10 Most Outrageous Donald Trump Quotes From the First GOP Debate
Real estate magnate Donald Trump stood front and center Thursday night in Cleveland for the first Republican debate of the primaries. Trump, the GOP front-runner and a controversial public figure, pulled no punches, defending his comments on immigrants and women and taking shots at other presidential hopefuls.
All eyes were on Trump during the first hour of the debate. Things got off to an explosive start when debate moderator Megyn Kelly called out Trump for referring to women as "fat pigs, slobs and disgusting animals" in the past.
He responded by saying that he reserved such comments for "only Rosie O'Donnell."
Some of Trump's over-the-top remarks drew cheers from the crowd, while others elicited eye rolls from his fellow contenders and the moderators. Here are Trump's most shocking quotes from the debate.
On his disparaging remarks about women: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. ...I've been challenged by so many people and I don't, frankly, have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time, either. ...And frankly, what I say, and oftentimes it's fun, it's kidding. We have a good time."
On his comments about Mexican immigrants: "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris. This was not a subject on anyone's mind until I brought it up at my announcement. ...The fact is, since then, many killings, murders, crime, drugs pouring across the border, are money going out and the drugs coming in. And I said 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. But we need, Jeb, to build a wall, we need to keep illegals out."
On U.S. leadership: "Our leaders are stupid. Our politicians are stupid. And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning."
On giving money to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the past: "With Hillary Clinton, when I said come to my wedding, she came to my wedding. I didn't know her money would be used on private jets to go all over the world, it was."
On a single-payer health care system: "It works in Canada. It works incredibly well in Scotland. ...[But] I want to see a private system without the artificial lines with every state."
On closing the U.S. border with Mexico: "They send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them. They don't want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them? And that's what is happening whether you like it or not."
On his businesses going bankrupt: "I have never gone bankrupt. ...This country owes $19 trillion dollars, and they need someone like me to straighten out this mess."
On when he became a Republican: "I've evolved on many issues over the years and you know who else has? Ronald Reagan."
On Iran: "If Iran was a stock, you folks should go out and buy it right now, because you'll quadruple."
On where the U.S. ranks in the world: "Our country is in serious trouble. We don't win anymore. We don't beat China in trade. We don't beat Japan ... in trade. We can't beat Mexico at the border or in trade."
Fox News welcomed 10 candidates to Thursday night's debate stage. It was the first of at least nine debates scheduled by the Republican National Committee.
The debate lineup included Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
