Republican presidential candidates bashed President Obama’s policies toward Iran during Thursday’s prime-time GOP debate, competing with one another in blasting the recent nuclear deal.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took the hardest line, saying he would “terminate” the Iran deal on Day One as president. Walker said he would work with Congress to impose “even more crippling sanctions” on Iran.
{mosads}Several candidates also sought to tie the deal, which would lift economic sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program, to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Walker called the deal an example of the “Obama-Clinton” “failed foreign policy.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also said he would “cancel the Iran deal.”
Fellow candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took a softer line, saying he opposed the deal and would vote against it, but that he did not “discount” negotiations.
However, he added, “You have to negotiate from a position of strength.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also criticized the deal, contrasting President Obama with former President Reagan.
Huckabee said instead of Reagan’s motto of “Trust but verify,” Obama’s was to “trust but vilify” opponents of the deal.
Trump was short on specifics, but said he would be “so different from what you have right now” on Iran and the “polar opposite [from President Obama].”
“I would say he’s incompent but I won’t do that because it’s not nice,” he said to cheers. “What’s happened [with] Iran is a disgrace.”