--- title: Republican Debate: Donald Trump Knocked Off His Game description: It took a painful half-a-year, but Donald Trump’s rivals seem to have finally cracked the code for getting under the billionaire’s skin canonical: https://time.com/4151005/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn-jeb-bush/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-16T06:17:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:25.886Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Republicans Finally Got Under Donald Trump's Skin og:description: It took a painful half-a-year, but Donald Trump’s rivals seem to have finally cracked the code for getting under the billionaire’s skin og:url: https://time.com/4151005/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn-jeb-bush/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt365be7e7a2aa86ed/6988759dab6d7750886a79bb/republican-debate2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Republicans Finally Got Under Donald Trump's Skin twitter:description: It took a painful half-a-year, but Donald Trump’s rivals seem to have finally cracked the code for getting under the billionaire’s skin twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt365be7e7a2aa86ed/6988759dab6d7750886a79bb/republican-debate2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Republicans Finally Got Under Donald Trump's Skin > 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=422cca7e-65c0-4f51-b79a-d2b22e486669&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch the Fifth Republican Debate In Four Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Fifth Republican Debate In Four Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mQUMUx2k.m3u8) (4:00)  _Published 2015-12-16. Nine Republican presidential candidates faced off for the fifth Republican debate on CNN_ by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) and [Zeke J Miller / Paradise, Nev.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Dec 16, 2015 6:17 AM UTC by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) and [Zeke J Miller / Paradise, Nev.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Dec 16, 2015 6:17 AM UTC No one seriously hoped they’d snuff out the support Donald Trump enjoys in the Republican Party. Instead, on the debate stage on the Las Vegas Strip, his rivals were looking to emerge as the most credible alternative to the bombastic billionaire. As the GOP campaign has grown more focused on foreign policy in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., the debate Tuesday night on the Las Vegas Strip put competing Republican strategies to defend the nation — and win next year’s general election — on stark display. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida were vying for one of the slots as the chief anti-Trump, while former Florida governor Jeb Bush showed new life, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appealed to those frustrated by the drama and political outsiders made a final pitch during the final GOP debate of 2015 with millions watching. With the Republican campaign slowing as the holiday season approaches, the candidates seized their last opportunity to define themselves before the new year. Unlike the four previous debates, the Republicans seemed eager to swing widely at one another. It took a painful half a year, but Trump’s rivals seem to have finally cracked the code for getting under the billionaire’s skin, finding their target in the grand theater constructed to house a production of _The Phantom of the Opera_. Bush learned that interrupting his foe put him off his game. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky figured out that, by suggesting Trump discarded the Constitution, he could flummox the GOP front-runner. And South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who is polling so poorly that he didn’t even qualify for the same debate stage, so irked the real estate giant with his comments that Trump went after him too. To be sure, Trump still leads in public polling and remains a formidable foe, especially when his ego is at risk. But the evening suggested that Trump is starting to feel the pressures of being the front-runner. He struggled to explain his proposal to shut down parts of the Internet to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and appeared to be unfamiliar with the nation’s nuclear deterrence capabilities — the sea, air and missile “triad.” At a rally on the debate’s eve, Trump predicted the debate wouldn’t be “a night in paradise” for him, and judging from his facial expressions and his body language, it sure wasn’t. Nearly everyone got a chance to weigh in. Trump spoke for roughly 13 minutes, according to NPR’s tally of talking times. Cruz logged about 16 minutes, while Rubio essentially tied Trump. **Read More:** [_Here’s Which Candidate Talked the Most_](http://time.com/4151011/republican-debate-talk-times-ted-cruz/) But the surprise standout was Bush, who delivered his strongest performance of the year on the back of a staunch anti-Trump message. “Donald is great at the one-liners, but he’s a chaos candidate and he’d be a chaos President,” Bush said. “Donald, you’re not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. That’s not going to happen.” Trump, however, didn’t take it in stride. Reminded that running the country is harder than appearing in a debate, Trump offered a witty rejoinder: “I wish it were always as easy as you, Jeb.” He then turned to his favorite barometer for political success: polls. “I’m at 42 and you’re at 3,” Trump sneered. After the debate, Bush reflected on his performance on CNN, saying, “Sometimes you have to take a stand.” Bush advisers were clearly proud of their candidate and showed genuine optimism when they met with reporters after the debate. “I found it interesting that the other candidates didn’t seek to distinguish themselves from Donald Trump,” Bush campaign manager Danny Diaz said. Republican party strategists have long believed that Trump can’t be the nominee — and the debate displayed his rivals believing it was unlikely as well. Bush’s assault on Trump was less a function of taking on the front-runner than it was proving he has the mettle to improve as a candidate. It also allowed him to avoid engaging Rubio and Cruz in their fight. Cruz was looking to endear himself to cultural conservatives in Iowa with references to Saul Alinsky and conservative radio host Mark Levin, while Rubio showed off his foreign policy chops and bathed himself in technicalities of U.S. nuclear policy in a play for the GOP mainstream. “If your eyes are glazed over like mine this is what it is like to be on the floor of the United States Senate,” Christie said of the Rubio-Cruz-Paul exchanges, aiming his message at yet another target: primary voters in New Hampshire. “I mean endless debates about how many angels on the head of a pin from people who have never had to make a consequential decision in an executive position.” **Read More:** [_Donald Trump Makes Up With the Republican Party_](http://time.com/4150989/republican-debate-donald-trump-gop/) Meanwhile, Ohio Governor John Kasich and former tech executive Carly Fiorina were seeking the role of schoolmarm pleading for civility and substance. Paul was carrying the banner of civil libertarian and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was desperately trying to stem a polling slide with a pitch as a true outsider, even as he dodged substantive questions on policy. For his part, Trump was swinging at anyone who swung at him, even if they weren’t on the same stage. He signaled he watched an earlier, minidebate for lesser polling candidates, including Graham, the hawkish South Carolinian who is badly struggling in polls. “I watched Lindsey Graham … He won’t be able to solve the problem,” Trump said. He also made references to undercard partners Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, the winners of the last two caucuses in Iowa. Polling that state shows a win slipping from Trump’s grasp, as Cruz rises and Rubio is racing to get into the mix. Trump’s challenge now is to regain his mojo and steady his campaign. His rivals’ top aides were more than eager to trash talk the man they must best if their bosses stand a chance. “Trump was less the center of his debate than in prior debates,” said Mike DuHaime, a strategist for Christie. Added Rick Tyler, a Cruz adviser: “It seems like he got less time.” And Alex Conant, a longtime Rubio aide, joked that he wasn’t about to try to figure out what was happening with Trump. “I try not to get into Donald J. Trump’s head.” Trump’s head, in all likelihood, was likely an unhappy place to be. **Read Next:** [_Donald Trump Plays Nice With Ted Cruz at Debate_](http://time.com/4150978/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn/) ## Transcript Welcome to the CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate I think defeat terrorism by showing them that we do not fear them. I fought my way to the top of corporate America while being called every b- word in the book. Our freedom is under attack. Our economy is under water. The leading Democrat is under investigation. And America is under the gun to lead the free world. To protect our civilized way of life. Border security is national security and we will not be admitting jihadist as refugees. We are not talking about isolation. We're talking about security. We're not talking about religion. We're talking about security. This is the most sophisticated terror group, That is every threat in the world to the United States of America. They are actively recruiting Americans. The attacker in San Bernardino was an American citizen. First and foremost, we need to go and destroy ISIS. And we need to do this with our Arab friends, and our friends in Europe. We are not any safer through the bolt collection of every Americans records. In fact I think we're less safe. We have to get rid of all this PC stuff and people are worried about somebody's gonna say that I'm Islamaphobic or what have you. This is craziness. If want to destroy radical Islamic terrorism we can't disassociate ourselves from peace loving Muslims. If we expect to do this on our own, we will fail. The bureaucratic procedures are so far behind, our government has become incompetent, unresponsive, corrupt. And, that incompetence, ineptitude, lack of accountability Accountability is now dangerous. I would certainly be open to closing areas where we are at war with somebody. I sure as hell don't wanna let people that wanna kill us and kill our nation use our internet. Moron. Would you carpet bomb Raqqa, the ISIS capital, where there are a lot of civilians? Yes or no? You would carpet bomb where ISIS is, not a city but the location of the troop. They may not care much about their lives, but they do care, believe it or not, about their families lives. The idea that that is a solution to this is just, is just crazy. Donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. That's not gonna happen. We have to do one thing at a time. We can't be fighting ISIS and fighting Asad. We have to get rid of ISIS first. We need to focus our attention on Iran, because if you miss Iran, you're not gonna get ISIS. For the Russians Frankly, it's time that we punched the Russians in the nose. I didn't say I would cut off all communication with Putin. What I said was, as President of the United States, now is not the time to talk with him. The biggest problem we have today is nuclear proliferation and having some maniac, having some madman go out And yet a nuclear weapon. I, personally, am open to allowing people apply for a green card. Border security is national security. When you're letting people in, when the FBI can't vet them, it puts American citizens at risk. People can come into the country, we welcome people to come in, but they have to come in legally. Charity's about giving your own money, charity isn't giving someone else's money. To put everyone on government housing and food stamps, and bring them in from around the world I think is a mistake. I'm not gonna let Syrian refugees, any Syrian refugees, in this country. And it was widows and orphans by the way. And we now know from watching the San Bernardino attack that women can commit heinous, heinous acts. What I can tell you is all nine of the people here Would make an infinitely better Commander in Chief than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. [ APPLAUSE ] To take our country back, to keep our nation safe, we have to begin by beating Hillary Clinton. Gotten to know him over the last three or four days. He has a wonderful temperament. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] He's just fine, don't worry. About it. Okay. Nothing works in our country. If I'm elected president, we will win again. We will win a lot. And we will have great, great country, greater than ever before. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4151005/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn-jeb-bush/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4151005/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn-jeb-bush/"},"headline":"How Republicans Finally Got Under Donald Trump's Skin","datePublished":"2015-12-16T06:17:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:40:25.886Z","description":"It took a painful half-a-year, but Donald Trump’s rivals seem to have finally cracked the code for getting under the billionaire’s skin","url":"https://time.com/4151005/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-cnn-jeb-bush/","keywords":["Debates","2016 Election","Sen. 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