BATTLE ROYALE

Trump, Cruz Exchange Shots in GOP Debate

Over senator’s eligibility, real-estate mogul’s values.

Republican presidential frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz traded barbs Thursday night over the Texas senator’s White House eligibility and the real-estate mogul’s alleged liberal “New York values” in the sixth GOP primary debate. The Charleston, South Carolina clash shattered months of civility between the two candidates, who are less than three weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. Trump said the senator had a “big question mark” hanging over his head as to whether or not he could serve as president ,while Cruz accused Trump of liberal “New York values,” adding, “not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan, I’m just saying.” Numerous side battles broke as candidates argued over trade, immigration, and foreign policy. The seven candidates who appeared in the prime-time debate painted a grim picture of America’s future in contrast to the optimistic outlook President Obama gave in his State of the Union address days earlier.