US: Trump and Cruz trade blows in feisty Republican debate

The gloves are off in the Republican race and frontrunner Donald Trump was at the forefront of feisty exchanges in Thursday’s latest debate to pick a candidate for the US presidential election.

Amid clashes – mainly with chief challenger Ted Cruz – he broached topics that have worked well for him in the polls.

“We have no border. Our vets are being treated horribly. Illegal immigration is beyond belief. Our country is being run by incompetent people and yes, I am angry,” Trump told the audience in the debate hosted by Fox Business Network.

But anger seemed to be all over the stage at the North Charleston Coliseum in the swing state of South Carolina,as hopefuls such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and US Senator Marco Rubio from Florida squabbled among themselves.

Doubts raised by Trump over Cruz’s eligibility to stand because of his birth in Canada were dismissed by the Texas Senator.

“You know back in September, my friend Donald (Trump) said that he had had his lawyers look at this from every which way and there was no issue there, there was nothing to this birther issue. Now, since September the Constitution hasn’t changed, but the poll numbers have,” Cruz said in one confrontation with the billionaire businessman.

But as they fought among themselves, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, struggling to lift his own campaign,reminded Republicans of their real enemy.

“We can defeat Hillary Clinton because she is a disaster,” he said.

This sixth debate comes as the clock ticks towards February 1 in Iowa, the first contest in the race to choose the nominee for November’s presidential poll.