Here Are the Most Memorable Lines From the Republican Undercard Debate

The context: The moderators began by asking the candidates, in so many words, why they should be elected president if they couldn’t even qualify for the main primetime debate. For the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, they asked why Donald Trump was doing better than her.

The line: “Well, I don’t know. I didn’t get a phone call from Bill Clinton before I jumped in the race. Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton? I didn’t. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t given money to the foundation or donated to his wife’s Senate campaign.”

The context: The former Pennsylvania senator noted that his father spent the first seven years of his life living in Italy because U.S. law at the time didn’t allow him to join his own father, who had immigrated to the United States.

The line: “I asked my dad after — obviously, when I found out about this. And I said, ‘Didn’t you resent America for not letting you be with your father in those formative and very threatening years?’ You know what he said to me? ‘America was worth the wait.'”

The context: The moderator had asked a question about how the candidates would make Americans less dependent on government assistance such as food stamps, but the South Carolina Senator used it as an excuse to attack Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

The line: “I’m fluent in Clinton-speak; I’ve been dealing with this crowd for 20 years. You know, when Bill Clinton says it depends on what the meaning of is is, that means is is whatever Bill wants it to mean. When Hillary Clinton tells you I’ve given you all the emails you need, that means she hasn’t.”

The context: Each of the candidates were given 30 seconds to make a closing statement. The Louisiana Governor used his time to argue that Republicans need to embrace a conservative candidate and not compromise on issues such as immigration.

The line: “We must insist on assimilation — immigration without assimilation is an invasion. We need to tell folks who want to come here, they need to come here legally. They need to learn English, adopt our values, roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

The context: The former Texas Governor was asked about Trump, but he used the opportunity to instead talk about his record dealing with border security issues.

The line: “We sent our Texas ranger recon teams. We sent our parks and wildlife wardens. I deployed the National Guard after I stood on the ramp in Dallas, Texas and looked the president of the United States in the eye and said, ‘Mr. President, if you won’t secure the border, Texas will,’ and that’s exactly what we did.”

The context: The former Virginia Governor was asked whether companies such as Google and Apple should be allowed to build products that protect their users from government surveillance since critics argue those could be used by terrorists.

The line: “I chaired the National Commission on Homeland Security Committee for United States. We warned about the 9/11 attack before the 9/11 attack occurred. I was the governor during the 9/11 attack when the Pentagon was struck.”

The context: In his closing statement, Pataki brought up his three terms as governor of New York, working with a Democratic legislature to enact conservative laws.

The line: “The talk has got to stop, the action has got to begin. People can promise you something, I delivered in the blue state of New York. I will deliver for the American people if I have the privilege of leading this country.”