More than a dozen Republican candidates talk foreign policy, immigration at New Hampshire forum
On Monday, 14 Republicans participated in the Voters First Presidential Forum, and shared their plans for reforming immigration, combating terrorism, and uniting the country.
The event was held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, moderated by Jack Heath of New Hampshire Today, and attended by Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), Carly Fiorina, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), George Pataki, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were in Washington, D.C., and appeared via satellite. Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee elected not to attend, and Jim Gilmore announced his candidacy too late to participate.
The forum lasted roughly two hours, and was not a debate. Each person was allowed to speak twice:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- Sen. Rand Paul said if elected, he would either visit China or Russia first, and said that he doesn't think "we should go to war as a game of risk...it shouldn't be the first resort, it should always be the last resort."
- Sen. Lindsey Graham said as president his foreign policy would be a "clenched fist and an open hand," and he would "push back against China" and Vladimir Putin.
- Sen. Marco Rubio stated that he does not support legalization of marijuana or "any other additional intoxicants," but said he would not be opposed to the FDA doing trials on medicinal marijuana.
- George Pataki said his first three priorities would be getting rid of ObamaCare and Common Core and reducing the size of the federal workforce by at least 15 percent.
- Jeb Bush called ISIS militants "barbarians," and said he wasn't sure if "boots on the ground" were necessary to fight them, but thinks special forces should be embedded and used to train anti-ISIS soldiers. He also said he would grow the economy at 4 percent "instead of this anemic 2 percent...the fact that Paul Krugman disagrees with me warms my heart."
- Dr. Ben Carson spoke out against ObamaCare, saying it "flies in the face of what we are as a nation, a nation that is for and by the people. ... ObamaCare comes along with the government saying, 'We don't care what you the people think, we're shoving this down your throat and if you don't like it, too bad.'"
- Gov. Scott Walker called himself "pro-worker and pro-taxpayer" and said he was against Obama's plan to cut carbon emissions.
- Gov. Bobby Jindal said he would be the one to unite the country, adding, "We're all Americans. We're not hyphenated Americans, we're not African-Americans or Asian-Americans...we're all Americans."
- Carly Fiorina said it's time to challenge the status quo, and she has a "proven track record" of doing so in her executive roles.
- Gov. Chris Christie touted the fact that New Jersey was the first state in the country to place non-violent drug offenders in mandatory in-patient drug treatment rather than prison. "The war on drugs has been a failure," he said. "Well intentioned, but a failure."
- Rick Perry said the border with Mexico needs to be secured, and compared illegal immigration to a "serious wound, you want to staunch the flow."
- Rick Santorum told the audience he would focus on restoring manufacturing jobs, and enact a flat tax for corporations and individuals.
- Sen. Ted Cruz said the nuclear weapons deal with Iran is "the single greatest national security threat facing America," and would lead to billions of dollars being sent to "jihadists."
- Gov. John Kasich said he would eliminate sanctuary cities and determine how many people are in the U.S. without documents. "We need to find out who they are, if they're law-abiding, God-fearing folks," he said. "They're going to have to pay a penalty toward legalization, and wait." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Speed Read The International Criminal Court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of war crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi
Speed Read Gaetz withdrew from attorney generation consideration, making way for longtime Trump loyalist Pam Bondi
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
GOP's Mace seeks federal anti-trans bathroom ban
Speed Read Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation to ban transgender people from using federal facilities
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published