--- title: Republican Debate Sets Record for Fox Business Network description: According to preliminary ratings canonical: https://time.com/4108195/republican-debate-viewers-ratings-fox-business/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T16:10:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T22:55:11.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Debate Sets Viewership Record for Fox Business Network og:description: According to preliminary ratings og:url: https://time.com/4108195/republican-debate-viewers-ratings-fox-business/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdacc43851e8776e4/698870890b72e3de4b6e6c38/republican-gop-debate-ratings-viewers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Debate Sets Viewership Record for Fox Business Network twitter:description: According to preliminary ratings twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdacc43851e8776e4/698870890b72e3de4b6e6c38/republican-gop-debate-ratings-viewers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 03:46 video:published: 2015-10-29 section: politics topics: Republican presidential debate, national debt, Medicare and Social Security, gun ownership, Senate attendance, government size, tax cuts, ISIS and Al Qaeda, homepage placement dispute genre: debate, news tones: combative, confrontational, humorous, assertive emotions: anger (medium), amusement (medium), defiance (medium), concern (low) sentiment: neutral audience: voters, political observers, news viewers, policy followers people: John, Bernie, John McCain, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Al organizations: CNBC, University of Colorado, Senate, ISIS, Al Qaeda content_suitability: politics [00:00-03:46]; profanity [00:49-00:56]; violence [02:24-02:46]; financial distress [00:40-01:20]; crime [00:56-01:10]; drugs and alcohol [02:04-02:19] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Republican Debate Sets Viewership Record for Fox Business Network > 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=af8e8cfa-15ac-42b6-8192-4294f08a6dcb&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8UytvMpk.m3u8) (3:46)  _Published 2015-10-29. Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Excerpts from the CNBC Republican presidential debate, held at the University of Colorado in Boulder, are condensed into under four minutes. Candidates are questioned about their weaknesses, entitlement programs and national debt, and the role of Senate attendance. The exchanges also cover gun ownership, a dispute over a candidate's homepage placement, and attacks on Hillary Clinton. ## Key points - A candidate says he does not have weaknesses he can think of and that he trusts people too much. (00:00) - A candidate jokes that after the last debate he was told he did not smile enough. (00:23) - A candidate blames grandparents for having too many children when discussing why Medicare and Social Security are broke. (00:49) - A candidate says a senator should show up to work, calling the Senate's schedule like a French work week. (01:20) - A candidate says he has a permit to carry a gun in New York and carries on occasion, sometimes a lot. (01:48) - A candidate says he does not know his homepage placement occurred and calls the debate's focus on fantasy football a distraction from the $19 trillion debt and ISIS and Al Qaeda attacks. (02:24) - A candidate says he is the only one on stage with a plan to create jobs, cut taxes and balance the budget. (02:46) - A candidate says he wants a government so small he can barely see it and states he will beat Hillary Clinton. (03:20) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:40] Candidates' weaknesses and debate performance. Candidates respond to questions about their weaknesses and jokes about smiling during the last debate. - [00:40 to 01:20] Entitlements, debt and blame. Discussion turns to Medicare, Social Security, the national debt and whose fault the shortfalls are. - [01:20 to 02:00] Senate attendance and gun ownership. A candidate criticizes a senator's attendance record, and another discusses carrying a gun and workplace gun policies. - [02:00 to 02:46] Homepage dispute and fantasy football jibe. A candidate is questioned about a homepage placement and responds by criticizing the debate's focus on lighter topics. - [02:46 to 03:46] Plans, small government and Clinton attacks. Candidates tout their economic plans, call for smaller government, and predict a contest against Hillary Clinton. ## Key quotes - [00:23] unidentified candidate: "I trust people too much." - [00:49] unidentified candidate: "it's your grandparents' fault for having too many damn kids." - [01:48] unidentified candidate: "I have a permit which is very unusual in New York, a permit to carry." - [02:46] unidentified candidate: "I'm the only one on this stage that has a plan that would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and could get it done because I'm realistic." - [03:20] unidentified candidate: "I want a government so small I can barely see it." ## Questions this video answers - What is a candidate's biggest weakness and how are they addressing it? [00:08] - Whose fault is it that Medicare and Social Security are broke? [00:49] - Would a candidate feel more comfortable if employees brought guns to work? [01:40] - Does the homepage placement speak to a candidate's vetting process or judgment? [02:24] - Which candidate has a plan to create jobs, cut taxes and balance the budget? [02:46] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-03:46]: Entire clip is a political debate between presidential candidates. - profanity [00:49-00:56]: Candidate uses the word 'damn'. - violence [02:24-02:46]: References to ISIS and Al Qaeda attacks. - financial distress [00:40-01:20]: Discussion of broke entitlement programs and debt of $19 trillion. - crime [00:56-01:10]: Reference to a person who sits in prison. - drugs and alcohol [02:04-02:19]: Joking offer of a beer and tequila.  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:55 PM UTCPublished: Nov 11, 2015 4:10 PM UTC Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:55 PM UTCPublished: Nov 11, 2015 4:10 PM UTC The fourth debate for the 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls [set a viewership record for the relatively young Fox Business Network](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-gop-debate-round-839187?utm%5Fsource=Sailthru&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=THR%20Breaking%20News%5Fnow%5F2015-11-11%2007:04:07%5Fmoconnell&utm%5Fterm=hollywoodreporter%5Fbreakingnews). Approximately 13.5 million people watched the debate, according to an Associated Press [report](http://billingsgazette.com/entertainment/tv/fox-business-network-reached-million-for-gop-debate/article%5Fb8895076-9cf9-5551-9833-bc2e636ed0ce.html). That’s not far from the 12 million who tuned into the previous debate, which aired on the more widely distributed CNBC network. The debate was a record audience for the 8-year-old Fox Business Network. The channel has never had more than 1 million viewers for a single program, according to the AP. \[[AP](http://billingsgazette.com/entertainment/tv/fox-business-network-reached-million-for-gop-debate/article%5Fb8895076-9cf9-5551-9833-bc2e636ed0ce.html)\] ## Transcript [00:00] Live from the University of Colorado in Boulder, the [00:04] Republican Presidential Debate. [ APPLAUSE ] My great [00:08] concern is that we are on the verge, perhaps, of [00:11] picking someone who cannot do this job. What is your [00:14] biggest weakness and what are you doing to address [00:17] it? Well, John, I don't really have any weaknesses that I [00:19] can think of. [ LAUGH ] I trust people too much. Not [00:23] really seeing myself in that position until hundreds [00:27] of thousands of people began to tell me that I needed [00:29] to do it. Well gee, after the last debate I was told that I [00:33] didn't smile enough. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] But I'm [00:40] not worried about my finances, I'm worried about the [00:41] finances of everyday Americans. [ INAUDIBLE ] who [00:43] today are struggling in an economy that is producing [00:46] good paying jobs, while everything else costs more. [00:49] Whose fault is it that Medicare's broke and out of [00:51] money, that Social Security broke and out of money, [00:53] and I say look, it's not Republicans' fault, it's not [00:56] Democrats' fault, it's your grandparents' fault for [00:59] having too many damn kids. Tell me what's different [01:02] between the government and Bernie [ INAUDIBLE ] who [01:05] sits in prison today for doing less than what the [01:07] government has done to the people on social security [01:10] and medicare in this country. Let's tell people the [01:12] truth. For once let's do that and stop trying to give [01:16] them some kind of fantasy that's never going to come [01:17] true. When you signed up for this, this was a six year [01:20] term. And you should be showing up to work. I mean [01:22] literally, the Senate, what is it, like a French work [01:24] week? You get like three days where you have to show [01:27] up? I don't remember you ever complaining about John [01:29] McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're [01:31] doing it now is because we're running for the same [01:32] position, and someone has convinced you that [01:34] attacking me is gonna help you. Here's the bottom line. [01:37] [ APPLAUSE ] My campaign- Would you feel more [01:40] comfortable if your employees brought guns to work? [01:43] Yes, I might feel more comfortable. I would say that I [01:48] would, and I have a permit which is very unusual in [01:51] New York, a permit to carry. And I do carry on [01:55] occasion, sometimes a lot. But I like to be [01:58] unpredictable, so people don't know exactly what you [02:00] carry. [ LAUGH ] I love Donald Trump. [02:04] Is a good man I'm wearing a Trump tie tonight. Get [02:07] over that one. Okay? Wait a sec. Al. We're clearly not [02:11] having that beer you mentioned. [ LAUGH ] But I'll give [02:15] you thirty more seconds. But I'll buy you a tequila. [02:16] Okay, alright. Or even some famous Colorado [02:19] brownies. I'll give you thirty seconds to respond. Whoa. [02:24] If somebody put me on their homepage, they did it [02:26] without my permission. Does that not speak to your [02:28] vetting process or judgment in any way? It speaks to [02:31] the fact that I don't know that it's going on. We have 19 [02:35] trillion dollars in debt, we have people out of work, we [02:39] have ISIS and Al Qaeda attacking us, and we're talking [02:42] about fantasy football? Can we stop? [ APPLAUSE ] [02:46] I'm the only one on this stage that has a plan that [02:49] would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and [02:53] could get it done because I'm realistic. You just don't [02:56] make promises like this. Why don't we just give a [02:58] chicken in every pot? You find a Democrat that's for [03:00] cutting taxes, cutting spending $ 10? I'll give him a [03:03] warm kiss. I do not want to walk my five [03:08] grandkids through the charred remains of the once [03:11] great country called America and say here you go, [03:14] $ 20 trillion worth of debt, good luck making [03:17] something out of this mess. I want a government so [03:20] small I can barely see it. I want a government so small [03:23] that the individual has a chance to drive and prosper. I [03:27] may not be your dream candidate just yet but I can [03:30] assure you I am Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare and [03:33] in your heart of hearts you cannot wait to see a debate [03:36] between Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. I will tell you [03:39] this. 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