Three presidential candidates faced questions from voters and moderator Anderson Cooper Thursday night inside the USC School of Law auditorium at a town hall hosted by CNN. The event came as all three candidates — Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and John Kasich — are making their final push on the campaign trail before Saturday's Republican presidential primary here in South Carolina.
First up was Ohio Governor John Kasich, who has made community involvement and compassion hallmarks of his campaign. Kasich argued that voters need to come together. “The glue of America is right here in this room,” he said. “It’s in our communities, in our families.”
One question for Kasich came from law student Ashton Gottschall, who asked about potential overseas combat missions for the military in light of his brother’s impending deployment in the Marines. “I would not want to get in the middle of the civil war in Syria,” Kasich said, while expressing a belief in the need to defeat the IS.
Another topic that came up was South Carolina’s struggle with violence against women. Kasich expressed admiration for the award-winning reporting on domestic violence done by The Post and Courier. “I’ll tell you another thing we worry about — sexual violence on a campus," he said.
Law student Jacob Godwin asked a question about small businesses, as his mother runs a small business in Hartsville. Kasich said he wants to reform taxes and regulations. “If you have too many regulations, you will choke small business,” he said. “They are the engine of job creation in America.”
He also had a message for Godwin. “You better get ready to run that business young man,” Kasich said.
At the end of his time on the stage, Kasich humbly asked voters for their support on Saturday. “Give me a chance to get to the rest of the country, okay?” he said. “I need your help.”
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush had some backup in the audience as he took the stage — his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush. “My mother is a superstar,” he said. “People just love her dearly, and I do too.”
When asked about gun control and the Second Amendment, Bush took issue with President Obama’s executive orders. “We’re at the law school here,” he said. “I think … the law school students would appreciate that when the president doesn’t have authority, he should not go beyond what the constitution allows him to do.”
Third-year political science student Will McCutchen raised the topic of marijuana to Bush. “I’ve watched several friends … people who were like brothers to me become frequent users of the drug,” he said. “Become unable to do just basic functions like sleeping and eating without smoking beforehand.”
“This is not some idle kind of conversation,” Bush said of marijuana addiction and abuse. “This is a serious problem.” He went on to tout his wife’s work in Florida on drug prevention campaigns.
Bush closed by talking about his leadership style. “In my experience, listening allows you to learn and then you have a chance to lead,” he said, “rather than being a big blowhard and just talking all the time.”
Last to take the stage was businessman Donald Trump, who dominated the headlines yet again on Thursday with a response to Pope Francis.
The pontiff had criticized Trump’s immigration stance as not being in keeping with Christian teachings. “He also talked about having a wall is not Christian,” Trump said. “He’s got an awfully big wall at the Vatican.”
Trump also attacked Ted Cruz for his campaign tactics, which included running a television ad Trump says is dishonest. “He has a problem with the truth,” Trump said. “He will make up stories. And, you know, he holds up the Bible and then he lies. I think it’s very inappropriate.”
Anderson Cooper seemed incredulous Trump would follow through on a cease and desist threat to sue Cruz over the ad. “You’re not going to sue him,” Cooper said. “You don’t know that,” Trump countered. “As president, would you be sending cease and desist letters?” Cooper asked. “Yeah, maybe to China,” Trump shot back.
One voter asked Trump about his self-control and how he would govern. After Trump’s answer, Cooper followed up. “Do you believe in compromise?” he asked. “I believe in compromise where I win,” Trump said.
Responding to a question from a voter, Trump doubled down on his criticism of Former President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq — criticism that led to a chorus of boos at Saturday’s debate. “Going into Iraq may have been the worst decision any president has made in the history of this country,” he said. “That’s how bad it is.”
Trump closed the town hall with some introspection. “I’m a workaholic, but I don’t consider that a bad thing,” he said. He reflected on his two divorces. “I had two women that I never blamed because I worked so hard that my job came first," he said. "I was a better father than I was a husband.”
All three candidates will campaign throughout the day Saturday and await the results as voters head to polls to make their decision.