Donald Trump Overshadows Trumpless Debate of Second-Tier GOP Candidates

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump may not have been present during the first of two debates in Cleveland on Thursday, but his rival Republican presidential hopefuls wasted no time going for his jugular.

Asked about “the elephant that isn’t in the room” by Fox moderator Martha MacCallum, former Texas Governor Rick Perry insisted that he had more experience than Trump and had actually run a government while the real estate mogul is just a talker without a plan.

“We need a president that doesn’t just talk a good game,” Perry said.

Also Read: Fox News' Chris Wallace Teases 'Danger' at GOP Debate

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina conceded that Trump has connected with voters who are frustrated with the Washington gridlock, but then quickly went on the attack.

“I didn’t get a call from Bill Clinton before the campaign,” Fiorina said, referring to a reported phone call in which the former president encouraged Trump to consider his presidential bid.

“Have any of you gotten a phone call?” she asked the rest of the panel. Fiorina also touched on Trump’s history of policy changes. “Since he has changed his mind on amnesty, on health care and on abortion, I would just ask, ‘What are the principles on which he will govern?'”

Perry and Fiorina were joined by former Pennsylvania Gov. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.

Also Read: 5 Most Anticipated Face-Offs at the Fox News GOP Debate

Santorum also joined in on the Trump frenzy, taking a hard line on the business mogul’s No. 1 topic: illegal immigration. Santorum said he didn’t mind breaking up immigrant families, if some of their members had come to the U.S. illegally, saying his own father had to wait in Italy while his grandfather worked in the U.S.

“I said, ‘Didn’t you resent America for not letting you be with their father?'” Santorum said. “You know what he said to me? ‘America is worth the wait.'”

The 5 p.m. face-off was dubbed the “happy hour” debate since it precedes the primetime debate among the top 10 polling Republican presidential candidates.

2016 Presidential Contenders: The Race to the White House (Photos)

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first person to officially throw his hat into the ring on March 23.
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Republican Senator Rand Paul announced his candidacy on April 7.
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Former First Lady and Secretary of State, Democrat Hillary Clinton announced she would again seek the Oval Office on April 12.
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A Tea Party favorite, Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced his candidacy on April 13.
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A self-described democratic socialist, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced he would run on April 28.
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Retired neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson announced his candidacy on May 3. A native of Detroit, the Republican lived in Baltimore for 36 years.
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The first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company, Republican Carly Fiorina announced her candidacy on May 4.
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Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee announced his second presidential run in the GOP field on May 5.
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A former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum announced his second presidential bid on May 27.
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Former New York Governor George Pataki announced the launch of his presidential campaign with a YouTube video on May 28.
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Martin O'Malley, a Democrat and former governor of Maryland, joined the race on May 30.
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Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, announced he would run for the highest office on June 1.
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A former Republican and independent governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee announced his bid for the Democratic nomination on June 3.
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Rick Perry threw his hat into the ring for a second time on June 4. The Republican was the longest serving governor in Texas history.
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The son of one former president and brother of another, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced his bid for the Republican nomination on June 15.
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Republican real estate mogul Donald Trump threw his hat into the presidential ring on June 16, saying he'd be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created.”
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"I'm running for President of the United States of America," tweeted Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, who used social media to announce his candidacy on June 24.
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After declaring that "both parties have failed our country," New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie announced his intention to run on June 30.
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Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam vet and the former Democratic governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 2.
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Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker announced his candidacy on July 13 with a campaign video.
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Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination on July 21, saying no other candidate else has his experience dealing with deficits, unemployment and national security.
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Jim Gilmore, former Army intelligence officer and Republican governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 30.
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