Rand Paul Blasts Trump, Rubio in Opening Statement

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul got Tuesday's main GOP presidential debate off to a fiery start by attacking two of his biggest rivals: front-runner Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

"How do we keep America safe from terrorism? Trump says we ought to close that Internet thing. Like in North Korea? Like they do in China?" Paul said. "Rubio says we should collect all Americans' records all of the time. The Constitution says otherwise. I think they're both wrong."

"The way to defeat terrorism is by showing terrorists we do not fear them," he said. "I think if we ban certain religions, if we censor the Internet, I think that at that point the terrorists will have won."

"As commander-in-chief, I will do whatever it takes to defend America. But in defending America, we cannot lose what America stands for," he said. "Today is the Bill of Rights' anniversary. I hope we will remember that and cherish that in the fight on terrorism."

Related Stories:

• Lindsey Graham Slams Ted Cruz Over Putin and Assad
• Huckabee: Monitor Mosques for Radicalism