SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The four Republican presidential contenders in CNN’s undercard debate might be lacking for popular support, but they weren’t lacking for fight.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum mixed it up Wednesday evening — with each other and the moderators — before a live, invite-only audience of 500 inside the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in this quiet suburb just north of Los Angeles.
The candidates discussed immigration, religious liberty, tax policy, the filibuster — and Donald Trump, the controversial front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in most state and national polls. Trump has been ratings gold for the cable news networks, and CNN moderator Jake Tapper predictably opened with a question to Jindal on his unrelenting criticism of Trump, asking the governor if he had violated President Reagan’s “11th Commandment” against Republicans attacking each other.
“Well, Jake, I’m in compliance with the 11th Commandment, and I would tell my fellow Republicans, let’s stop treating Donald Trump like a Republican,” Jindal said to some applause. “If he were really a conservative and 30 points ahead, I would endorse him. He’s not a conservative. He’s not a liberal. He’s not a Democrat. He’s not a Republican. He’s not an independent. He believes in Donald Trump.”
Santorum, who was the runner-up for the GOP nomination four years ago, said Jindal’s criticism of Trump is wrong.
“Donald Trump has every right to run for president as a Republican, as anybody else in this audience, and he may have positions I disagree with, but he has the right to do that and the people should be given the benefit of the doubt for people to see through these things,” he said. “I don’t think it helps when Republicans attack Republicans personally.”
For the balance of the 90-minute face-off after the Trump portion, the focus stayed remarkably on the issues.
