--- title: Republican Debate: Candidates Prepare for Milwaukee description: The GOP meets for the last time for more than a month. All eyes are on Ben Carson this time. canonical: https://time.com/4105817/fox-business-debate-live/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-10T20:02:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T23:03:01.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Candidates Prepare to Debate in Milwaukee og:description: All eyes are on Ben Carson. og:url: https://time.com/4105817/fox-business-debate-live/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d108040712124bb/6988706fa988cae8c66b539b/gop-debate-candidates-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Milwaukee og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Candidates Prepare to Debate in Milwaukee twitter:description: All eyes are on Ben Carson. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d108040712124bb/6988706fa988cae8c66b539b/gop-debate-candidates-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Presidential Candidates Debate in Milwaukee > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2f3c5f94-22d5-4719-b698-6832054c833c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch the Fox GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Fox GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EbEU1fcY.m3u8) (3:54)  _Published 2015-11-11. GOP Debate-v1_  by [Philip Elliott / Milwaukee, Wis.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Milwaukee, Wis. Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:03 PM UTCPublished: Nov 10, 2015 8:02 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott / Milwaukee, Wis.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Milwaukee, Wis. Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:03 PM UTCPublished: Nov 10, 2015 8:02 PM UTC It took a while for the fireworks to begin. Although Tuesday night’s debate on Fox Business got off to a wonky start, it wasn’t long before candidates began turning on each other — and on the moderators. Talk about the economy, budgeting and the minimum wage dominated the opening moments of the debate. Instead of confronting Republican rivals, the candidates were quoted economic statistics and asked to address how they would improve it. It was exactly the dud that organizers wanted after last week’s much-maligned session on the same topic on CNBC. Business tycoon Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson both said they would not increase the minimum wage. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida extolled the virtues of vocational training, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich said contenders need to consider the human impacts over economic philosophy. In the debate’s early moments, it seemed like a giant yawn. When the biggest story in the GOP campaign—allegations that Carson misled supporters about his self-described violent youth—it was done so only briefly. Asked if Carson was hurting his campaign as he faced questions about his biography, Carson said his friends know he’s an honest person. “Thank you for not asking me what I said in the 10th grade. I appreciate that,” Carson said dryly. “The fact of the matter is, we should vet all candidates. I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem is being lied about.” Carson then criticized Clinton as someone he said had been proved as a liar in her remarks on the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. The mention of her name won jeers and the criticism applause. Much of the debate centered on broad criticism of tax loopholes, the IRS and the economic implications of changing the immigration system. Yet, to a tee, all defaulted to telling voters to go to their campaign websites for specifics. “But you haven’t told us how you’d pay for it,” moderator Maria Bartoromo challenged Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. At other points, the candidates tried to link the economy to faith. “There are more words in the IRS Code than the Bible, and not one of them is good,” Cruz said. And Carson said he would base his tax structure on the one found in the Good Book, where everyone pays the same proportion of their income. “You can’t have a strong nation without strong values,” Rubio said. At times, however, the debate seemed to slip through Trump’s fingers. At one point early on, he lashed out at Kasich: “I don’t have to hear from him, believe me.” Trump also tried to take control of who was allowed to answer what questions—quickly earning him chiding from the hosts. “Thank you, Donald, for letting me speak at the debate,” former Florida Gov. Jeb said. “What a generous man you are.” In this year of unpredictability among the GOP’s base, Carson and Trump are the frontrunners, with others such as Rubio, Cruz and Bush chasing close behind. Tuesday’s debate is likely the last chance they have to confront their party’s unexpected favors before the Dec. 15 debate on CNN. **Read More:** [_How Christie and Huckabee Will Work Around Debate Diss_](http://time.com/4103171/republican-debate-chris-christie-mike-huckabee-response/) Even so, Iowa is still months away, and voters are only now starting to tune in. As they do, they’ll see a topsy-turvy political season that has seen two major Republicans exit the race, others struggle to remind voters why they were once considered frontrunners and political novices stay in the top tier. Tuesday’s debate is likely to add even more uncertainty. The top-polling candidates—Trump, Carson, Rubio, Cruz, Bush, former tech executive Carly Fiorina, Kasich and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky—are slated to debate for two hours, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox Business. At 7 p.m., lesser-polling candidates will meet for a session with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. **Read More:** [_How Fox Business Anchors Are Preparing for Tuesday’s Debate_](http://time.com/4103664/fox-business-debate-moderators/) ## Transcript Welcome to the Republican Presidential Debate. I have no problem with being vetted. We need to repeal every rule that Barack Obama has in terms of work in progress. What I do have a problem with is being lied about. We actually, yes, have to hold government officials accountable for their performance. Five major agencies that I would eliminate. I'll tell you about Wall Street. There's too much greed. The IRS, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce and HUD. Marco how is it a conservative, how is a conservative to add a trillion dollar expenditure for the federal government? If you raise the minimum wage, you're gonna make people more expensive than a machine. Taxes too high, wages too high. We're not gonna be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is. I would not raise it. If we do what's need to be done. Tax reform, regulatory reform Fully utilize our energy resources, repeal and replace Obama Care and modernize higher education. Then we can grasp the potential on the promise of this new economy. Lower taxes, lower spending. I have rolled out a bold and simple flat tax. 10 % for every American that would produce booming growth. When you balance the budget and you cut taxes, people get work. Mothers going to bed afraid For her children's future. And the reason she's afraid for her children's future is because we've had problems for a long time. We have to stop illegal immigration. We need to control our border just like people have to control who goes in and out of their house. But we have no choice if we're going to run our country properly and if we're going to be a country If they've been law- abiding, they pay a penalty, they get to stay. We protect the wall. Anybody else comes over, they go back. But for the 11 million people, come- on folks, we all know you can't pick them up and ship them back across the boarder. It's a silly argument. You're luck in Ohio that you struck oil, that's for one thing. Thank you Donald for allowing me to speak at the debate, that's really nice of you. Really appreciate that. 12 million illegal immigrants took to send them back, 500, 000 a month is just not possible. For million of American's at home watching This. It is a very personal economic issue, and I will say the politics of it will be very very different if a bunch of lawyers or bankers were crossing the Rio grand. Governor Bush, what is the biggest threat facing America today today. It is, I'd say, it is Islamic terrorism. I like, if Bouton wants to go in And I got to know him very well because we were both on 60 Minutes. We were stable mates, and we did very well that night. One of the reasons I've said that I would not be talking to Vladimir Putin right now, although I have met him as well, not in a green room for a show, but in a private meeting We're not going to be the world's policeman but we sure as heck better be the world's leader. That's, there's a huge difference, where without us leading, voids are filled. The Egyptians, the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, the Bahrainis, the Emiratis- [ NOISE ] The Kurds, all of these people I know, by the way, understand ISIS is their fight, but they must see leadership, support, and resolve from the United States of America. America. Ronald Reagan was strong but Ronald Reagan didn't [ CROSSTALK ] Ronald Reagan walked away at Reykjavik. He walked away, he quit talking when it was time to quit talking. [ CROSSTALK ] How does she keep interrupting everybody? [ LAUGH ] Can you be a physical conservative if you don't conserve all of the money? My 16 year olds, I worry about what their life is gonna be like. I don't think we need an agitator in chief, or a divider in chief. We need a Commander in Chief. 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