Marco Rubio trashes Donald Trump, John Kasich goes after Jeb Bush
The GOP presidential field has been winnowed down, and the remaining candidates are getting feisty. Across South Carolina, where the next GOP primary will take place on February 20, the candidates were going after each other.
Speaking to a town hall audience in Sun City, South Carolina on Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio chastised front runner Donald Trump for using profanity on the campaign trail.
"Even in our political culture, I teach my kids to be respectful," he said. "There are certain words you don't say... and then you turn on the TV and see a leading presidential candidate saying profanity from a stage -- profanity from a stage!"
He added, "All these things undermine what we teach our children... It's so hard today to instill your values in your kids."
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Meanwhile, in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich chastised former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for his negativity.
"I want to have a good legacy," Kasich said. "I'm worried about Jeb, it's all negative. How the heck can you sell negative? You know, I want to talk about what I'm for -- my vision, my view. And if people don't like it -- well, I was going to cry if I didn't get out of New Hampshire, but I made it out so there ain't no crying anymore, I made it."
Bush, for his part, had plenty to say about Trump while talking to voters in Florence, South Carolina. Bush noted that as governor of Florida, "We eliminated partial birth abortion, that Donald Trump actually supported 12 or 13 years ago."
He also slammed Trump for saying disparaging things about Sen. John McCain and others. "We're in a time of deep disaffection," he said. "People are legitimately angry, [and] we have [a] front running candidate that disparages women, Hispanics... Is this the America we want?"
Bush proudly declared, "So I'm an establishment candidate," but he added, "I was a disrupter as governor."
Sen. Ted Cruz also took some swings at the front runner -- while simultaneously insisting he wasn't attacking him.
"While Donald continues with personal attacks -- and vulgar profanities -- I do not intend to respond, but that won't stop Donald," Cruz wrote in a fundraising email. "I can't fault Donald for this...it's the only way he can distract voters from his record: Support for Hillary-style healthcare; Support for partial birth abortion; Support for bank bailouts; Support for Obama stimulus; and Enthusiastic embrace of eminent domain."
Trump wasn't about to let Cruz's attacks go unanswered. He published a series of tweets on Thursday slamming the Texas senator.
Trump specifically attacked the Cruz campaign for conducting "push polls," which ask respondents leading questions to try and persuade them to support a certain candidate. The Cruz campaign said it was not responsible for the calls.
