Debate Night Rand Paul vs. the others The Kentucky senator tries to boost his flailing campaign by going on the attack.

CLEVELAND — Rand Paul used to be a golf buddy with Donald Trump. But he teed off on Trump right from the start.

Paul, down in the polls and struggling to break through a crowded field, showcased an aggressive style at the first GOP debate — taking on The Donald more directly than the rest of the GOP candidates.


“This is what’s wrong!” Paul yelled at the start of the debate. “He buys and sells politicians of all stripes.”

It wasn’t just Trump. Paul, the libertarian Kentuckian, lashed out at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over government surveillance, in one of the most contentious moments of the debate.

“I want to collect more records from terrorists, but less records from innocent Americans,” Paul said. Christie shot back, calling it a “completely ridiculous answer.”

Christie added: “Listen senator, you know, when you’re sitting in a subcommittee just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that. When you’re responsible for protecting the lives of the American people, then what you need to do is to make sure you use the system the way it’s supposed to work.”

“I don’t trust President Obama with our records. I know you gave him a big hug, and if you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead,” Paul said.

Christie added: “Sen. Paul, you know, the hugs that I remember are the hugs I gave to the families who lost their people on September 11.

Paul rolled his eyes.

Whether Paul’s aggressive performance was enough to break through remains to be seen. One time viewed as a front-runner, Paul has stagnated in the polls as Trump and others like Gov. Scott Walker have gotten more buzz in early states.

But just like Paul, his two fellow freshman senators — Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida — won early praise for their campaign launches but have so far failed to catch fire. At the debate, the two men took different tactics: Cruz touted his battles with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while Rubio targeted Hillary Clinton. Neither went directly after their rivals.

Paul played it differently. It wasn’t unexpected to see him bash Christie; the two have sparred over national security in the past. But as Trump has dominated the race in recent weeks, the Kentuckian has mostly stayed away from berating the brash businessman.

Indeed, in the immediate aftermath of Trump referring to undocumented immigrants from Mexico as “rapists,” Paul avoided weighing in directly. “I like to keep it more about what I have to say about immigration than other people,” Paul said in an interview with POLITICO last month when asked about the comments.

But the 52-year-old tea party Republican clearly calculated that he needed to amp it up here in Quicken Loans Arena. That was clear from the start.

At the onset of the debate, Trump was the lone Republican to raise his hand and signal that he could run as a third-party candidate if he doesn’t win the GOP nomination.

“Hey, look, look!” Paul shouted, interrupting the debate moderators. “He’s already hedging his bet on the Clintons, OK? So if he doesn’t run as a Republican, maybe he supports Clinton, or maybe he runs as an independent, but I’d say that he’s already hedging his bets because he’s used to buying politicians.”

Trump retorted: “Well, I’ve given him plenty of money.”

Later in the debate, Trump was asked about his declaration 15 years ago that he backed a single-payer health care system, an idea despised by Republicans. “It could work in a different age, which is the age you’re talking about here,” also citing success of the program in Canada and Scotland. (Trump added he backs private insurance now.)

Paul interjected. “The Republican Party has been fighting against the single-payer system for a decade. So I think you’re on the wrong side of this if you’re still arguing for single-payer.”

“I don’t think you heard me, you’re having a hard time tonight.”

Paul smiled.