Donald Trump taunted by Rubio and Cruz during Republican debate

Donald Trump faced a barrage of attacks from rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz on Thursday night during a Republican presidential debate that was at times nasty and crude but offered few moments that looked likely to reset a race that remains Trump’s to lose.

The tone of schoolyard taunts rather than substantive discussion was set no more than 10 minutes after the candidates took the stage at the Fox Theatre, with Trump referencing the size of his genitalia during an exchange with Rubio over his hands. 

The two senators ganged up for a second time in a row on the brash billionaire over his immigration stance, business record and overall temperament, but Trump swatted them away by condescendingly branding them “Little Marco” and “Lying Ted”.

Florida senator Marco Rubio, whose campaign had pushed the “#nevertrump” hashtag and attacked Trump as “a con artist”, firmly committed for the first time to support the real estate mogul if – as seems likely – he becomes the Republican party’s nominee. The Florida senator said of the two Democratic alternatives Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, “one is a socialist and the other is under investigation”, a reference to the ongoing controversy over the former secretary of state’s private email server. Both Ohio governor John Kasich and Texas senator Ted Cruz agreed with Rubio that they would back Trump if he was the nominee.

Trump winning 11 of the first 15 states and leading in polls in most of the upcoming contests, it looks increasingly likely he may be in the position to give those orders.