CNN opened up the night of the September 16th Republican Presidential Debates by declaring that “anything can happen.” Perhaps that’s a bit of hyperbole, but the clash of candidates (for 3 hours with almost no commercials!) does bring a great deal of excitement.

For reference, the candidates that were present were:

• Mr. Donald Trump: Celebrity billionaire; frontrunner
• Governor Jeb Bush: Former Florida Governor
• Dr. Ben Carson: Retired Johns Hopkins Neurosurgeon; co-frontrunner
• Governor Chris Christie: Former US Attorney; New Jersey Governor
• Senator Ted Cruz: Texas Senator
• Mrs. Carly Fiorina: Former Hewlett-Packard CEO
• Governor Mike Huckabee: Former Arkansas Governor
• Governor John Kasich: Governor of Ohio
• Senator Rand Paul: Senator of Kentucky
• Senator Marco Rubio: Senator of Florida
• Governor Scott Walker: Governor of Wisconsin

Certainly the most well-known personality on the stage , “The Donald,” “The Trump,” opened up his first response by telling America that he has a great temperament, but simultaneously took a stab at Rand Paul for his low polling numbers. He kept the audience chuckling at his abrasive personality, and also kept the other candidates criticizing him.

First, the issue of campaign funding and how that can make candidates puppets to donors arose. Trump brought up how he does not take any money and instead relies on his rather large pile of cash. Bush said that he has not been a puppet to donors, but did not offer a great reason why not. Dr. Ben Carson brought up that he has received over 500,000 donations from the people, not billionaires with ulterior motives.

The next topic was about Russia. Trump thought that he and Putin could get along like a couple of good guys. Carly Fiorina suggested a huge increase in militarization by building more missiles in Poland, putting thousands more combat troops in Germany, and conducting military exercises along the border. When one really thinks about that, it sounds like a great recipe for a second Cold War, although it did get a lot of applause.

Senator Cruz promised to rip the Iran nuclear deal to shreds, prompting Senator Kasich to refer to him as inexperienced, suggesting instead that we should not alienate potential allies. Most of the candidates seemed to be pretty angry and fed-up with Iran, including Governor Huckabee who declared that they “threaten the very essence of Western civilization.”

Next, Trump addressed how Obama drew a red-line against chemical weapons, placing blame on the three senators on the stage who might bear responsibility for the situation in Syria. The senators, of course, told America how they stand for American pride and would never allow threats like those in Syria and Iran to arise under their watch.

Afterwards, the candidates moved on to same-sex marriage. Mike Huckabee defended a Kentucky count clerk who refused to issue licenses to same-sex marriage. Bush agreed that America should respect religious beliefs, but said that the clerk should have handed the licenses to someone else.

Unsurprisingly, the candidates appeared to unanimously agree that due to recent actions, Planned Parenthood needs to be defunded. Chris Christie pointed out how he actually managed to accomplish this. Carly Fiorina in particular brought up the cruelty of the organization. Bush said that although he “misspoke” by saying that he did not think America needs half a billion dollars for woman’s health issues, he did manage to defund Planned Parenthood. Trump hammered him for the former statement.

On to immigration, a very seldom talked about topic. Scratch that, the most talked about topic. Trump wants to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Chris Christie, on the other hand, thinks Trump’s plans are simply impossible with a lack of funding and officers. However, he did agree that we need to secure our border with many new measures. Dr. Ben Carson also thought the plan was unfeasible, remarked on the ridiculous state of border fences and offered his own solutions. Jeb Bush wanted Trump to apologize for saying that his views of immigration were skewed because his wife came from Mexico, but Trump refused because he thought he did not do anything wrong. Every candidate had their own plan regarding immigration, all agreeing to secure the physical border.

The candidates spent a lot of time talking about taxation and other economic issues. Dr. Ben Carson held high his flat tax of 10% for all income, saying that it promotes individual growth, defies communism, and defines capitalism. Trump, on the other hand supports the progressive tax. Carson also supports raising the federal minimum wage, but Walker called that a “lame idea.”

The candidates briefly talked about Hilary Clinton’s email server, but without anyone supporting her, that did not bring up much excitement and the program moved on.

Senator Marco Rubio was very concerned about enemies across the world: in North Korea, Russia, and the Middle East, and was particularly critical of Donald Trump. Rubio was very confident and looked great talking about foreign policy and being stern with these enemies.

When Trump took a stab at Jeb Bush’s brother and his actions in Iraq, Jeb declared that he knew one thing: George Bush kept America safe. This prompted a huge applause. Talking about ISIS, Jeb declared that America does not need to be the police force of the world, but it does need to be the leader. Ben Carson and Trump both stated how they opposed going into Iraq in the first place. Governor Chris Christie, who has many personal connections with the 9/11 attacks, vehemently supported going into Iraq and keeping America safe. Surprising no one, Carly Fiorina again told America how much she wants to amp up the military.

Next, CNN took some questions from the audience via social media. First, marijuana legalization: Rand Paul said there would be minimized imprisonment regarding drugs and more rehabilitation. Jeb Bush admitted to smoking pot in high school, and reaffirmed his stance on marijuana. Chris Christie brought up how New Jersey is the first state to not imprison good people for a first offense on drugs. Rand Paul tried to say that other candidates were against medical marijuana and employed some major pathos with a story about a child who needed it; but Chris Christie reaffirmed his support of medical marijuana. Carly Fiorina, who lost a child due to drugs, also wanted more rehabilitation.

On the topic of the right to bear arms: Bush pointed out the background checks and gun control laws that do not restrict good people in his state of Florida.

Regarding social security, Trump and Christie mostly agreed that rich people should not get social security benefits. This could provide a solution to a system that, at the current rate, will run out very soon.

On climate change, some candidates such as Rubio feel that it is not America’s responsibility to care for the planet. Christie especially supported nuclear power, a cleaner alternative.

Regarding anti-vaccination, Ben Carson, as a doctor, opened up the remarks here and distinguished between necessary vaccines and ones that are probably not necessary. Trump thinks, against all medical and scientific evidence, that vaccines cause autism. However, he and Carson agreed that vaccines should be given in smaller doses over longer periods of time. Huckabee said that we should focus on developing vaccines and cures for other diseases, so that we do not have to spend more money on treating them.

The candidates shared a humorous segment where they told America what they would want their Secret Service code-name to be. Donald Trump’s? “Humble.”