All eyes were on brash billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican Party's White House hopefuls -- all 17 of them -- prepared to do battle Thursday in the first debates of the 2016 race.
Six months ahead of the start of primary elections to choose the Republican flagbearer, real estate mogul Trump has taken an unexpected lead in opinion polls in the run-up to the debate in Cleveland, Ohio.
His unapologetic, off-script style offends some but has set Trump apart from a packed field of candidates who have furiously tried to garner the same level of attention.
Thursday's political event is divided into two parts. The main debate with 10 candidates will take place at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Friday) at a Cleveland arena filled with 5,000 spectators.
A second-tier debate for seven candidates who have not fared as well in the polls so far takes place four hours earlier.
Both debates will be moderated by Fox News, a network influential with American conservatives, in partnership with Facebook.
The gaggle of candidates is hardly a "Who's Who" of well-known political figures of the right.
After Trump and Jeb Bush, son and brother of former presidents, the list's clout drops off considerably.
Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas governor turned television host Mike Huckabee are among the few to have drawn much national attention previously.
Those on the undercard, like Hewlett-Packard former chief executive Carly Fiorina, will be under huge pressure to prove they deserve to be in the top tier.
But every candidate will be seeking a breakout moment at an event where all eyes will be fixed on the unpredictable frontrunner Trump, who will take the first question in the prime-time debate.
He has rarely failed to disappoint in provoking his rivals. In a recent speech, Trump blasted one as "weak" and another as an "idiot."
But -- besides his slogan "Make America Great Again" and a few controversial positions on hot-button issues such as immigration -- Trump has yet to set out a detailed platform, and he will be ripe for broadsides from opponents over his political inexperience.
Trump's previously liberal-leaning positions on issues including abortion and health care will also likely draw criticism from traditional conservatives.
"I probably am the target," Trump said on ABC.
"I've evolved like a lot of other people. Ronald Reagan evolved, Ronald Reagan was a Democrat and he became a Republican."
- On the issues -
Immigration is a favorite subject of Trump, who has promised to build a wall between Mexico and the United States to stop illegal immigrants.
He sparked a firestorm and offended many Hispanic voters when he said Mexico was not "sending its best" and said the immigrants were bringing drugs and crime to the US.
"He's saying a lot of the things that everybody thinks and he says them without being embarrassed," said Brad Roller, in a bar in Cleveland after a campaign event for Senator Marco Rubio.
"The media has been trying to get him, and it's not working very well because he's connecting directly to people."
While Trump draws a frenzy of headlines, Democrats say his stated positions are similar to those of the Republican mainstream: no naturalization of illegal immigrants, repeal of the health care reform introduced by President Barack Obama and opposition to abortion.
"The rest of the Republican field will no doubt desperately compete to differentiate from Trump in style, but the truth is, they don't differ on the substance," said Joel Benenson, strategist for Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
The debaters are likely to fire away at the former secretary of state.
Senator Ted Cruz said he is campaigning "against the bipartisan corruption of Washington that I think is embodied by Hillary Clinton. That's the central issue."
The Republican Party has scheduled nine debates between now and February. The next will take place September 16.
The Democratic Party chose Thursday to announce its limited schedule of six debates, with the first set for October 13.
Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she would be attending the Cleveland debate and "holding the GOP accountable."
The candidates in Thursday's main debate are: Trump, Bush, Walker, Huckabee; neurosurgeon Ben Carson; senators Cruz, Rubio and Rand Paul; and governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio.
All eyes were on brash billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s White House hopefuls — all 17 of them — prepared to do battle Thursday in the first debates of the 2016 race.
Six months ahead of the start of primary elections to choose the Republican flagbearer, real estate mogul Trump has taken an unexpected lead in opinion polls in the run-up to the debate in Cleveland, Ohio.
His unapologetic, off-script style offends some but has set Trump apart from a packed field of candidates who have furiously tried to garner the same level of attention.
Thursday’s political event is divided into two parts. The main debate with 10 candidates will take place at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Friday) at a Cleveland arena filled with 5,000 spectators.
A second-tier debate for seven candidates who have not fared as well in the polls so far takes place four hours earlier.
Both debates will be moderated by Fox News, a network influential with American conservatives, in partnership with Facebook.
The gaggle of candidates is hardly a “Who’s Who” of well-known political figures of the right.
After Trump and Jeb Bush, son and brother of former presidents, the list’s clout drops off considerably.
Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas governor turned television host Mike Huckabee are among the few to have drawn much national attention previously.
Those on the undercard, like Hewlett-Packard former chief executive Carly Fiorina, will be under huge pressure to prove they deserve to be in the top tier.
But every candidate will be seeking a breakout moment at an event where all eyes will be fixed on the unpredictable frontrunner Trump, who will take the first question in the prime-time debate.
He has rarely failed to disappoint in provoking his rivals. In a recent speech, Trump blasted one as “weak” and another as an “idiot.”
But — besides his slogan “Make America Great Again” and a few controversial positions on hot-button issues such as immigration — Trump has yet to set out a detailed platform, and he will be ripe for broadsides from opponents over his political inexperience.
Trump’s previously liberal-leaning positions on issues including abortion and health care will also likely draw criticism from traditional conservatives.
“I probably am the target,” Trump said on ABC.
“I’ve evolved like a lot of other people. Ronald Reagan evolved, Ronald Reagan was a Democrat and he became a Republican.”
– On the issues –
Immigration is a favorite subject of Trump, who has promised to build a wall between Mexico and the United States to stop illegal immigrants.
He sparked a firestorm and offended many Hispanic voters when he said Mexico was not “sending its best” and said the immigrants were bringing drugs and crime to the US.
“He’s saying a lot of the things that everybody thinks and he says them without being embarrassed,” said Brad Roller, in a bar in Cleveland after a campaign event for Senator Marco Rubio.
“The media has been trying to get him, and it’s not working very well because he’s connecting directly to people.”
While Trump draws a frenzy of headlines, Democrats say his stated positions are similar to those of the Republican mainstream: no naturalization of illegal immigrants, repeal of the health care reform introduced by President Barack Obama and opposition to abortion.
“The rest of the Republican field will no doubt desperately compete to differentiate from Trump in style, but the truth is, they don’t differ on the substance,” said Joel Benenson, strategist for Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
The debaters are likely to fire away at the former secretary of state.
Senator Ted Cruz said he is campaigning “against the bipartisan corruption of Washington that I think is embodied by Hillary Clinton. That’s the central issue.”
The Republican Party has scheduled nine debates between now and February. The next will take place September 16.
The Democratic Party chose Thursday to announce its limited schedule of six debates, with the first set for October 13.
Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she would be attending the Cleveland debate and “holding the GOP accountable.”
The candidates in Thursday’s main debate are: Trump, Bush, Walker, Huckabee; neurosurgeon Ben Carson; senators Cruz, Rubio and Rand Paul; and governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio.
