Donald Trump had a strong performance during CNN’s GOP town hall Thursday night, hitting his closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, and defending himself over his so-called argument with Pope Francis — with a little support from Jeb Bush.

The event featured Trump, Bush, and Gov. John Kasich, and was the bookend to another town hall the previous night with Ben Carson and Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

Despite host Anderson Cooper’s best efforts, Trump refused to be goaded into attacking the leader of the world’s Catholics. He said it was wrong for the pope to question his faith, but then went on to question if indeed Francis had actually done so.

He said he had a great deal of respect for the pope, and attacked the media for misrepresenting Francis’s comments in order to create a conflict between himself and the Holy Father.

“I think it was a little bit nicer (of a) statement than you folks in the media” made it out to be, Trump told Cooper. “I don’t think this was a fight,” the real estate mogul insisted when Cooper tried to characterize the episode as such.

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“I think what he said was softer than reported,” said Trump, reiterating, “I have a lot of respect for the pope.”

For his part, former Bush said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to question Donald Trump’s faith.”

Kasich, though, echoed the pope’s call for “bridges.”

“We have a right to build a wall, but I’ve got to tell you, there are too many walls between us,” said the Ohio governor. “We need bridges between us if we’re going to fix the problems in Washington because all they do is have walls.”

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When asked about a cease-and-desist letter he reportedly sent to Ted Cruz regarding a campaign ad, Trump launched a severe attack on the honesty of his strongest challenger.

He resurrected criticism Cruz received for the controversial “Voter Violation” mailers Cruz’s campaign distributed in Iowa. He called the Texas senator a liar who “will make up stories.” In a particularly scathing comment, Trump said Cruz “will hold up the Bible” and lie while doing it.

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Trump also attacked George W. Bush, the very weapon Jeb Bush is wielding to try to help him in South Carolina.

“Everything that’s happening started with stupidly going into the war in Iraq,” Trump said, referring to the Syrian civil war, the European migrant crisis and the rise of ISIS. “We have spent $2 trillion in Iraq (and) we’ve got nothing” to show for it, said Trump.

“The bottom line” is that the Bush administration said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, “and they weren’t,” Trump said.

Kasich, on the other hand, eagerly suggested funding the rebels in Syria, most of whom are Islamists of some degree, and all of whom are fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad — who is fighting ISIS.

“Assad has to go,” Bush echoed, and he was adamant a Sunni-led coalition was needed to do so.

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Trump, however, has previously noted the problem of removing a secular power currently combating the world’s most dangerous terrorist threat, and suggested in the past that Assad and Russia be left alone to crush ISIS decisively.

Both Bush and Kasich offered familiar remedies for economic woes. “Tax reform, regulatory reform, embracing the energy revolution” were Bush’s cures, while Kasich offered “regulatory reform … lower taxes … and balancing a budget.” Neither candidate, however, discussed the economic disadvantages of free trade deals, which Trump has consistently criticized.

Kasich offered up more of his self-portrayal as the compassionate, loving candidate in the race.

“Sometimes you’ve got to sit with them and cry because that’s what we need in this country,” he said.

“I need your help,” Kasich pleaded with the audience in his final comments of the night.