Competitive Donald Trump opened the GOP Debate in Cleveland by declaring that he is not refusing an independent run in case he does not get the nomination of the Republican party. This statement skyrocketed his presence throughout the debate outshining nine other candidates.
"I will not make the pledge at this time," he said, according to The Guardian. "If I'm the nominee, I will pledge I will not run as an independent. But - and I am discussing it with everybody - I'm, you know, talking about a lot of leverage,"
Known for being frank and discarding civility, he dismissed the allegations against his statements about women, Mexicans, bankruptcy and insulting President Obama's intelligence. "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct," he said after Megyn Kelly, the chair of the debate, went right in for the kill by asking Trump about previous comments he has made about women, including calling them "fat pigs," "slobs" and "disgusting animals."
Trump also did not fail to chastise opponent Jeb Bush. Before the debate ended, Bush stated that Trump is a "divisive" character that would ensure the Republican party's loss.
"We're not going to win by doing what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do each and every day: dividing the country, saying, creating a grievance kind of environment. We're going to win when we unite people with a hopeful, optimistic message," Bush said as he highlighted his point on making the country whole, according to The New York Times.
Trump, who retaliated that "tone" is not the issue at hand, said, "When you have people that are cutting Christians' heads off, when you have a world at the border and at so many places that it's medieval times," Trump said, "we don't have time for tone - we have to go out and get the job done."
The debate is expected to give audiences an intellectual comparison among the top 10 Republican presidential contenders. The next GOP debate is set for Sept. 16, Reuters reported.
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