As expected, Donald Trump launched some rhetorical fireworks in the GOP’s first presidential primary debate. Here are a few of his most memorable lines:
1. Asked whether he would mount a third party challenge against the Republican nominee, Trump vowed that he wouldn’t … as long as he was the nominee:
“I can’t say that I have to respect that person who wins … If I’m the nominee, I pledge I will not run as an independent.”
2. When Fox moderator Megyn Kelly challenged Trump about his history of referring to women as “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals,” Trump responded:
“Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
3. After Kelly pointed out that he had directed that language at many more women than just O’Donnell, Trump said:
“Honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably not be based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn’t do that.”
4. Trump explained why he believes the United States has failed to secure its border:
“Our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid and the Mexican government is much smarter.”
5. Trump offered the following solution to the alleged border crisis:
“We need to build a wall and it has to be built quickly. And I don’t mind having a big, beautiful door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally.”
6. Confronted with his past donations to Hillary Clinton, Trump explained that he was just trying to buy influence over her:
“With Hillary, I said be at my wedding. And she came to my wedding. She had no choice.”
7. Trump gave his polite assesment of President Obama’s foreign-policy:
“I would say he’s is incompetent, but I don’t want to do that, because that’s not nice”
8. He described how Iran would benefit from the newly signed nuclear agreement:
“If Iran was a stock you should go out and buy it, cause you’ll quadruple.”
Eric Levitz