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Best Presidential Debate I Have Ever Seen': Beck Breaks Down the GOP Debate Candidate-by-Candidate
Glenn Beck speaks on his radio program August 7, 2015. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

Best Presidential Debate I Have Ever Seen': Beck Breaks Down the GOP Debate Candidate-by-Candidate

"He looked weak and almost confused..."

Glenn Beck reacted to Thursday's first Republican presidential debate on his radio program Friday, saying it was the "best presidential debate" he has ever seen.

"I expected a complete debacle because there was so many people," Beck admitted. "But I think not only did I get a feel for every individual, I think some of my opinions were changed or enhanced on some individuals."

Beck's analysis of the candidates' performance is below in no specific order. Instead of ranking them numerically, he put them into broader categories like "big winner" and "big loser."

Glenn Beck speaks on his radio program, August 7, 2015. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

Carly Fiorina

Beck called former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina a "big winner" in Thursday's debates, saying: "She's wicked smart, really well put together, and someone you could see in office and say, 'Yeah, that could be the president of the United States.'"

Fiorina was on Beck's radio program Friday and said she was "very pleased" with the results because "going into that debate, believe it or not, only 40 percent of Republican voters had even heard my name, according to the polls."

"I'm not a professional politician. I'm not a celebrity," she noted. "So it was important for people to know who I am and know what I'm capable of and know what I would do in the Oval Office, and it gave me a great opportunity. "

Beck's final verdict: Big Winner

Marco Rubio

Beck called Sen. Marco Rubio a "big winner" from the debate, saying he had previously thought of the Florida senator as a big "question mark."

"You're not really sure who he is. You haven't seen a lot of him. You don't necessarily know all of his policies," Beck explained. "You know him for a guy who has not been good on immigration. You have some problems with him. But in my opinion, besides his enormous ears ... I walked away really liking him, really thinking he was solid."

Beck said Rubio's performance in the debate didn't have any "grand slams," but "he became a serious consideration."

"I've had Cruz, and I've had Rand Paul there -- those are my two. And Walker is a fallback," Beck concluded. "I think I even said Rubio is dead to me at one point. ... But for me last night, he opened things up."

Beck's final verdict: Big Winner

Rand Paul

Beck said he was impressed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's performance, saying he did "really, really well" and stuck to his principles on the issues.

"Rand Paul was in the winner section," Beck said. "Now a lot of people say that he was perceived as angry. I thought he was fact-based. He has a middle-range voice that when he raises his voice, it's kind of grating. That's why when he was shouting, it didn't go over well with some."

"But I thought he did really, really well last night. And I was pleased with his performance," Beck concluded, specifically referencing his debate with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie about domestic surveillance programs.

Beck's final verdict: Winner

Scott Walker

Beck put Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the "winner" category because "he was clear and steady."

"There were no knock-out punches, but he was clear and steady," Beck said. "And when you have solar flares like Donald Trump going on, the American people are going to settle into a place where they want somebody that they can say is dependable, is not somebody who is going to fly off the handle, not going to say something crazy."

Beck said Walker "makes sense, keeps it clear, keeps it steady, and keeps moving forward."

Beck's final verdict: Winner

Mike Huckabee

Beck said he hates putting former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the "winner category" because "the guy is one of the biggest progressives on the stage."

"But I thought he looked like he was together," Beck continued. "Especially if you're a low information voter, he looked really, really good. But if you know who he is, you'd dismiss him."

Beck's final verdict: Winner

Republican presidential candidates Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz take the stage for the first prime-time presidential debate, August 6, 2015 in Cleveland. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ben Carson

Beck said famed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is in the neutral category, except for his performance toward the end of the debate.

"He started to connect on his last two answers and I thought he looked very, very good," Beck said. "He is a completely different kind of candidate."

But Beck said that while Carson is smart enough to handle the demands of the presidency, he is nervous about the amount of "on-the-job training" Carson would have, given that his background is in a largely unrelated field.

"This is day one, you better know what you're doing, and I'm not sure that he is there," Beck said, adding that he believes Carson could be an excellent candidate in four years. "But I think that he was on the upper edge of the neutral category because there were times where -- I haven't thought about voting for Ben Carson. But last night, I looked at him and I went, he's good."

Beck's final verdict: Upper Edge of the Neutral Category

Ted Cruz

Beck has made no secret of his support for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, but said that Cruz didn't do as well as he hoped during the debate.

"You know what I didn't like was his, 'Well, look, pause, pause, pause, pause. It's like, pause, pause, pause, pause.' Stop. Ted. Just say it, man! Just say it. I thought he looked a little too rehearsed."

Beck said Cruz picked up steam near the end of the debate when he discussed his family, and he was happy to hear that Cruz did well with the audience.

Beck's final verdict: Neutral

Rick Perry

Beck said former Texas Gov. Rick Perry needed "a big win" to get him out of "that kiddies' table" debate, and unfortunately, he wasn't able to accomplish that.

"Rick Perry is in the kiddies' table. He needed a big win to get pushed up. He didn't get one," Beck said.

Beck's final verdict: Loser

Rick Santorum

Beck said former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is in the same category as Rick Perry, but he is "the biggest loser" between the two of them.

"The question that came to him last night was, 'Has your time passed?'" Beck said. "And the answer I think is, yes. And the only reason I would say that is because he hasn't changed, but our understanding of what's going on in Washington has so dramatically changed."

Beck's final verdict: Loser

Republican presidential candidates former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina and former New York Gov. George Pataki participate in a presidential pre-debate forum, August 6, 2015 in Cleveland. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chris Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a "loser" if you're an educated voter, Beck said, but "low information voters" and progressives might think that Christie did well.

"If you were a progressive Republican, you thought Chris Christie did really well," Beck continued. "But I think that for non-low information voters, I think Chris Christie really destroyed himself last night. Because we know who he is -- and while he's very, very slick, you know who he is."

Beck said Christie's worst moment coincided with Paul's best moment, when the two tangled over domestic surveillance programs.

Beck's final verdict: Loser

Donald Trump

Beck said billionaire businessman Donald Trump came off as unpresidential, a bully and a "son of a bitch" during the debate, saying "he's so convinced of his own supremacy, none of [the audience's boos] bothered him."

"He is the most arrogant candidate next to the candidate called Barack Obama," Beck said. "I mean, there's nobody I've seen more arrogant than him."

Beck said that while Obama tries to image himself as "the most humble Mussolini you've ever seen," Trump makes no secret that he sees himself as "the king of the world."

"This guy will be Barack Obama times 10 with enemy lists," Beck said, noting how quickly Trump targets those who question him. "Really dangerous."

Beck said Trump undeniably added to the entertainment value of the night, and he would ask for Trump to be present at every debate "if I could watch this as sports and my country wasn't dying."

But with the stakes so high, Beck said Trump likely lost many supporters during the debate.

Beck's final verdict: Big Loser

Jeb Bush

Beck called former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush "the biggest loser" of the debate, saying he "looked weak and almost confused."

"I thought his answer on Common Core was horrendous. It didn't even make sense for what he's pushing," Beck said. "If you're a low information voter, you might have thought he was OK. But the real secret is, nobody is talking about Jeb Bush."

"Jeb is going to be left in the dust because he looks like yesterday's news," Beck continued. "He is the Hillary Clinton of the Republican Party. My apologies to the Bush family and to Jeb, really, to compare him to Hillary Clinton. But I think you know what I mean."

Beck's final verdict: The Biggest Loser

The full episode of The Glenn Beck Program, along with many other live-streaming shows and thousands of hours of on-demand content, is available on just about any digital device. Click here to watch every Glenn Beck episode from the past 30 days for just $1!

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