Trump under fire in fast-paced debate

Fox News’ Bret Baier began the faceoff by asking the 10 candidates on stage to raise their hand if they could not pledge to support the eventual 2016 nominee, and New York businessman/entertainer Donald Trump was the only one to do so. As Trump was explaining that he expected to win the nomination but didn’t want to give up the political leverage of possibly running as an independent, Sen. Rand Paul cut him off.

“This is what’s wrong,” the Kentuckian said, practically accusing Trump of being a stalking horse for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. “Hey, look, look, he’s already hedging his bet on the Clintons, OK? So if he doesn’t run as a Republican, maybe he supports Clinton, or maybe he runs as an independent.”

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida got in the first dig at Clinton, and the crowd of 5,000 Republican voters inside Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland loved it. “If I’m our nominee, how is Hillary going to lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck. I was raised paycheck to paycheck.” The comment packed a punch and set the tone for Rubio, 44, who arguably enjoyed one of the better nights among top 10, if not the best.

The trio of moderators, including Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace, had questions ready for every candidate’s pressure point.

Trump received the question on his loyalty to the GOP; Paul about his dovish foreign policy; Rubio on his lack of executive experience; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was asked about his recent flip on immigration; Ohio Gov. John Kasich about his expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare; retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson’s lack of political experience; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s previous trouble discussing the Iraq war; and Gov. Chris Christie about New Jersey’s multiple credit downgrades.

The pace was quick and interaction between the candidates aggressive, at least much more so than in past debates that occurred early in the primary campaign. The most memorable exchange of the night not have even involved The Donald, but rather Christie and Paul debating — literally — the merits of the National Security Agencies mass data collection program, which has since been reformed by Congress.

“I will make no apologies ever for protecting the lives and safety of the American people,” Christie said, when asked if he stands by previous criticism that Paul, because of his opposition to the old bulk data collection program and success in helping to end it, could have American blood on his hands if there is another terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Paul responded: “I want to collect more records from terrorists and less records from innocent Americans.” Retorted Christie: “That’s a completely ridiculous answer. ” Paul hit back: “Here’s the problem governor, you fundamentally misunderstand the Bill of Rights…I don’t trust President Obama w/ our records, I know you gave him a big hug.” And Christie parried right back: “The hugs that I remember are the hugs that I” gave to people who lost family members in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The two-hour program offered candidates their first chance to take their message national, and just about every one of them took advantage in some fashion, although some pulled it off better than others.

A big question coming out of the debate will be how Republican primary voters respond to Trump’s refusal to vow loyalty to his party’s eventual presidential nominee — and his tussle with Kelly over crude comments he made about women on Twitter.

Trump’s rise in the polls has been fueled by controversial statements about Mexican illegal immigrants and his refusal to be “politically correct.” Even saying that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was not war hero for spending several years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam did not stall his momentum. But Republican operatives were wondering if he had finally crossed the line in with his response and demeanor in interaction with Kelly, a respected female journalist, after she asked him:

“Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”

“I’ve challenged so many people, and frankly I don’t have time for total political correctness,” Trump said. “And what I say, and oftentimes it’s fun, it’s kidding. We have a good time. What I say is what I say. And honestly Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn’t do that.”

Rep. Ann Wagner, a Missouri Republican supporting Bush who has been active in trying to improve her party’s appeal with women, said Trump’s remarks and behavior is a turnoff for female voters, who vote in higher numbers than men.

“I thought it was demeaning, to be perfectly honest,” Wagner said, during a brief interview at the arena following the debate. “When Donald Trump pointed to his head and said, ‘we need someone with a brain, brain brain’ as he is addressing a woman journalist, I found it offensive.”

Trump defended himself to reporters afterward, saying that Fox News — and Kelly — treated him unfairly. “I thought their questions to me were much tougher than to other people,” he said. “The questions to me were not nice. I didn’t think they were appropriate and I thought Megyn behaved very badly, personally. I thought it was an unfair question. They didn’t ask those questions of everybody else.”

Byron York contributed to this report.

Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.