Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Nicky Woolf, with Ben Jacobs and David Smith in Greenville, South Carolina

Republican debate: Trump v Bush and Cruz v Rubio as tempers flare – as it happened

Donald Trump
Donald Trump, right, makes a point across Ted Cruz, aimed at Jeb Bush. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

So, that's it until the South Carolina primaries

In what was the most aggressive, most cutthroat debate yet, all five candidates - excepting the somnolent Ben Carson - upped the anger ante in the presidential race. Here’s what we learned:

  • Trump has clearly been advised that bullying Jeb Bush is a vote-winner; he spent a large amount of his overwhelming speaking time slamming the former Florida governor with the political equivalent of pushing his face in a toilet-bowl of his own campaign finance history and shouting “you gonna cry? you gonna cry?”
  • Ben Carson used a quote from Stalin - about it being a “healthy body” that in order to destroy “you have to undermine three principles: their spiritual life, their patriotism, and their morality” - that appears to be utterly and entirely fabricated.
  • If Marco Rubio could speak to any historical president, it would be - surprise, surprise - Ronald Reagan.
  • Donald Trump supports Planned Parenthood - at least in part - and is willing to say so in a televised Republican debate, which is pretty much unprecedented.
  • Jeb Bush said he’d moon someone, but it is relatively unclear whom, and whether he ever went through with it.
  • Ben Carson wants you to go to his website. He said this at least five times.
  • “Jeez, oh man,” as spoken by John Kasich, is about as accurate a summary of the current Republican primary as we’re likely to hear, and is likely to become a catchphrase.
  • Ted Cruz doesn’t speak Spanish. At least, according to a comeback smackdown by Marco Rubio, which the Texas senator didn’t deny.
  • 9/11 is still just as strong an issue in this campaign as it ever was; mainly because of Bush’s line that his brother “kept us safe,” and Trump’s rebuttal - repeated several times, that “the World Trade Center came down on [George W’s] watch.”

The South Carolina primary is Sunday, February 20 - we’ll see you there.

The big question is whether any of that 30%-plus of Republicans who are considered Trump voters have tired of his act. My guess is they have not, and view his continued bellicosity – on display again tonight – as strength.

This was another strong debate from Bush, but it might be too little too late. Cruz started strong with his Scalia question, but seemed to fade.

And, one big question heading into this debate is whether Rubio would find his bearings and shake off the #RubioBot tag. And, it was the old Rubio: he offered smart, concise answers that seemed maybe a bit too smooth but not canned. He was more energetic young McKinsey consultant than Lt Commander Data and, for the most part, he escaped the unpleasant on-stage bickering and stayed out of Trump’s sites.

My grades: Rubio A-; Bush B+; Trump B; Kasich B; Cruz B-; Carson C+. Trump is still the favorite to win South Carolina a week from now, but maybe Rubio and Bush will get a bit of a lift from this debate.

Trump.

“Politicians are all talk, no action. You’ve seen where they’ve taken you to.” Then moves into his stump “we don’t win” spiel.

“We are not going to be controlled by people that are special interests and lobbyists.”

Ted Cruz.

“Two branches of government hang in the balance. Not just the presidency, but the Supreme Court.”

Now Rubio.

“This is a difficult time for our country. Wrong is now considered right, and right is now considered wrong.”

But 2016 can be a turning-point. That’s why I’m running for president.

Now Bush.

“The next president is going to be confronted with an unforseen challenge ... the question for South Carolinians is: who do you want sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.”

Carson next. “This is the first generation expected not to do better than their parents. People say this is the new normal, but there’s nothing normal about it.”

Quotes Josef Stalin, which is probably a first, then says “we, the people, can stop that decline.”

Says, in answer to people who says he can’t win: “not only can we win, but we can turn this thing around.”

Time for closing statements

Kasich first, with a strong, positive message. “Whoever gets elected here, hopefully we’ll solve the issue of wages ... but the spirit of America doesn’t come from the top down, the spirit of America rests in us.”

Sent out during the debate, a Bush campaign email is slamming Trump for low-quality products:

Final break Twitter roundup:

Rubio is asked if he can talk to any previous president, who would it be and what question would he ask.

Can you guess which president he chooses?

Correct! Ronald Reagan.

Updated

So what would benefit Republicans more: an extended debate on how to a) increase work, b) raise living standards for low-income Americans and c) increase upward mobility; or that extended, unpleasant exchange between Cruz and Trump?

What would benefit Republicans more: if voters next November knew their anti-poverty plans; or just that they would cut taxes deeply for the 0.1 percent?

And there are Republican anti-poverty plans, from higher-ed reform to increasing wage subsidies to reducing occupation licensing regulations – not that voters watching any of these debates would know about these plans. Rubio gave about 30 seconds on his anti-poverty agenda, which may be it for the entirety of this debate for the entire field.

That’s too bad.

Donald Trump is asked if he’s ever told he’s wrong and listened. “Well my wife tells me I’m wrong,” he says. Then he pivots to attack Jeb Bush’s spending “of special interests’ money” in New Hampshire. “This is not going to make our country great again.”

Jeb has taken a real pounding from Trump tonight. But he is not afforded an opportunity to respond; Dickerson asks Trump another question, about his use of profanity. He claims never to have said “the word” - but that “you bleeped it!” Promises not to do it again, though.

Now, we turn to Bush. “I gotta respond to this.” But Dickerson moves straight to a question, about Washington. “I think the dysfunction in Washington is very dangerous. We need someone who doesn’t disparage people, someone who doesn’t brag about having been bankrupt four times.

Trump interrupts again, a steamroller with a high-electricity haircut.

From our correspondent Ben Jacobs, on the scene:

This debate is like that playground game in which people blindfold you and spin you around, then whip the blindfold off and see if you can walk somewhere. Only it’s on a moving platform, and the person who is “it” is wearing a mask pumping nitrous oxide.

Anybody who can tell you who won or what just happened or even remember the order of things is lying: this is a mess. It’s a glorious, totally engrossing, chaotic mess, but it’s still a mess.

If you tried to footnote this thing, the job would be longer than the regular text of a David Foster Wallace book. People are just saying damn near anything that pops into their minds.

This isn’t post-truth politics, it’s post-restraint politics. Phineas Gage was more composed than this, and the man had a three-foot iron rod driven through his forebrain.

Things got pretty heated just then, before Ben Carson started talking.

“I wanted to look under the hood of the engine of what’s going on in Washington,” says Carson, unprompted, “and I was scared and wanted to run away, but I didn’t.”

“Flexibility is a good thing,” says Cruz. “But you shouldn’t be flexible on core principles.” He says he likes Trump, but points out that the real-estate mogul supports Planned Parenthood.

Trump, rattled, gets mean: “you are the single biggest liar - you’re probably a bigger liar than Jeb Bush.”

“This guy will say anything. Nasty guy.”

Cruz says “Just notice: Donald didn’t disagree with the substance that he supports public funding for Planned Parenthood.”

“Where did I support it, Ted?” shouts Trump. Cruz says he said Trump said - deep breath - that Trump said Planned Parenthood does wonderful things. “It does do wonderful things, just not on abortion,” Trump says, actually rather bravely in this arena.

“My name was mentioned twice,” Ben Carson says, quietly. Everyone ignores him.

I had been wondering if Trump would mention the gut-punch viral video of air conditioner manufacturer laying off some 1400 workers as they moved production facilities to Monterrey, Mexico.

But the larger ramification of what Trump is proposing – taxing any manufacturing moved out of the United States – is that he would theoretically end the offshoring of US manufacturing . Of course, states like South Carolina are also the beneficiaries of other countries placing factories in the United States, particularly foreign automakers, and a trade war would almost certainly impact those facilities.

Voters in those states may understand the economics of trade a bit better than most.

And, we’re back! Once again, first question from the ad break is for Trump. He’s asked about how changing one’s mind is Reaganesque for Trump, and flip-flopping when Rubio does it.

In answer, Trump says that Reagan “made many of the same changes that I made.”

Unforced, he brings up eminent domain, something about which Republican establishment have hit him hard.

Ad break Twitter roundup:

Let’s call the immigration questions the “let’s alienate all non-white” voters portion of the debate. It’s also the part off the debate where – if he were still in the race – Chris Christie would jump in with his “all these senators do is talk about arcane amendments” bit. (It is exactly what Jeb did!)

It was also another squandered opportunity for Trump to walk back his harsh immigration comments from last summer – but that’s not happening.

Oh, and does Trump really, really dislike Bush: it’s palpable in way that’s not evident when he talks about Cruz and Rubio.

The Kasich plan to legalize undocumented immigrants without granting citizenship is an interesting middle ground between “deport them all” and the path to citizenship usually derided by Republicans as “amnesty” that might get further exploration if the next president is an Republican – even if that president is not Kasich.

A question to Trump, about a promised tax on industries which move abroad, “where do you think you get the authority?”

“I would build consensus with congress,” promises Trump, Consensus-Builder-In-Chief. “So stay where you are, and build in the United States.”

Crucial Trump vs Jeb Bush “mooning” comment update:

The debate so far, summed-up by our very own Ben Jacobs, on the scene in Greenville:

The Guardian is briefly unable to confirm whether or not Ben Carson is still on the stage.

Oh, there he is! He’s asked a question about prosecution of financial executives.

“First of all, please go to my website and read my immigration policy,” Carson says in answer, again.

“Because, it actually makes sense!”

Jeb Bush just stated that Donald Trump is “weak”, because, in part, he callde Senator John McCain “weak”. Trump, of course, denied it.

Well, let the record reflect what Trump did say in July 2015:

He’s not a war hero ... He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He’s a war hero because he was captured, OK? And I believe — perhaps he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.

And, the week before those comments, he said this:

I’ve supported John McCain, but he’s very weak on immigration.

“I think we’re fixin’ to lose the election to Hillary Clinton if we don’t stop this,” says John Kasich, Voice Of Reason.

Trump is now claiming ownership of illegal immigration as a topic. “If I didn’t bring it up, we wouldn’t even be talking about it.”

Then he turns the Eye of Sauron on to Jeb. “The weakest person on this stage is Jeb Bush.”

“It’s weak to disparage women. It’s weak to denigrate the disabled,” Bush hits back.

Trump: “two days ago he said he would take his pants off and moon everybody.” Unconfirmed.

Looks like Kasich’s “jeez, oh man” is going to be the big takeaway from tonight’s debate.

Ted Cruz’s willingness to bite on all his peers’ lines and pass them off as his own is truly shameless.

The audience just booed him for his statements on amnesty, and he cribbed Trump’s line about his stance “obviously” being “unpopular with the donor class”. It’s a great line! It’s also really great if you thought of it and had the stones to have said it the first time (in the last debate) or the second time (in this debate).

Ted Cruz is the antithesis of Marco Rubio: he is remarkably absorbent.

That said, you don’t have to like Ted Cruz to admire his firing back at Rubio’s line about his not speaking Spanish by turning to him and speaking in Spanish. It shows how much of a lawyer Rubio isn’t: you don’t open a line of questioning if you don’t already know the answers, and he clearly didn’t know the answer.

It’s doubtful that either of them was ever going to garner a huge majority of the Latino vote, but that Rubio just gave Cruz a huge opportunity to humanize himself. Meanwhile, Rubio stood there, looking forward, smiling weakly, clearly incapable of response and trying put the machine back on message.

Updated

Rubio slams Cruz. Cruz talks about what the Florida senator’s plans were, as outlined on Univision; Rubio says “I don’t know how he knows what I said on Univision as he doesn’t speak Spanish.”

Cruz is going to need some ointment for that burn.

He may have read the audience wrong, however:

Boos for Ted Cruz saying that he stood against the Schumer amnesty plan - like Trump, the Texas senator hits at the audience, saying “clearly the donor class supported it.”

Rubio up next. He says that the only way to make progress is to “get illegal immigration under control.” But points out that the wall is not the only solution, because “40 percent of people here illegally enter legally on visas and then outstay them.

Interestingly, even Trump nods in agreement. The audience loves that answer too; they cheer loudly.

Updated

Now we move to immigration

Oh good.

Trump says that “I want to take care of everybody; but we need to take care of our people first.”

I. Will. Build. A. Wall.

The moderators should really be hammering these candidates on the massive revenue losses from their tax plans. Even assuming strong economic feedback (ie, that it would spur massive economic growth), any of the proposed the tax cuts would put the federal government deeply in the red.

And, if the candidates would pay for these plans through “entitlement reform”, they’re really saying that they’re going to pay for huge tax cuts for business and the rich by cutting the growth of Medicare and Social Security benefits.

The Democratic ads write themselves.

This is an issue that Republican primary voters may not care about – though, the more money a tax plan loses, the less dough the government is able to spend! – but it could be a huge negative in the general election.

A good point; Cruz has escaped fire so far.

Jeb’s campaign is calling his spat with Trump over 9/11 a victory, it seems - though it may be premature.

On taxes, let’s actually be clear: Ted Cruz has proposed a value-added tax, or VAT. He can call it a “business flat tax” but it is a VAT. Whatever its pluses and minus, it allows him to propose a very low income tax with the rest of revenue-generating bits hidden on the business side. That’s rather clever, really.

Rubio’s tax plan is in sync with past successful Republican tax plans in that it would improve incentives to invest while also directing immediate tax relief to taxpayers; that was both the Reagan and Bush II plans. But it is really more of a general election plan in that it can be sold as something more than “cut taxes for the rich and all be well”.

Of course, all the Republican tax plans are big revenue losers for the federal, which Democrats will certainly attack in a general election.

Carson’s answer is cut off by commerce.

“Dr Carson, I’m sorry, we have to go to commercial. The free market wants what it wants.”

Updated

Ben Carson - who is still on the stage - is asked a question! In answer, he tells people to check his website for details on his tax plan, which is always a crowd-pleasing strategy.

Jeb says he admires Kasich’s moves; but then pivots to saying that he wants to repeal Obamacare.

Kasich says that Jeb knows that he’s no pro-Obamacare. But then he points to Reagan as the basis for getting “people on their feet.”

This is a fight between the two of them; but it’s hard to tell because they’re being much more polite, and they are both trying for political reasons to wriggle out of supporting not putting the mentally ill in prison, which is a weird political belief to be ashamed of.

Kasich gets a key question, about his support of Medicare expansion and how it fits in with conservative ambitions.

“When we expand medicaid and we treat the mentally ill, then they don’t live under a bridge or in a prison where they cost $22,500 per year,” he says, in an answer that wouldn’t be out of place in the Democratic debate the other day. “Guess what else: they get their lives back.”

Medicare and Social Security reform has been a foundational Republican issue for decades, and yet Trump completely rejects it.

His solution to program funding problems is, basically, more economic growth – even though Social Security benefits actually rise with economic growth. The math doesn’t work.

Trump’s position shows how the Republican party is moving away from entitlement reform now that it depends more and more on older voters. Social Security is now concerned one part of Americans’ “earned benefits” – as opposed to the “welfare” benefits of Obamcare, Medicaid and various income supports which, you know, go to Democratic voters.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is speaking at a rally in Denver, Colorado:

It’s good at this point to remember just how politically incredible this situation is:

Ted Cruz up next. Says the economy isn’t going to be solved with “magic pixie dust,” which I guess loses him the magic pixie vote.

Don’t kid yourselves: there remains a deep pool of goodwill toward George W Bush within the Republican Party. He made an extraordinary emotional connection after 9-11.

The harsh Trump critique will, I am sure, strike many Republicans as unnecessarily venomous and something they would more likely expect to hear from Bernie Sanders or film-maker Michael Moore. That is why many see Trump as having a ceiling within these primaries.

Three times (so far) tonight the audience has lustfully booed the facts:

  1. That the Bush administration lied to the country about an optional war in Iraq.
  2. That he did not keep Americans safe, because over 3,000 people died on 9/11 on his watch.
  3. That the first Bush failed to assassinate Osama bin Laden.

These three statements were made by Donald Trump, and he might as well have doused the stage in kerosene and set it ablaze.

“Exciting” in politics is an extremely low bar to clear; the slightest side-eye is usually enough to send politicos and political journalists aflutter and especially a-Twitter.

This was far more than that. This was a man burning down a party from the inside.

Updated

And, we’re back: the next topic is “money”. Fittingly, the first question goes to - yup, you guessed it.

“Mr Trump: you have made a lot of promises, and you’re the only candidate who has said he will not touch entitlement.” They say that would cost “12-15 trillion dollars,” and ask if he’s proposing more than he can deliver.

Trump says “I’m going to save social security. I’m going to bring jobs back from China. I’m going to bring jobs back from Mexico. I’m going to make our economy strong again.”

Ad break Twitter roundup:

Trump, again, hits out at the idea that George W. Bush ‘kept us safe’: “the World Trade Center came down under George Bush’s reign” says that he “lost hundreds of friends.”

Jeb rescinds the invitation to the rally in Charleston with his brother, live on stage.

Jeb: “my mother was the strongest person I know”

Trump: “maybe she should be running”

“This is just crazy. Jeez, oh man,” says Kasich.

“I think its my turn, isn’t it,” says Jeb.

“I’m sick and tired of Barack Obama blaming my brother,” Jeb says. “I could care less about the insults Donald Trump gives to me ... but I’m sick and tired of him going after my family.” He goes back to his old line about his brother “keeping us safe.”

“The world trade center came down when your brother was president,” Trump shoots back.

“As a businessman, I get along with anybody,” Trump says. The audience is shouting; febrile. “Obviously the war in Iraq was a big fat mistake,” he continues. “It took Jeb Bush five days before his people told him what to say, and he ultimately said it was a mistake.”

With Rand Paul out the race, Trump is now really the loudest voice for a different kind of Republican foreign policy and a less interventionist one – well, less interventionist after bombing the hell out of Isis. He is the only one on the stage against the Iraq War, calling it a “big fat mistake”.

But then he went further, saying that the Bush administration lied the country into war. The former president is supposedly quite popular into South Carolina; we’ll see how Trump’s full-throated criticism – including noting that the World Trade Center was attacked on George W Bush’s watch, which earned him boos in the room – plays.

Updated

Trump slams both Jeb, the audience, and Lindsay Graham
Trump slams both Jeb, the audience, and Lindsay Graham Photograph: John Bazemore/AP

“And now to Ted Cruz, who is also running for president,” says Dickerson.

Cruz says that “when it comes to ISIS, you’ve got to have a focussed objective.” He’s avoiding getting into the mudslinging that just broke out between Bush and Trump

More boos from the audience, as Trump slams Lindsey Graham. Bush responds: “the basic fact is, Vladimir Putin is not going to be an ally of the United States.”

“We’re supporting troops that we don’t even know who they are,” Trump shouts. The audience boos again. “This is from a guy who gets his foreign policy from the shows,” Jeb hits back. The audience cheers.

From Guardian US contributor and American Enterprise Institute columnist James Pethokoukis:

So no surprise, the lead-off question was about the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Each candidate’s response sort of reflected the essence of their candidacies. Trump was combative – “Delay, delay, delay” – but, you have to give him points for actually naming a couple of potential conservative judicial picks.

Kasich was sunny, suggesting this was an opportunity for Obama to nominate a unifying choice. Rubio gave a concise, smooth answer (not in any way robotic!). Jeb tried to be the adult in the room.

As for Cruz, it was an issue right in his wheelhouse, and not just because of his legal background. It allowed him to remind Republican voters that he is a “fighter” since, as president, he would have to fight to get his nominee through the US Senate.

Trump goes after Jeb!

“Jeb is so wrong ... that’s Jeb’s special interests and lobbyists talking,” he says, of Jeb’s plan to remove the sequester just now. The audience isn’t loving this internecine attack - more boos.

From Guardian US columnist Jeb Lund:

It took two replies for the axis of bizarro world to keep whirring askew of all physics, as Donald Trump delivered a reasonable answer on nominating a justice to the US supreme court to replace Antonin Scalia, and John Kasich said something dumb.

In short, Trump recognized that it’s the right of the president to nominate justices, irrespective of the year, because he would like the privilege of doing so if he were the president in a lame-duck year. It’s, he said, the obligation of the Republican senate to obstruct Barack Obama as he exercises his obligations under the constitution. That’s ... actually true, and fairly reasonable

John Kasich, on the other hand, felt that Barack Obama shouldn’t nominate anyone, because the American people should be consulted, via an election and the one in 2012 didn’t count.

Also, something something about civility.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson feltthat we should, uh, “look into that” about how, ahhh, the average lifespan of human beings has changed since the era of the founders, so, ahhh, these appointments last much longer, but, uh, also that we should do something about civility, because we aren’t as civil as we used to be.

Jeb Bush’s answer was completely sensible and predictable for his base, but I’m sure what everybody noticed was that he cited Article 2 of the US constitution – establishing his conservative bona fides – and spoke forcefully, as if he woke up a few weeks ago and looked at the clock and realized he had to appear credible as a candidate.

Back to Kasich, with a question about Russia. “You’ve said you want to punch them in the nose - what does that mean?”

“We need to make it clear what we expect,” the Ohio governor answers. “We will arm the Ukraine. ... Any attack on [a NATO country] is an attack on us.”

The fact of the matter is, the world is desperate for leadership.

Ben Carson is asked if his lack of political experience is a liability. He returns to the answer to his first question, then thanks the moderators for including him in the debate. “Two questions already, this is great,” he says.

Rubio speaking with visible emotion about his experience on the foreign relations committee - giving a strong answer. “I saw the images of these little children being gassed by their own leaders,” he says. “And I was angry.”

But says it was the right decision to vote against Obama’s plan. The audience cheers.

Now questioning moves on from Scalia.

Trump, asked what questions he would ask if he was elected, immediately moves to ISIS. Rubio, handed the same question, keeps the theme in the Middle East. Is this going to become a foreign policy debate all of a sudden?

the moment when the candidates held a moment of silence for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia
Here was the moment when the candidates held a moment of silence for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

An unexpected outbreak of fact-checking

Ted Cruz says that for 80 years, judges were not appointed in election years.

Something of a kerfuffle follows, regarding justice Kennedy’s appointment - the moderator argues with Cruz over the actual time of his appointment versus his confirmation.

The audience doesn’t like candidates being fact-checked, and boos Dickerson for his impudence.

Jeb! Bush gets his first question of the night. Asked about Bernie Sanders’ litmus test for judges - does Jeb have one?

“Not on specific issues,” Jeb answers. “Not at all.”

“The simple fact is, the next president needs to appoint someone with a proven conservative record.

Marco Rubio says that Scalia will go down as “one of the great justices of this republic.” Adds that he doesn’t believe Obama - whom he calls a “lame duck president” - should get to choose the balance of the supreme court by nominating a successor.

Ben Carson - who is still in the race - up next, with a constitutional question. “The supreme court is a very important part of our governmental system,” he says. Hits out at the “truly nasty remarks” he’s seen about Scalia on social media.

John Kasich up to bat next. He wishes the president would consider not nominating somebody - and if he does, wants him to go for somebody with cross-party approval. “I don’t think he will, though.”

First question, about Scalia - of course - goes to Trump. “If you were president, with 11 months to go...”

“If I were president, I would try and nominate a justice, and I’m absolutely sure that president Obama will be able to do it,” Trump says. He adds that he hopes the senate will be able to stop him. “It’s called delay, delay, delay.”

Here are the rules: candidates get one minute for answers; 30 seconds more for followup. If attacked by another candidate, you get 30 seconds to respond.

The candidates walk on to the stage. Donald Trump causes something of a small traffic jam by walking out slowly. Ben Carson, energetically, reacts to his introduction with a near-imperceptible smile. Cruz and Rubio wave, as do Jeb Bush and John Kasich.

Immediately, John Dickerson begins a tribute to justice Scalia with a moment of silence.

The CBS news GOP primary debate is starting...

...now

Five minutes until the debate starts.

Google has this nifty widget through which you can follow the searches for each candidate in real-time as the debate unfolds:

Crucial: Obama says he plans to fulfil his constitutional obligation to nominate a successor to justice Scalia.

“But at this moment, we most of all want to think about his family,” he says. He does not hint at who his nominee might be - though many have speculated that the frontrunner in the president’s mind might be judge Sri Srinivasan, whom the New Yorker has called the “Supreme Court Nominee-In-Waiting.”

President Obama is speaking about Scalia

“Justice ... Scalia was a larger-than-life presence on the bench,” the president says. “He ... profoundly shaped the legal landscape.”

Justice Scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy: the rule of law.

In a statement which sorely risks overrunning the beginning of the GOP debate, Obama recounts Scalia’s life story, including his love for opera and his friendship with fellow justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

As we wait for President Obama to speak on Scalia’s death, a few responses from the Democratic side:

Bernie Sanders, in a statement, said:

While I differed with Justice Scalia’s views and jurisprudence, he was a brilliant, colorful and outspoken member of the Supreme Court.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his colleagues on the court who mourn his passing,”

Updated

The news today has of course been dominated by the death of often-divisive Reagan-nominated Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia in Texas earlier, and it is more than likely that tonight’s debate will be too.

Several of the candidates have already released statements about Scalia’s death. Ted Cruz was first out of the gate:

Which the Texas senator followed up with a statement on Facebook:

As liberals and conservatives alike would agree, through his powerful and persuasive opinions, Justice Scalia fundamentally changed how courts interpret the Constitution and statutes, returning the focus to the original meaning of the text after decades of judicial activism. And he authored some of the most important decisions ever, including District of Columbia v. Heller, which recognized our fundamental right under the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms. He was an unrelenting defender of religious liberty, free speech, federalism, the constitutional separation of powers, and private property rights. All liberty-loving Americans should be in mourning.

Donald Trump also addressed the justice’s death:

The mogul followed this tweet with a more sober statement on his website:

I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the Scalia family after the passing of Justice Scalia. Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice, one of the best of all time. His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms. He was a Justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country.

Marco Rubio also released a statement on Facebook, calling Scalia “one of the most consequential Americans in our history and a brilliant legal mind who served with only one objective: to interpret and defend the Constitution as written.”

And Ben Carson posted a statement to his website:

In an age where it is popular to subscribe to a “living Constitution” and during a time when political and judicial leaders prefer legal decisions that are politically convenient, Justice Scalia always dutifully carried out his responsibilities to interpret the law, not to make new ones. Time and again, he ruled based on where the black letter of the law led him, not according to the politics of the moment.

Note that several of the candidates are using language that makes it clear they believe it is the job of the next president - ie, them - to nominate Scalia’s replacement. But the horse-trading is likely to be more complicated than that; Obama has indicated that he plans to nominate a replacement.

The question then becomes a tactical one for Senate leadership; do they hold up Obama’s appointment, betting on a Republican win in November? Or do they choose the devil they know over the possibility of a new Democratic president?

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of the last republican presidential primary debate before the crucial South Carolina primary.

It is already a momentous day in American politics – and in American history. Antonin Scalia, the supreme court justice, has died. He was 79. In Washington, the battle over the nomination for his replacement has already begun.

On the ground in Greenville, South Carolina – where that battle, or elements of it, will be fought between the Republican candidates on stage – is the Guardian’s crack political reporter Ben Jacobs. He has support from Washington correspondent David Smith as we bring you the best in live coverage.

Things to watch out for, other than tributes to Scalia and fiery rhetoric about why Barack Obama should not get to replace him with a liberal: the twin rivalries of Cruz v Trump and Bush v Rubio.

The former pair are scrapping for first place in this deeply conservative state.

Donald Trump is well ahead in the polls, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, with 35.7%; but Ted Cruz will be hoping to pull off another surprise win like he achieved in Iowa, most likely by appealing to South Carolina’s evangelical Christian right.

Jeb! Bush and Marco Rubio are fighting not to win, but each desperately needs not to lose – Real Clear Politics places the two of them neck-and-neck in the state, with 13%. A fourth – or even fifth-place finish for either of the two would deeply shake their hopes of going into both of their home state of Florida with any kind of momentum – and, worse, would be a deep humiliation.

Chris Christie’s attack on Rubio in the last debate weakened him politically; he will be aiming to shake the ‘Robo-Rubio’ moniker. At least the New Jersey governor is out of the race now. Bush even more desperately needs a big win in tonight’s debate to move the needle for his floundering campaign.

John Kasich, in his zen manner, has less to lose tonight – but much more to gain after his surprise second-place finish in New Hampshire.

It’s likely to be a night of fireworks. Stay tuned.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
30 years later, we're still quoting these iconic 'Happy Gilmore' lines
Adam Sandler’s golf classic remains the ultimate proof that the Sandman is a comedy god
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Kevin Hart Dropped Plenty Of F-Bombs (And A Big Promise) While Talking Up His Netflix Roast
This is some big talk.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
The Truth About Kelly Osbourne: TV Star Addresses 'Scary' Look and 'Overdose' Rumours While Supporting Charity
Kelly Osbourne rebuffs weight loss and overdose rumours while launching a £4.5m Centrepoint drive with Sharon, turning grief over Ozzy's death and online scrutiny into youth homelessness action.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
California women try to hit on men by sending them hashbrowns at London restaurant. It doesn’t go as planned:‘Yeah you can’t really do that in London’
Sending someone restaurant food is a pretty common flirting tactic in the U.S. However, as one TikToker found out, the same can’t be said for the U.K.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
The Hidden Effects of Screen Time on Children's Health, Sleep, and Development
Discover how excessive screen time affects children's health, sleep, and development, and learn practical tips to manage digital habits for healthier, balanced growth.
Medical Daily
Medical Daily
Barry Keoghan: 'There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look'
Barry Keoghan has considered quitting acting due to abuse over his looks and says he finds it hard to deal with the comments.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play