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CLEVELAND (KTVU and AP) - In a field of ten GOP presidential hopefuls, billionaire businessman Donald Trump took center stage in Cleveland Thursday night at the first Republican debate of the 2016 campaign, and warned he wouldn't rule out using his popularity and political capital to run as an independent, if the GOP didn't make him the presidential nominee.
Trumps comment drew immediate fire from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul who said, "He's already hedging his bets because he's used to buying politicians."
Trump fired back, talking about Senator Paul, "Well I've given him plenty of money."
And so, the battle began.
The debate lasted two hours as moderators from Fox News Channel questioned candidates on healthcare, education, gay marriage, the economy and national security.
Trump refused to apologize for making crude comments about women, defended his changing policy positions and tangled with the debate moderators.
The biggest differences came on immigration, with former Florida governor Jeb Bush taking a moderate line as he stood next to Trump.
"There should be a path to earn legal status for those who are here. Not amnesty. Earn legal status which means, you pay a fine over an extended period of time," Bush said.
"We need, Jeb, to build a wall. We need to keep illegals out," Trump fired back, "Our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid. And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning and they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them, they don't want to take care of them."
U.S. Senator from Texas Ted Cruz tried to cast himself as the true conservative, criticizing his own part leaders, while pushing his proposed law to crack down on illegal immigrants in the wake of Kate Steinle's death in San Francisco.
"I tried to get the Senate to vote on Kate's law just one week ago and the leader of our own party blocked a vote on Kate's law," Cruz said.
On national security, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tangled with libertarian Senator Rand Paul over the NSA's controversial policy on collecting private citizens' phone records.
"I want to collect more records on terrorists but less records from innocent Americans," Paul said.
"When you're sitting in a subcommittee just blowing hot air, you can say things like that," Christie fired back.
Paul replied, "I don't trust President Obama and I know you gave him a big hug and if you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead."
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson never raised his voice as he answered questions on his qualifications as a relative political newcomer. In answer to a question of whether he would bring back waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques, he outlined how he'd act as commander in chief.
"We've gotten into this mindset of fighting politically correct wars. There is no such thing as a politically correct war," Carson said.
Repeat presidential candidate, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tapped into his conservative religious base.
"It's time we recognize the Supreme Court is not the supreme being and we send the policy to be pro-life and protect children instead of rip up their body parts and sell them like they're parts to a Buick," Huckabee said, drawing applause from the crowd in Cleveland's Quicken Loans arena.
Seventeen Republicans are seeking the party's nomination, but only 10 were invited by debate host Fox News to participate in the main event based on their showing in recent polls. The remaining seven were relegated to a pre-debate forum.
Throughout the prime-time debate, Trump's blunt style was in line with the approach he's taken to his campaign throughout the summer, appealing to voters frustrated with career politicians and perplexing his rivals. He entered the first debate leading the polls in a field filled with governors and senators.
The crowded field meant limited talking time for candidates, many of whom were introducing themselves to Americans for the first time.
On stage in his home state, Ohio Gov. John Kasich sought to raise his profile by striking an optimistic tone on the economy, saying all Americans need an opportunity to "share in this great American dream." He said that while he favored traditional marriage, he had recently attended a same-sex wedding and would support his children if they were gay.
A raucous crowd cheered the candidates on throughout the debate in Cleveland, the same city where Republicans will nominate their general election candidate next summer. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.
"We've turned it all around with jobs and balanced budgets and rising credits, and tax cuts and the state is unified and people have hope again in Ohio," Kasich said to cheers.
The first debate highlighted deep divisions within the Republican Party, with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul representing a segment of GOP voters frustrated with military action overseas and what they see as infringements on personal liberties.
While the candidates peppered their remarks with barbs about Clinton, they avoided lengthy attacks on her record as secretary of state and the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya. Only late in the debate did Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker raise the controversy surrounding her use of personal email and a private server while serving in the Obama administration.
"Probably the Russian and Chinese governments know more about Hillary Clinton's email server than do the members of the U.S. Congress," Walker said.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the youngest candidate in the field at age 44, has tried to carve out a niche as a foreign policy authority, but has struggled to break through this summer - particularly since Trump's surge. He said the election "cannot be a resume competition."
"This election better be about the future, not the past," he said.
Fox News Channel teamed with Facebook for the debate, getting users input, including an unusual final question about whether any had received word from God.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida had the most deft response.
“He's blessed us with some very good candidates. The Democrats can't even find one.”
Thursday's debate was the first of six party-sanctioned forums scheduled before primary voting begins in February.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businesswoman Carly Fiorina opened the early event with biting criticisms of Trump.
Perry - whose failed 2012 White House campaign was damaged by an embarrassing debate stumble - accused Trump of using "his celebrity rather than his conservatism" to fuel his run for president.
Fiorina, the only woman in the GOP field, said that Trump had tapped into Americans' anger with Washington, but she challenged the businessman as lacking policy positions. "What are the principles by which he would govern?" she asked.
While the candidates pitched their visions for the Republican Party's future, they also made the case that they would present the strongest general election challenge to Clinton.
Clinton, in Los Angeles, told said in Los Angeles she's often left in a "state of disbelief" by what she hears from some of her 2016 rivals.
The next GOP debate is scheduled for September 16th in California in Simi Valley.