The five Democratic presidential candidates squared off in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday in their first debate. Many of the Republicans who are hoping to challenge the Democratic party nominee in next year’s presidential election took to social media to comment on the candidates’ performances and how well they debated the issues.
Donald Trump, who live-tweeted the debate, wasn’t impressed, saying there was no clear star.
Members from Ben Carson’s team posted a video message to his Twitter feed predicting what they thought would be absent from the debate, including why the economy isn't growing, "anything about the unborn" and a prayer.
Marco Rubio created a bingo game board, urging his followers to mark off squares each time a candidate talked about points like energy costs, Planned Parenthood and President Barack Obama, while Rand Paul tweeted a GIF of deleted emails from an iPhone screen.
Ohio Governor John Kasich tweeted a video message to his followers at the end of the debate, saying he’s planning on an alternative to the Democrats “high taxes and more government,” which he plans to release on Thursday.
Many of the GOP candidates challenged front-runner Hillary Clinton on her use of a personal email server. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tweeted directly to Clinton, saying it’s “not about your emails, it’s about you hiding the truth @ the expense of our national security.”
Other candidates criticized Clinton's leadership style.
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders wasn’t immune to criticism. Mike Huckabee said he would trust Sanders with his tax dollars “like I trust a North Korean chef with my labrador!” His tweet sparked immediate outrage on social media.
South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham had a few kind words for Jim Webb, calling him a “war hero by any definition.”
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said he wasn't surprised that the candidates were discussing capitalism.
But GOP candidates weren't the only ones tweeting. Bill Clinton, who also watched the debate, also tweeted, not surprisingly, his support for Hillary Clinton.
