Democratic presidential hopefuls Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (R) chat ahead of the tenth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 25, 2020.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.
All times below are in Eastern time.
8:18 pm: Bloomberg and Sanders go at it right away
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg ratcheted up his criticism of Sen. Bernie Sanders before the debate. It took no more than five seconds for the Vermont senator to target the businessman as a symptom of the greed of American billionaires.
Asked how he would beat President Donald Trump despite a strong economy and the lowest unemployment rate in decades, Sanders responded that “the economy is doing really great for people like Mr. Bloomberg and other billionaires.” He highlighted sluggish wage growth, the number of Americans without health insurance and record student debt.
Bloomberg took a shot at Sanders’ ability to deny Trump a second term. He argued that Russia reportedly tried to boost Sanders because Moscow wants the incumbent to stay in office. “Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be president of the United States and that’s why Russia is helping you get elected so you’ll lose to him,” he said. Sanders shook his head, saying, “Oh, My. Bloomberg.”
Sanders then pointed to Bloomberg’s past praise of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has run an authoritarian regime. He said Russia wanted to sow division in the U.S. “Hey Mr. Putin, if I’m president of the United States, trust me, you’re not going to interfere in any more American elections,” the senator said. – Pramuk
8:14 pm: Where’s Klobuchar?
The debate started more than 10 minutes ago, and we’ve heard from every candidate except for Amy Klobuchar. – Calia
8:10 pm: Sanders supporters razz Bloomberg
A woman sitting near the front of the Bernie Sanders campaign watch party flipped Bloomberg the middle finger when he responded. Other supporters booed and jeered. – Higgins
8:04 pm: The rules
Candidates will have one minute and 15 seconds to answer; 45 seconds for followups. – Calia
8:02 pm: And we’re under way
The candidates have started to take the stage. The lineup as seen on your TV/computer/phone screen, left to right: Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Warren, Sanders, Biden, Klobuchar and Steyer. – Mike Calia
7:39 pm: Live from the Sanders debate watch party
The event is being hosted in a fancy food court with Filipino, Mexican, deli and burger options.
On tap: Thematic brews from local brewster 13 Stripes Brewery with names like “Not My King Lager” and “Oppose The Tyrant IPA.”
Tucker Higgins | CNBC
Nina Turner, the national co-chair of the campaign, arrived to fire up supporters ahead of the debate.
“I believe just like Iowa, you are going to come through. Just like New Hampshire, you are going to come through. Just like Nevada, you are going to come through,” Turner told the crowd. – Higgins
7:31 pm: Coronavirus in focus
As the U.S. aims to contain the spreading coronavirus outbreak, Democratic White House hopefuls started to criticize the Trump administration’s response to the outbreak Tuesday. It remains to be seen if they use the debate platform to pick apart the president’s strategy.
Trump, a close observer of U.S. stock markets, was surely watching a two-day rout that saw the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 plunge more than 6%.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said “the Trump administration is absolutely bungling the response to coronavirus, putting our public health and economy at risk.” She called for more funding for public health and international aid programs, criticizing Trump’s proposed cuts to U.S. health programs.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden called for “strong American leadership and disciplined diplomacy.” He contended Trump is “incapable of that” and “the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency. – Jacob Pramuk
7:20 pm: Bloomberg’s blunders
Despite the increased focus on Sanders, it’s likely Bloomberg will continue to catch heat for his past remarks about minorities, transgender people, people who died from drug overdoses and other groups. In recent weeks, as he has risen in the polls, various recordings of Bloomberg making such remarks have resurfaced. Some of his comments came as recently as last year. Read our story. – Yelena Dzhanova
7:04 pm: All eyes on Bernie
Democratic presidential contenders are facing what could be their last chance to halt an ascendant Sen. Bernie Sanders during the presidential debate in South Carolina on Tuesday. Indeed, Sanders is likely to face scrutiny from a united front of Democrats.
The event in Charleston, hosted by CBS News, is likely to be a rowdy affair. The debate will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and is expected to last just over two hours. It comes four days before Saturday’s South Carolina primary, the last nominating contest next week’s crucial Super Tuesday contests. Read our preview here. – Tucker Higgins
6:55 pm: The lineup
The debate, the 10th of the cycle, kicks off at 8 p.m. on CBS from Charleston, South Carolina. Seven candidates will be on stage tonight. They are:
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg
Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Hedge fund founder Tom Steyer
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
CNBC’s Yelena Dzhanova and Mike Calia contributed to this liveblog.
