GOP presidential candidates Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich (Photo: Twitter)
Anything can happen tonight at the big Republican debate in Miami, where GOP front-runner Donald Trump could become virtually unstoppable in his quest for the nomination.
The GOP debate comes just five days before another big primary night where 350 Republicans delegates are at stake, including in the winner-take-all contests in Ohio and Florida. And if Trump wins those states, many analysts say the game will be over.
So tonight is the last real chance for his three rivals to try to knock Trump off balance. If they fail, Trump could walk away with a heap of delegates Tuesday and solidify his bid for the nomination.
Trump, Rubio, Ted Cruz and Kasich are facing off in the event hosted by CNN, Salem Media Group, the Washington Times and the Republican National Committee at the University of Miami.
CNN’s Jake Tapper is moderating, and CNN’s Dana Bash, Salem talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt and the Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan are asking questions of the candidates. The event is being broadcast live on CNN, livestreamed at CNN.com and SalemMedia.com. The debate is the final presidential showdown to air on CNN.
What do YOU think? Who won the Republican debate in Miami? Sound off in today’s WND poll!
‘I think Islam hates us’
Trump made headlines Thursday when he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper: “I think Islam hates us. There’s something there that’s a tremendous hatred there. There’s a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable of us. ”
Cooper asked, “In Islam itself?”
Trump replied, “You’re going to have to figure that out, OK? You’ll get another Pulitzer, right? But you’re going to have to figure that out. But there is a tremendous hatred. And we have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. We can’t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States and of people that are not Muslim.
Cooper followed up: “Is there a war between the West and radical Islam or is there a war between the West and Islam itself?”
“Well, it’s radical, but it’s very hard to define,” Trump said. “It’s very hard to separate because you don’t know who is who.”
Violence at Trump events?
Trump also faced outrage from members of the media after Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields claimed Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski assaulted her.
Fields posted an image on Twitter of a bruise on her arm. She claims it was causes by Lewandowski when he grabbed her arm and forcefully yanked her out of his way at a press conference.
Fields had been trying to ask Trump a question.
The Washington Post’s Ben Terris said he witnessed the incident: “I watched as a man with short-cropped hair and a suit grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. He was Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 41-year-old campaign manager.”
The Post said Fields said, “I’m just a little spooked. No one has grabbed me like that before.”
In a separate incident at a campaign rally Wednesday night, a Trump supporter punched an anti-Trump protester in the face.
The 78-year-old man charged with assaulting the protester, John McGraw, told “Inside Edition”: “Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”
McGraw, who was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct Thursday, said he enjoyed punching the man.
“You bet I liked it, clocking the hell out of that big mouth.”
Contested convention? It’s a numbers game
On Tuesday, Trump won Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii. Cruz captured Idaho. Trump won 71 delegates and Cruz came away with 56. Kasich received 17 and Rubio suffered a shutout. To win the party nomination, a GOP candidate needs 1,237 delegates. After Tuesday, 1,435 remain available. The next GOP primaries will be held March 15 and include Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.
In an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Wednesday evening, Cruz indicated he’s prepared for a contested convention, should it come to that.
“A contested convention is a different thing where you go if nobody gets 1,237 and you’ve got two front-runners. Look, Reagan and Ford battled it out in a contested convention. That’s what conventions are for,” Cruz said. “If you’re fighting with the candidates that have earned the votes of the people and it’s the delegates at the convention who elected to do that, that’s the way the system works.”
But Trump told CNN, “I don’t see the convention going that route. I see [myself] probably getting the delegates. It’s like with the fighters, that’s the ultimate way of doing it. You knock ’em out. If you knock ’em out, nothing can happen.”
In Real Clear Politics’ national polling average from Feb. 19-March 6, Trump leads the pack with 36 percent. Cruz trails at 21.8 percent, Rubio at 18 percent and Kasich at 12 percent.
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