The tone of the Republican debate on Saturday night was one that has not often been seen on the campaign trail, as the candidates' rhetoric entered the territory of personal insults.
The death of United States Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia was a topic of discussion during the debate, with the candidates all calling for the decision on his successor to be left to the next president, rather than Barack Obama.
A question on that front lead to an awkward interaction between Senator Ted Cruz and debate moderator John Dickerson, who had a very difficult night in trying to keep the candidates in line.
Marco Rubio and Cruz, both of Cuban descent, traded blows over whether or not the Texas senator could speak Spanish.
It got so heated between Cruz and Rubio, there was a Spanish-language challenge #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/LB5kEQl0gp
— Mashable News (@MashableNews) February 14, 2016
The most heated exchanges however, came between Jeb Bush and Trump. Speaking about Trump's suggestion that George W. Bush should have been impeached, Bush said "I could care less about the insults that Trump gives to me, it's bloodsport for him and he enjoys it and I'm glad he's happy about it but I am sick and tired of him going after my family [...] While Donald Trump was building a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe".
Trump was also roundly booed by the audience for his responses to the questions from Dickerson on ISIS, and he and Bush once again locked horns on the issue, with the former Florida Governor stating that there was no way the billionaire would be able to get Putin onside as an ally.
Cruz and Trump also clashed over the latter's constant interruptions and assertions that the Texas Senator was a liar.
Trump and Cruz continue sparring: "Why do you lie?!" pic.twitter.com/qnAtp7GZrY
— Mashable News (@MashableNews) February 14, 2016
