1. Exchanges Between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz: At one point in the debate, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz had a lengthy exchange over immigration. While the two had a civil debate, they still traded barbs, with Rubio saying “You just don’t have a consistent record on immigration” and Cruz responding by accusing Rubio of “making up a false charge.”
2. Jeb Bush Calling Out Donald Trump: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took on front runner Donald Trump on a number of issues, but most notably for Trump’s failure to state his policy on Syria. After being interrupted several times by Trump, Bush firmly told him that “you can’t just … talk down our allies and expect the rest of the world to respond.”
3. Trump and Cruz Disagree on the Use of Torture: In one of the most contentious moments, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz openly disagreed on the use of torture. Trump strongly defended the use of waterboarding, while Cruz countered that he is “not a fan of Donald Trump’s language” and that he would instead look to “follow the judgement of the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the judgment of the generals and admirals.”
4. Name-Calling: Throughout the debate, several of the candidates resorted to name-calling in order to make their points. Donald Trump described his opponents as “lightweights,” while Marco Rubio called Cruz “dishonest,” and Cruz labeled Trump a “Washington dealmaker.”
5. Personal Jabs: In addition to name-calling, the two-hour debate also featured a number of personal jabs among the participants. At one point, Trump accused Bush of lacking energy and spotty attendance records while Jeb shot back at Trump’s inability to focus on important policy issues.
