"Before we get to the issues let's address the elephant not in the room tonight": Fox News debate opens with Trump talk

"I kind of miss Donald Trump, he was like a little teddy bear to me," Jeb Bush jokes

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published January 29, 2016 2:39AM (EST)

  (AP/Chuck Burton)
(AP/Chuck Burton)

“Let’s address the elephant not in the room,” Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly asked Ted Cruz to open tonight's Fox News debate, referring to her nemesis without mentioning his name and lobbing a softball to Donald Trump's main rival. Cruz -- who has been sucking up to Trump and his supporters for the past six months -- side-stepped the opportunity, choosing instead to gently rib the frontrunner.

"I’m a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly. And Ben, you’re a terrible surgeon. Now that we’ve gotten the Donald Trump portion out of the way," Cruz said, mocking his rival.

"I kind of miss Donald Trump, he was like a little teddy bear to me," Jeb Bush joked.

But most viewers on Twitter were none too amused by the lame, Trump-centric opening to Fox News' debate:

Check out our GOP debate recap here:
[jwplayer file="http://media.salon.com/2016/01/Highlights.mp4" image="http://media.salon.com/2016/01/960x0.jpg"][/jwplayer]


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

MORE FROM Sophia Tesfaye


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