28 WTF Moments From the GOP Debate
Even as it took place, the eighth Republican debate, at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, felt like a moment frozen in time. Will Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich ever share a stage again after Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary? It’s not likely, especially considering how difficult it was to get them all on stage Saturday evening. (Looking at you, Ben Carson).
Let’s savor these last few sweet moments together. Here are the most confounding, absurd, down-right hilarious and WTF? moments of Republican Debate VIII.
1. “I think I have the best temperament. I have gotten along with people for years and years.” -Donald Trump
2. “Ben, I’m sorry.” -Ted Cruz, apologizing to Ben Carson for telling Iowa voters that Carson had dropped out of the race just before the Iowa Caucuses Monday
3. “Today is the 105th anniversary — or 105th birthday — of Ronald Reagan. His 11th commandment was to not to speak ill of another Republican.” -Ben Carson
4. “That’s not leadership, that’s truancy.” -Chris Christie on Marco Rubio missing Senate votes
5. “You see, Marco, the thing is this: When you’re president of the United States, when you’re governor of a state, the memorized 25-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it doesn’t solve one problem for one person. They expect you to plow the snow. They expect you to get the schools open.” -Chris Christie
6. “Chris, you didn’t want to go back [to New Jersey after the recent blizzard]. They had to shame you into going back.” -Marco Rubio
7. “Is that one of the skills you get as a U.S. senator too? ESP?” -Chris Christie, responding to Marco Rubio’s attack
8. “Let’s dispense with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing; he knows exactly what he’s doing.” -Marco Rubio
9. “I think we have a president who is totally incompetent and he has no idea what he is doing. Our country is going to hell.” -Donald Trump
10. “Tremendous has been sucked out of our country by China.” -Donald Trump
11. “Just as we lock our doors at night, the country needs to lock its doors.” -John Kasich on immigration