Ted Cruz does his best Trump impression, calls fellow candidates 'stupid, fat, and ugly'

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 29 January 2016

Ted Cruz took the Fox News Republican debate's first question about the "elephant not in the room" — Donald Trump.

First, Cruz thanked Iowans for the "incredible hospitality" they have showed him, and then abruptly changed his tone. "Let me say I'm a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat, and ugly, and Ben [Carson] — you're a terrible surgeon. Now that we've gotten the Donald Trump portion out of the way, I want to thank everyone here for showing the men and women of Iowa the respect to show up and make the case why each of us believe we would make the best commander-in-chief." Cruz's Trump impersonation earned laughs from the audience, candidates, and moderators.

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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.