COLUMBUS – A combative Donald Trump jolted the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign by warning he might run as an independent if denied the GOP nomination.
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Trump’s startling declaration last night in Cleveland left his nine onstage rivals, which included Ohio Governor John Kasich, scrambling to compete for attention the rest of the night.
The billionaire real estate mogul said he couldn’t rule out a third-party run and couldn’t promise that he’d back the Republican president nominee if were anyone but him.
On stage in his home state, Kasich received a rousing round of applause when he said that while he favors traditional marriage, he recently attended a same-sex wedding and would support his children if they were gay.
“Because somebody doesn’t think the way I do, doesn’t mean I can’t care about them, can’t love them,” he told the crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.
Kasich said he wants to unite people and “issues like that are planted to divide us.”
The two-term governor received high marks from observers for his optimistic vision and for allowing that Trump hit a nerve with his outspoken comments about illegal immigrants.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, chair of the Democratic National Committee, released a statement shortly after the debate’s conclusion saying the candidates had failed to address income inequality, college affordability or the federal minimum wage
“Tonight, Americans are going to ask themselves, which one of the candidates on that stage will look out for me? The answer is clear: not a single one of them,” she said.
There were no memorable gaffes during the two-hour session, which also featured a sharp exchange between New Jersey Gov. Christ Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul over government surveillance and individual privacy issues.