--- title: Republican Debate: Read the Full-Text Transcript description: Five Republican presidential candidates faced off Thursday night in Houston for the tenth GOP debate. canonical: https://time.com/4238363/republican-debate-tenth-houston-cnn-telemundo-transcript-full-text/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-26T05:03:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:31.191Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read the Full Transcript of the Tenth Republican Debate og:description: Here's the full text of the Houston debate. og:url: https://time.com/4238363/republican-debate-tenth-houston-cnn-telemundo-transcript-full-text/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68a9e6ff2269181a/69887f360a4a2226839c88d8/gettyimages-512261654-2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Members of the media tour the debate hall ahead of the Republican presidential primary candidate debate sponsored by CNN and Telemundo at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read the Full Transcript of the Tenth Republican Debate twitter:description: Here's the full text of the Houston debate. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68a9e6ff2269181a/69887f360a4a2226839c88d8/gettyimages-512261654-2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read the Full Transcript of the Tenth Republican Debate in Texas > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=820198d9-3dca-4d0f-907c-c36ae3460df0&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch the Tenth Republican Debate In Less Than Three Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Tenth Republican Debate In Less Than Three Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GCycSNfJ.m3u8) (2:57)  _Published 2016-02-26_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Feb 26, 2016 5:03 AM UTC by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Feb 26, 2016 5:03 AM UTC Five Republican presidential candidates faced off Thursday night in Houston for the tenth GOP debate. Real estate mogul Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson were all on the stage for a debate hosted by CNN and Spanish language network Telemundo. The debate moderators were Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash of CNN, María Celeste Arrarás of Telemundo and radio host Hugh Hewitt. --- > “” --- ## Transcript We're live here at the University of Houston for the tenth Republican Presidential Debate. We're getting record- setting numbers. I think I have something to do with that. We are building a new Republican Party. On the stage tonight there are two descendants of immigrants of Cuban origin and an African American. We are the party of diversity, not the Democratic Party. [ APPLAUSE ] We have always welcomed legal immigrants, but I think it is a mistake To forgive those who break the law to allow them to become US citizens. So you're the only person on the stage that's ever been fined for hiring people to work on your projects illegally. You hired some workers from Poland. No, no I'm the only one on the stage that's hired people. You haven't hired anybody. [ LAUGH ] If you wanna know who actually will secure the borders and follow through, you ought to ask who has a record before they were a candidate for President. The problem with President Reagan Is we didn't get in there and actually finish the border. The wall just got ten feet taller believe me. [ APPLAUSE ] If you build the wall the way he build Trump towers, he'll be using illegal immigrant labor to do it. [ APPLAUSE ] Justice Roberts was strongly recommended and pushed by Ted. Justice Roberts gave us Obamacare might as well be called Robert's care. If you're small business owner Donald Trump's socialized medicine, putting the government in charge of your healthcare would kill more jobs than Obamacare. I'll tell you this- Senator. As President I will repeal every word of Obamacare. Thank you. We're gonna have private health care. But I will not allow people to die on the sidewalks and the streets of our country if I'm President. You may let it and you may be find with it. So does the government pay for everyone's healthcare? I'm not fine with it Keep kicking the can down the road, we're gonna face this sooner or later. But I would love to see regime change in North Korea. Kim Jong- un is an unstable person. If he ever shoots a missile at us it will be the last thing he ever does. The next President of the United States will not be able to serve four to eight years without dealing with the national debt. It is not a question of if, it is a question of when we have a debt crisis I've got a plan to take to Washington, and I will have it there in the first hundred days and it will include shipping welfare, education, transportation, Medicaid and job training back to us, so we can begin to in the States to be the laboratories of innovation. ANd that is what this country needs, jobs, jobs and jobs! [ APPLAUSE ] I'm asking you tonight, America. To join hands with me to heal, inspire, and revive America. If not us, who, and if not now, when? I will hit the ground running, and we will get America moving again. The time for games is over. I know you've had a lot of choices to make, but now it's time to narrow it down and I'm asking you to get behind me. There's several deal makers on this stage, but there's only one person who's consistently stood up to both parties, fighting for the American people against Against the Washington deal. I will get it done. Politicians will never ever get it done and we will make America great again. 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