Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump fiercely defended the most controversial proposal of his six-month campaign: temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the United States.
“We are not talking about isolation. We are talking about security. We’re not talking about religion, we’re talking about security,” Trump said Tuesday night here at the final Republican presidential debate of the year, sponsored by CNN. “Our country is out of control.”
One of his rivals, Jeb Bush, immediately hit back, saying Trump’s controversial idea would “push the Muslim world away” rather than encourage them to work with the United States to fight terrorism.
“He’s a chaos candidate,” Bush said.
Ted Cruz, who is suddenly giving Trump sharp competition from the right, took a softer tone on the issue.
“I understand why Donald made that proposal,” the Texas senator said, before promoting his legislation that he said was “more narrowly focused at the actual threat, which is radical Islamism.”
“I’m reminded of what FDR’s grandfather said. He said all horse thieves are Democrats but not all Democrats are horse thieves,” Cruz said.
The GOP debate comes in the aftermath of deadly terror attacks that shook Paris and San Bernardino, California — events that have shaken the narrative and focus of the 2016 presidential campaign.
The critiques of Trump were previewed in an earlier so-called “undercard” debate that preceded the main event. Four lower-polling White House hopefuls kicked off the evening by raising alarm about the threat of radical Islam — and went after Trump for the Muslim proposal.
“You may think this makes us safe, but it doesn’t,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most vocal critics. “Donald Trump has done the one single thing you cannot do — declare war on Islam itself.”
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said it’s “not the right proposal.”
But Santorum blasted a culture of political correctness that he faults for blunting debate over the role of Muslims in society.
“Not all Muslims are jihadists,” he said. “All jihadists are Muslim.”
Santorum and Graham — who dominated the discussion — were joined by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former New York Gov. George Pataki. All four are polling in the low-single digits, and risk being next on the chopping block if they’re unable to gain real momentum soon.
The candidates also discussed the fate of Bowe Bergdahl, the American soldier charged with desertion. Trump has repeatedly attacked Bergdahl at campaign rallies, calling him a traitor who should be executed.
Graham mocked that suggestion on stage, scoffing: “Mr. Trump, you don’t have to speak about everything. That’s not required.”
“For God’s sakes, Mr. Trump, you’re asking to be the commander in chief,” the senator said. “Up your game.”
Pataki said he personally believes Bergdahl is guilty, but that he doesn’t think he should be executed. “I do think he will have a fair military trial,” he said.
On stage at the Venetian theater, Trump is flanked by Ted Cruz, the Texas senator whose poll numbers are on the upswing; and Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon whose political standing has been damaged by a series of gaffes.
The stakes are higher than ever for the White House hopefuls, as they eye the Iowa caucuses now just seven weeks away and adjust to new political dynamics in the aftermath of ISIS-inspired terror attacks. The anxiety in the wake of those attacks was evident on Tuesday when public schools in Los Angeles took the unprecedented step of closing in response to what the superintendent called a “rare” threat.
GOP party leaders have openly criticized the Muslim ban — condemnation that Trump has responded to by reopening the possibility of launching an independent bid.
Meanwhile, Cruz is now threatening Trump’s monthslong front-runner status in Iowa, with polls showing the senator either neck-and-neck with or ahead of Trump in the state. But the candidate has shown little appetite for publicly engaging Trump.
Trump remains the undisputed national GOP presidential front-runner. A Monmouth University poll on Monday placed him at 41%, the first time he’s cracked the 40% threshold in a national survey. A poll from The Washington Post and ABC News conducted entirely after Trump proposed the Muslim ban found support for Trump at 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents — up six percentage points from a Post/ABC poll in mid-November.
Marco Rubio remains in the top tier of candidates and goes into debate night facing big expectations. He’s delivered strong performances at previous forums and has worked to build expertise on foreign policy — a premier topic at the Las Vegas showdown.
Rubio, who spent part of his childhood here, has sparred with Cruz on foreign policy, blasting the senator as too isolationist.
For Chris Christie, the main debate marks a moment of redemption. Christie was relegated to the so-called “undercard” debate in November after failing to qualify for the prime-time event. But the New Jersey governor has seen a resurgence in recent weeks, particularly in New Hampshire, a key state for his campaign.
And Rand Paul, who has also struggled in recent months, was widely expected to not make the cut for the main debate this week. But he was rescued at the last minute by a new Iowa poll over the weekend.
