Donald Trump’s Surprising Closing Statement

Donald Trump and the other six Republican presidential candidates that qualified for Fox Business Network's primetime GOP debate, battled on stage in North Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday night. With a focus on economic, domestic, and international policies, the moderators — and other candidates — challenged Trump on the issues Americans are most concerned about. Trump's closing statements in the GOP debate allowed him to wrap up his thoughts and plans, and surprisingly focused on the captured U.S. sailors.

Still leading the race for the GOP nomination by a large margin, Trump entered the sixth debate with 33 percent of support from Republican primary voters, with Ted Cruz trailing behind in second place with 20 percent in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The real estate mogul's continued lead has bolstered his confidence, and his tell-it-like-it-is style was just as present in Thursday's debate as it has been in past presidential forums. As expected, he got into a few tiffs with his opponents on stage — the front-runner is always the most likely target of criticism, and Trump is no exception to that rule. However, he didn't let that discourage him and spoke with his usual enthusiasm and candor.

Here's what Trump said in his closing statements:

I stood yesterday with 75 construction workers — they're tough, they're strong, they're great people — half of them had tears pouring down their face. They were watching the humiliation of our young ten sailors sitting on the floor with their knees in a begging position, their hands up, and Iranian wise guys having guns to their heads. It was a terrible sight. A terrible sight. And the only reason we got them back is because we owe them — with a stupid deal — $150 billion. If I'm president, there won't be stupid deals any more. We will make America great again. We will win on everything we do. Thank you.

Trump's emphasis on the American Navy ships captured in Iranian waters was unexpected, but it ended on his usual talking point — making America great again. It wouldn't be a Trump speech without some mention of his catchphrase, after all.