The dog-and-pony show that has been the Republican nomination race continued Thursday night at a Fox-moderated GOP debate, as front-runner Donald Trump faced a barrage of attacks from rivals Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich.
1. Size matters
Donald Trump emphatically responded to attacks from Marco Rubio earlier in the campaign, in which Rubio had accused Trump of having "small hands," and insinuated he must also have small genitalia.
"Look at those hands, are these small hands?" Trump said at the debate, holding up both his hands. "He referred to my hands, if they're small, something else must be small. I guarantee you, there's no problem. I guarantee it."
2. Who's the bigger man?
Size continued to matter in the Rubio-Trump clash, as the two traded barbs following Trump's response to the "small hands" comment. Trump started calling Rubio "Little Marco" during the debate, and Rubio hit back by calling Trump "Big Donald."
3. Deep breaths
Ted Cruz tried to take the air out of Trump's sails at one point, after a Trump interruption. "Breathe, breathe, breathe," Cruz told him.
Rubio jumped in to mock both of his rivals, saying: "When they're done with the yoga, can I answer a question?"
4. Mega makeup
Donald Trump and Fox's panel moderator, Megyn Kelly, exchanged pleasantries before the debate, mending some of the damage done after the two got into a spat at a previous debate last summer. Trump had attacked Kelly on social media, and skipped another debate because Fox refused to remove Kelly as moderator.
During Thursday's debate, Trump told Kelly she's "looking well," and said it was nice to be at the event with her.
5. Water under the bridge
Marco Rubio offered Michigan's government the benefit of the doubt on Thursday, on the issue of tainted water in the town of Flint. Rubio said it was "unfair" to politicize the issue, adding: "I don't think someone woke up one morning and said, 'Let's figure out how to poison the water system to hurt someone.'"
