It was down to four, but — same as it ever was — this debate was really about one of them.
Top takeaways from the Republican debate in Detroit:
Trump is the center of this race in every conceivable way
The Fox News debate in August, the first of the 2016 cycle, was just seven months ago, but it seems even longer. So much has happened since then — candidates have dropped out (remember when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was a leading candidate?), controversies have ensued, and 15 Republican contests have now been held. The one constant? Donald J. Trump was the focal point then, and he certainly was Thursday night.
Trump sat atop polls heading into that Fox debate, and the major question leading into the Cleveland face-off was, would that support hold once he was put through the rigors of a debate? Now, after 11 debates, countless polls and 10 wins, the answer is unquestionably yes.
No, his debate performances haven't always been the smoothest, but it hasn't mattered yet. He's consumed them, just as he has the GOP race, and Thursday night was no different. Just look at the social media stats released immediately after the debate was over: 62% of the Twitter discussion surrounding #GOPDebate candidates was about Trump (Ted Cruz was the next highest at 16%), and 73% of Facebook conversation was about Trump.
Nothing seems to be off limits in the GOP race. Really, nothing.
Rhetoric in the GOP race in recent weeks hasn't exactly been a model of decorum, to say the least. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has been perhaps the most aggressive in his shots against the front-runner, blasting him on everything from spray tans to the size of his hands.
That latter shot made for a particularly shocking moment early on in the debate — to the extent anything is shocking in this campaign anymore. Rubio was asked first why he'd changed his perspective on personal attacks, which he'd previously said were not appropriate.
"If there is anyone who has ever deserved to be attacked that way, it has been Donald Trump, for the way he has treated people in the campaign," he said, before adding that he would "prefer to have a policy debate."
Trump, though, wasn't quite as eager to move on to a discussion of the national debt or national security quite yet.
"He hit my hands. Nobody has ever hit my hands," he said. "I have never heard of this. Look at those hands. Are they small hands?"
And then this: "And he referred to my hands, if they are small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there is no problem. I guarantee."
We don't have to tell you what he was referring to. Exhibit 1000 for why the 2016 GOP presidential race is like no other.
Will the Trump tape prove potent?
Cruz and Rubio certainly think so. To back up, a recent Buzzfeed report asserted that in an off-the-record interview with The New York Times editorial board in January, Trump suggested he'd be much more flexible on his immigration proposals than his hard-line campaign rhetoric would suggest. When asked Thursday night whether he would consent to having those tapes released, he said, "No. I never do that," adding that he has "too much respect" for the sanctity of off-the-record conversations with journalists
But Rubio and Cruz seized on the issue. "If tonight you tell the New York Times to release the audio, they will do it, and we can exactly see what your true views are on immigration," Rubio said.
Cruz joined in, calling the tape "troubling" and saying Trump could clear up any confusion if he would "simply release the tape." The issue crystallizes, potentially, a line of attack that Trump's rivals have been hammering with increasing frequency: that the New York billionaire is not an authentic conservative and will say what he needs to say to win primaries. He perhaps gave them more ammo when he touted the virtues of "flexibility." Will this attack weaken Trump with GOP voters? Time will tell.
Kasich zigs while others zag
With Ben Carson no longer around, Ohio Gov. John Kasich remains the only GOP candidate not keen on aggressively going after Trump or any of his rivals. He sticks to policy, drawing any contrasts with other candidates in fairly mild terms.
On Thursday night, the Fox News moderators played a Kasich campaign video that blasted Trump for suggesting he'd have a cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. When given the opportunity to take a shot at the GOP front-runner even after shown a video from his own campaign where he'd done just that, Kasich balked.
"I'm not biting," he said, before detailing his own views on Russia, China and the Middle East. In most campaigns, this wouldn't be a particularly noteworthy approach to debating, but in this one and in other recent GOP face-offs, it certainly stands out.
The Megyn Kelly-Trump rematch was fairly tame
In a campaign animated by many Trump feuds, the Trump vs. Kelly/Fox News one has to rank near the top. As anyone who's followed the 2016 campaign knows, it started when Trump, angered by Kelly's question at the August Fox News debate about past sexist comments, complained in an interview that she had "blood coming out of her wherever." Many insults and one debate boycott later, they met again in Detroit.
Would there be another unforgettable showdown? Or would the two reach detente and dramatically reconcile? Really, neither. About a half hour in, Kelly seemingly addressed the elephant in the room with this exchange.
Kelly: "Mr. Trump, hi."
Trump: "Hello."
Kelly: "How are you doing?"
Trump: "Nice to be with you, Megyn."
Kelly: "Great to have you here."
Trump: "You're looking well. You're looking well."
And that was about it. We've come a long way.
#NeverTrump? Eh, don't take that too literally
Listen to Rubio and Cruz on the campaign these days and you'd think that not only are they determined to beat Trump — they'd also have no intention of supporting him in November if he wins the nomination. Just look at this tweet from Rubio last week, using the #NeverTrump hashtag:
It turns out, we learned Thursday, that it's #NeverTrump unless the alternative is Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. In the final question of the night, Rubio, Cruz and Kasich were all asked whether they'd back the front-runner if he does ultimately capture the nomination.
Rubio: "I'll support Donald if he's the Republican nominee."
Cruz: "Yes, because I gave my word that I would."
Trump, for his part, said he'd do the same even if he doesn't win. Is this a sign that the Republican Party is finally unifying?
Something tells us that ""Lying" Ted Cruz, "Little Marco" Rubio and the front-runner he calls a "con artist" wouldn't quite go that far.