Donald Trump wasn't on stage for the first of two Republican primary debates held Wednesday night, but he may as well have been. The first few minutes of the CNN debate showcased the various ways in which Trump's rivals view the businessman who is currently leading them all in the polls.
Moderator Jake Tapper first brought up Trump when he asked Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal about that time he called Trump an "unstable narcissistic maniac." Jindal has been aggressively attacking Trump, even releasing a video on Facebook this week mocking his knowledge of foreign policy. Trump, for his part, has dismissed Jindal's attacks, pointing out that the Louisiana governor is barely registering in the polls.
At the debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Tapper asked Jindal whether his comments had violated Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment -- "No Republican shall speak ill of another Republican."
Reagan's famous maxim, Jindal replied, doesn't apply to Trump.
"Stop treating Donald Trump like a Republican," Jindal told Tapper.
Gov. Jindal says Hillary Clinton "gift-wrapping" election for GOP. Only way to lose is for the GOP to select Trump, he said.— Mark Ballard (@MarkBallardCnb) September 16, 2015
Trump, he added, doesn't believe in the principles of the Republican party. Rather, Jindal said, "he believes in Donald Trump."
Jindal's comments on the debate stage echoed a statement he made before the debate in which he said Trump "will waste the conservative movement’s last, best chance to Make America Great Again, by gifting the White House to Hillary Clinton."
The treatment of Trump put an early split between Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum on display. Santorum, for his part, said personal attacks please just one person: Hillary Clinton.
"I don't think it helps when Republicans attack Republicans personally," Santorum said. "The focus of this debate should be on how we're going to win this election ... And we're not doing that when we're out there picking on each other and calling each other names."
Santorum is playing opposite of Jindal when it comes to Trump - calculating that Republicans don't want attacks— Rick Klein (@rickklein) September 16, 2015
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South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said there was a "long way to go" until there's a Republican nominee, brushing aside the fact that Trump leads him in his home state. Meanwhile, former New York Gov. George Pataki was more blunt in his assessment of Trump.
"Donald Trump is unfit to be president of the United States," Pataki said.