CNN GOP Miami Debate Recap
CNN debate Jake Tapper Hugh Hewitt Dana Bash Steve Dinan Opening statements: Kasich: bright future. Rubio: new American century Cruz: preserving freedom for next generation. Trump: GOP establishment should embrace what's happening JOBS/Economy Kasich: grew up in blue collar family. Free but fair trade Trump: nobody knows system better than me. I'm a businessman. Rubio: we're a lot tariff country. Other countries have high tariffs. Those need to come down. Colombian trade deal good. Mexico trade deal less so. Cruz: always opposed TPP. Different from TPA. O44 doesn't care about US workers. Tax imports not exports Rubio: Disney abused H1 visa program. Cannot use it to replace American workers Kasich: we need immigration but must control borders. Guest worker program. Path to legalization. 400 jobs. Meant 400k Trump: I use H1 visas but they shouldn't exist. Disney workers endorsed me Cruz: triple border security. End funds for sanctuary cities. Lacking political will. Democrats support illegal immigration Rubio: merit based system in immigration. What skills do you have. COMMON CORE Trump: Localize it. Ben Carson endorsing me tomorrow. Charter schools. Feds took over education Kasich: higher standards. Parental advisors. Mentoring programs Cruz: Common core is a disaster. Ends on day 1. O44 used race to top finds to blackmail states to use common core. Abolish Dept of Ed. SOCIAL SECURITY Rubio: younger people with 30 years till retirement. If I were still in the senate I'd be the youngest person there. Raise retirement age from 67 to 68 Trump: Democrats doing nothing. I'll leave it the way it is. Waste fraud abuse only 3 billion. How would he close 150 billion gap? He shifted to military. Rubio: His numbers don't add up. Both parties neglected it. We have to deal with it. Trump: we don't bid stuff out. Cruz: SS careening toward insolvency. Political courage. Younger workers gradually raise retirement age. Personal accounts. Government is the problem Trump: Cruz changed on ethanol Cruz: Trump funds liberal Washington establishment Trump: Cruz pro-amnesty. I cannot believe how civil it's been up here. Kasich: I took on Washington and won. GOP VIEWS Trump: my views similar to many people. Inclusive. I'm different on trade Cruz: Trump right about problems. Solutions wrong. Wrong on tariffs. Tax plan with tax free exports but taxing import a better approach Trump: 45% tax a threat not a policy. It'll be a tax if they don't behave Cruz: working me and women pay the tax, not China. Tariffs the wrong approach Trump: threat will work. People will buy here not overseas ISLAM Trump: asked if all 1.6 billion Muslims hate us, he said a lot of them do Rubio: Donald says things people wish they could say. Presidents can't. It has consequences. Radical Islam a danger. Crescent moons at Arlington cemetery. Trump: we've had consequences. Planes flying into towers. I'm not PC. Serious problem of hate. Rubio: I'm not interested in being PC. I'm interested in being correct. We'll have to work with non radicalized Muslims. Kasich: we worked with Muslims in 1991 against Saddam. Trump: chants of death to USA in mosques. Obey the law but expand the law. He did not answer question of killing families of terrorists. Rubio: we don't have to kill families of terrorists. O44 gutting our military. Cruz: we've never targeted innocent civilians. We won't start now. Can't yell China bad Muslims bad. Donald's language incendiary but he won't rip up Iran nuclear deal. He will be neutral on Israel. I won't be. Hugh Hewitt-- ISRAEL Trump: nobody more pro Israel than me. Crowd booed. Pro Israel. Have other side think I'm neutral to get a deal done. Iran deal ultimately will be broken. Cruz: Israel a democracy. Shares our values. PA in a unity government with Hamas, a terrorist organization. We also should stand with Egypt's. Sisi Rubio: Donald's policy is anti-Israel. Israel has no peace partner at this time. Palestinian leaders do not want peace. Trump: I'll see if deal can be made. He knows Jews who want peace Kasich: supports iron dome. I don't believe there's a long term peace solution. Support stability. Weapons to Israel. ISIS Cruz: whatever needed to utterly defeat Isis. Fix rules of engagement O44 destroyed Kasich: 55% of military experts said I'm the best Trump: knock out ISIS. I'd listen to generals. We can't knock out oil for fear of carbon footprint. Now we fight for no reason whatsoever VA Rubio: we passed VA accountability bill. Even Bernie sanders helped. O44 fired no one Kasich: restructure VA. Spread it out over several departments CUBA Rubio: Cuba's government must change. O44 gave Cuba $, they've gotten worse on human rights. Burma improved. Not Cuba. They steal our medicAre $ Trump: Denied agreeing with O44. I'm in the middle. Make a good deal with Cuba. Asked if he would continue or reverse Cuba deal, he wouldn't answer. Rubio: trump says Cuba will sue us. Where? Miami court? They'll lose. Cuba needs to have free elections. Stop helping North Korea. Stop helping cop killers of American cops. Crowd exploded in applause. Cruz: Trump continues O44 policy. Donald supported Hillary and John Kerry. Wrong. We shouldn't allow billions to go to nations who try to murder us. Trump: don't do deal unless it would be a good deal. Said Iran deal bad but won't promise to rip it up Cruz: Trump donated to Kerry and Hillary. We don't just need smart people. We need leaders. CIC must understand enemy. Trump: I was against Iran deal Kasich: don't do business in Cuba. Worldwide allies don't know what we're doing. Putin either with us or against us. Whole world wants strong USA CLIMATE CHANGE: Rubio: Climate has always changed. No law we can pass to change the weather. O44s war on coal hurting American workers. Laws won't help environment. America's not a planet. It's a country. Kasich: climate change real. You can good environment and jobs. Wind solar renewables. WORLD OPINION Cruz: we're a global laughingstock because of O44 and his apology tour. I'll rip up Iran deal on day 1. Trump: insisted tianemen square a source of strength and Putin as well. But he doesn't like what they did. He pivoted to merkel. Strong does not mean good. Kasich: I think Chinese government butchered those kids. Build a statue to kid who stood in front of tanks. Don't make China an enemy. They don't own China sea. Beef up cyber command. They can't manipulate their currency. VIOLENCE AT TRUMP RALLIES Trump: I hope I haven't encouraged it. I don't condone it. Told of his own comments about what he would do to protesters, he said some protesters are bad dudes. Cruz: we all must show respect to people, remember who it is we work for. O44 an emperor. All about him. People feel disrespect by Washington. Donald asks people in audience to pledge support. That's backwards. His is a job interview. I pledge to support you. Trump: dishonesty of press. We were having fun. I have much bigger crowds than Ted. Kasich: I worry about violence at rallies period. I worry more about people without jobs. Rubio: I'm concerned about violence in general in our society. Leadership about using anger to motivate us not define us. CONTESTED CONVENTION Kasich: math doesn't tell whole story in politics. Trump: whoever has the most delegates should win. Called 1237 a random number. Wrong it's 51%. Cruz: outside choice a disaster. Respect will of voters. We've beaten Donald in 8 states across America. If we'd nominate Donald, Hillary wins. Hats why democrats support him now. Trump: I beat Ted in 13 contests. Insisted he beats Hillary in polls. Rubio: told a story of a voter who backs him. He is not giving up. God has blessed AMERICA. OUTSIDE $ Trump: Will not promise not to take money from others in general election. Turned down 275 mil in primary. Cruz: Washington cartel corrupt. Donald won't mention a single special interest he will take on. Trump: Ted got money from super PACS FLEXIBLE Rubio: be flexible on ideas, not principles. I will fight anyone who wants to expand government, raise taxes, weaken military Trump: Wouldn't say what he would be flexible on. Cited Reagan and tip oneill. Kasich: cited his record. CLOSING: Kasich: Positive campaign Rubio: America's great because each generation did what needed to be done. Now is our moment. Cruz: choice is who will beat defend our values. Madame secretary you're asking for a 3rd term of a failed administration. Trump: GOP has a chance to embrace people who have never come by before.