GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump was neck and neck with presidential hopeful and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson right before the last debate on Nov. 10.
A McClatchy-Marist survey released on Nov. 4 had Carson at 24% and Trump at 23%.
How did Trump do in the GOP debate last time?
Here's a little reminder as we gear up for the next GOP debate on Dec. 15...
How Did Trump Do in the Debate?
Poll data suggested Trump performed well.
A Monmouth University GOP poll released just prior to the fourth debate on Nov. 9 showed Trump had 27% of the national Republican vote.
After the debate, the billionaire's favorability among registered Republicans and Republican-minded independents rose to 32%, according to a Washington Post/ABC News survey taken between Nov. 16-19 and released on Nov. 20.
Trump's most notable moment came when he was asked if he is sympathetic to those pushing for a minimum wage hike to $15.00 an hour, especially given that his tax plan allots a zero-income tax clause to individuals making $25,000 or less annually. Under Trump's proposal, a minimum wage hike would put individuals' annual income at approximately $31,000 a year, noted Cavuto. Trump responded favorably, and was met with the crowd's cheers:
"This country has been beaten on every front," Trump said. "Wages too high and taxes too high... we're not going to be able to compete against the world. [The U.S. taxpayers] have to go and work really hard. I would not raise the minimum wage."
During the last debate, Trump also touted his "wall campaign"...
"There will be a wall," Trump stated. "And if you think walls don't work, ask Israel."
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich attacked the practicality of Trump's wall and deportation plans...
Kasich insisted the businessman's proposal "made no sense" and stressed that such a plan would ultimately make a Republican candidate unelectable against Hillary Clinton in the main election.
On another big topic of the last debate, tax reform, Trump didn't get a word in edgewise for a good fifteen minutes. Eventually, he did manage to make one statement...
"We all have a different tax plan, some I don't agree with. But each one is better than the one we have now."
The lack of detail left many viewers wanting specifics, and indeed, in the time since that debate, Trump has released more details. (We've broken down Trump's tax plan here.)
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Trump did manage, however, to get a tax joke in since the last debate, poking fun in particular at Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders had to leave the campaign trail on Dec. 1 to have hernia surgery. Trump said that his medical issue was caused by "carrying around too much tax problems."
The Ben Carson Tax Plan: Republican presidential nominee and decorated retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson revealed his tax proposal on CNBC's "Squawk Box." His proposal comes in three parts, one of which is instituting a 10% flat tax...