender over the last four months, outflanking his rivals, who seemed more irritated by his presence than challenged. During Thursday’s debate in Houston, it was obvious the competition was taking him seriously, and for the first time Trump was shaken during a debate.
Marco Rubio provided the biggest challenge, questioning Trump’s nonexistent health care plan and his immigration policy. When confronted over his less than promising approval rating with Latinos, Trump challenged the source of the statistics and then responded that he has employed thousands of Hispanics; at one time hundreds of thousands. “They understand the value of work, they get it,” he said.
When Trump attempted his usual tactics highlighting his opponents’ lack of business experience, Rubio was prepared and clapped back. “I don’t know anything about business? You know about bankruptcy, you’ve bankrupted four companies,” he exclaimed to audience applause and hoots. Rubio ended the attack by bringing up a lawsuit Trump is currently fighting alleging he charged up and coming entrepreneurs looking to learn the ropes of venture capitalism under the leadership of Trump himself, 30K in a fraudulent venture titled, “Trump University.” Trump responded, “They actually did very good job. I won most of the lawsuits.”
Candidate Ted Cruz forced Trump to acknowledge his alignment with the Democratic Party and his liberal approach through business and previous endeavors. In true Trump fashion, the Donald responded with personal jabs, at one point mentioning he was the only one on the panel with a history of providing jobs. Later, Trump alleged he was being audited by the IRS because he is such a strong Christian.
This is the first time Trump received negative ratings after a debate. It could be that the hype of “Celebrity Apprentice” is wearing off and we may have a legitimate presidential race on our hands. Whether Trump manages to make the cut remains to be seen. After tonight’s performance, he may have to fire himself.
