The first of three presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went down last night at Hofstra University in New York, the home state of both candidates. NBC’s Lester Holt moderated.
Some of you were dreading it.
Settled in for the debate pic.twitter.com/BTL5mJ65KR
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 26, 2016
Others were looking forward to it.
Waiting for the debate to start like pic.twitter.com/ltNGdDYfrm
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) September 27, 2016
And a few were pretty psyched.
It's happening! pic.twitter.com/oNL843GkyP
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) September 27, 2016
Either way, a lot of you had something to say on Twitter. Here are some of the highlights.
From the get-go, it was clear there was no love lost between the candidates.
That Trump/Hillary greeting just looked like a hello you give someone you just broke up with when you meet up to exchange the stuff #debate
— Katherine Timpf (@KatTimpf) September 27, 2016
Clinton’s opening statement was out of her standard playbook.
Hillary Clinton: Here’s a random string of platitudes that sound like economic things.
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) September 27, 2016
Oh look, 30 seconds in and we're talking about the "wage gap." Ok then.
— Liz Finnegan (@TheGingerarchy) September 27, 2016
"Fair share," "Corporate loopholes," … focused-grouped cliches from Hillary early on. #debates
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 27, 2016
Trump’s opening statement was unusually calm, if sniffly.
Hillary first salvo: call me grandma. Donald's first salvo: Blame foreigners.
— Bret Stephens (@StephensWSJ) September 27, 2016
Trump using all his catch phrases, just low energy
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) September 27, 2016
The sniffing is really distracting. #debatenight #McAiken
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) September 27, 2016
The first topic was the economy, and Clinton remixed a catchphrase from the ’80s.
"Trickle down economics" oldie but goodie. "Trumped up trickle down" Clunk.
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) September 27, 2016
Trumped Up, Trickle Down? There ya go, it took them six weeks to write that line. #debatenight
— Mickey White (@BiasedGirl) September 27, 2016
A congested Trump turned the question specifically to jobs lost by trade, a favorite topic of his.
"The NAFTA agreement is defective but just because of the tax." – Donald Trump
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 27, 2016
Trump has ZERO knowledge of the VAT system. #debatenight https://t.co/26GSNPHxkO
— Jack Calderwood (@JackCalderwood1) September 27, 2016
Trump thinks VATs are tariffs, Clinton thinks Bush tax cuts caused the recession. True American icons we've got here everyone.
— Lyman Stone (@lymanstoneky) September 27, 2016
CLINTON: I call it 'Trumped-Up Trickle Down.'
TRUMP: Boeing has already shown me plans for a Mexican-shaped catapult.
— Big Sexy Jeb Lund (@Mobute) September 27, 2016
Well, I'd *sniff* say that *sniff sniff* we should *SNIFF* make sure that *SNIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFF* the economy *SNNNNNNNNNIIIIIFFFFF*
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) September 27, 2016
My God. Someone, PLEASE, get @realDonaldTrump a tissue. #Debates2016 #DebateNight #Debates #cato2016 pic.twitter.com/VghJMnvx0a
— Kat Murti (@KatMurti) September 27, 2016
Clinton pivoted to one of President Obama’s favorites: revitalizing the economy through green jobs, somehow.
Notice that Hillary runs away from the trade issue.
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) September 27, 2016
"Clean energy superpower" is a garbage phrase.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) September 27, 2016
Trump tried to disagree, but bumbled the phrasing and seemed frustrated.
Trump: "Hillary, I'd just ask you this: You've been doing this for 30 years, why are you just thinking of these solutions right now?"
— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 27, 2016
Trump makes a reference to Solyndra, which would be a killer issue, but he clearly can't recall the details of what happened.
— Leon Wolf (@LeonHWolf) September 27, 2016
TRUMP LOOKS LIKE HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR A RENTAL CAR FOR 2 HOURS
— Proven Content Maker (@Bro_Pair) September 27, 2016
Instead, he counter-attacked, hitting Clinton for supporting NAFTA and flip-flopping on the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.
The economists are shrieking right now, but Trump forcing Hillary to defend NAFTA is a bad look for her and good for him.
— Jeff B/DDHQ (@EsotericCD) September 27, 2016
Trump is dead to rights correct about Clinton’s flip-flop on Trans Pacific Partnership.
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 27, 2016
JOB GODS ANGRY, BURN TRADE DEAL MAKE MIMIMUM WAGE HAPPY
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) September 27, 2016
Two candidates arguing about who hates free trade more. Fab.
— (Stephanie) Slade (@sladesr) September 27, 2016
Clinton baited Trump on his tax plans…
I do not think that Clinton’s strategy of calling Trump a crazy liar is working as well as it sounded like it would in the strategy meeting
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) September 27, 2016
Clinton bringing up "trickle down" shows just how out of touch she and her team are.
— Ellen L. Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) September 27, 2016
…and he snapped it right up…
Wow. He can’t be quiet. It’s amazing.
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) September 27, 2016
Trump says he's calling for "major jobs."
Problem solved.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 27, 2016
…and said something about ISIS?
"No wonder you've been fighting ISIS your entire adult life!" says Trump, mystifyingly.
— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 27, 2016
Trump went back to his original defense on releasing his tax returns.
oh cool the audit lie again
— andy levy (@andylevy) September 27, 2016
Lots of skepticism in the room here about Trump's "routine audit." Trump days he's making $694 million.
— Daniel McCarthy (@ToryAnarchist) September 27, 2016
Clinton said he won’t release them because he probably didn’t even pay taxes. Trump…agreed?
Trump on not paying federal income taxes for a few years: "That makes me smart."
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) September 27, 2016
Lester my rich friends don't get audited but I do because the IRS wants to help ISIS TAKE JOBS AWAY FROM AMERICANS
— Berny Belvedere (@bernybelvedere) September 27, 2016
I think Clinton is well aware that "laboriously explaining his business/taxes" Trump is one of the worst Trumps. #debate
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) September 27, 2016
"Release your taxes!" ~ Clinton
"Release your emails!" ~ Trump
"Release the Kracken!" ~ America
— Peter Jaworski (@petermjaworski) September 27, 2016
They next talked about race relations and crime in the inner cities.
"How will you heal the racial divide in America?"
You have 2 minutes
— Mike Duncan (@mikeduncan) September 27, 2016
Here, Clinton started to gain some momentum and tried to shift to gun control.
Hillary's answer on race, guns, cops, is fine on merits. Sounds like slow food movement merged with word salad movement.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) September 27, 2016
She is gathering her Af-Am base here. Some passion showing re systemic racism. #debatenight
— Sandwich Lady (@jessepstein) September 27, 2016
TRUMP: Murders have gone back up
HILLARY: No, murders are still going down
TRUMP: Not fatal murders
— Terry F (@daemonic3) September 27, 2016
Trump touted the need for crime prevention.
"How would you heal racial divisions?"
"With a rant about how our country is a 3rd world country, and immigrants have guns"#debatenight— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 27, 2016
Police need better community relations. And that's why I'm submitting my sexy new "Stop and frisky" proposal.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) September 27, 2016
lester holt: ya but stop and frisk is racial profiling
trump: i know about minorities lester i am orange— forsooth, it's keith (@ghostkrogh) September 27, 2016
She called for a ban on gun purchases by people on government watch lists. Again, he agreed.
There you go, NRA. "I'm supported by the NRA but agree with Hillary Clinton's position on guns" is something the GOP nominee just said.
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) September 27, 2016
When the Founders wrote the 2nd Amendment, they clearly meant that the government can take it away by writing a name on a list #Debates2016
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 27, 2016
Hillary hates stop-and-frisk. Trump loves it.
Trump hates gun control. Hillary loves it.
Stop-and-frisk is gun control. #debatenight pic.twitter.com/SOdSA2Bull— Casey Given (@CaseyJGiven) September 27, 2016
Holt asked Trump about his long history of questioning Obama’s citizenship.
He's proud of it and he can't let it go. https://t.co/q4njnqL5IH
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 27, 2016
"everybody in the mainstream will say its not true. It's true" – trump's most powerful argument with his voters
— john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) September 27, 2016
Clinton had a solid response.
"Racist-Birther lie." Slams him to the ground. #debatenight But his supporters love this aspect about him.
— Sandwich Lady (@jessepstein) September 27, 2016
Holt’s question about cybersecurity seemed like a set-up for criticism of Clinton’s e-mail practices, almost as payback for the birther question to Trump. Instead, Trump talked about how his boy Barron is so good with the computers nowadays and the DNC may well have been hacked by obese basement-dwellers.
“As far as the cyber”
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) September 27, 2016
“I have a son, he has computers” was part of Trump’s answer about cyber warfare.
— Matt O'Brien (@ObsoleteDogma) September 27, 2016
what is he talking about
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) September 27, 2016
TRUMP: my son so modarn. he have computer
— Seinfeld Current Day (@Seinfeld2000) September 27, 2016
lester: how do we fight cyber warfare
trump: i have a 10 yo son, he is so good at computers, hes teaching me how to play doom, crazy game— forsooth, it's keith (@ghostkrogh) September 27, 2016
Is… Is Trump suggesting maybe Barron was behind the DNC hack?
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) September 27, 2016
Well, I guess Trump just lost the 400 lb-hacker vote.
— Ellen L. Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) September 27, 2016
#Harambe was 400 lbs. (wipes away tear) #debatenight
— Derek Rishmawy (@DZRishmawy) September 27, 2016
Moving to foreign policy, Clinton was on surer ground and began to contrast her expertise with Trump’s lack thereof.
Trump smartly attacking Obama/Clinton for ushering ISIL's rise by leaving Iraq poorly. …but then says we should have taken the oil.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) September 27, 2016
Oh god. Again with the oil #Debates2016
— Bill O'Keefe (@DefendWallSt) September 27, 2016
take the oil
like, with a straw
out of the ground
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) September 27, 2016
Take the oil! I've prepared a small visual aid… pic.twitter.com/7dHFP2Fe7p
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) September 27, 2016
Clinton noted that Trump and she had, at the time, held the same positions on invading Iraq and bombing Libya. Holt agreed. Trump didn’t, and he can prove it: Sean Hannity will vouch for him. Call him and ask!
Hillary sounds downright presidential right now. When the conversation shifts to foreign policy, she really knows her stuff and it shows.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) September 27, 2016
Nobody calls Sean Hannity!
— Luis A. Mendez (@THELuisAMendez) September 27, 2016
Calling on Sean Hannity as a character witness….
— Bret Stephens (@StephensWSJ) September 27, 2016
"Everybody refuses to call Sean Hannity" yeah it's weird how people don't think they'll get the truth about Trump from Sean Hannity
— Leon Wolf (@LeonHWolf) September 27, 2016
"CALL SEAN HANNITY! WE ARE BESTEST FRIENDS AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!" https://t.co/p1BZLeg4EQ
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 27, 2016
[sean hannity sits by the phone, smiling eagerly]
— Josh Fruhlinger (@jfruh) September 27, 2016
As the debate wound down, it seems to have occurred to the candidates that neither had explained why they should be president.
2 things amaze me about this. Trump has presented zero reason to vote for him. "But Hillary" is all he has.
Second is that it may work.
— John Noonan (@noonanjo) September 27, 2016
Clinton reminded the audience that Trump has been mean to women.
Hillary is trashing Trump very effectively on the misogyny thing.
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) September 27, 2016
Hillary lecturing Trump on treating females correctly is laughable. #debatenight
— Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) September 27, 2016
Trump, inexplicably, claimed that his temperament was his greatest asset.
TRUMP BRINGING UP HIS TEMPERAMENT pic.twitter.com/1gHTRQN9bv
— Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) September 27, 2016
I think my strongest asset is my temperament @realDonaldTrump #tremendous pic.twitter.com/bjqSZaj1Su
— Tamara Laine (@ChasingTamara) September 27, 2016
I HAVE THE BEST TEMPERAMENT! ASK SEAN HANNITY! WHY WON'T ANYONE CALL SEAN?
— Conor Friedersdorf (@conor64) September 27, 2016
In the end, both agreed they would abide by the results of the election, a boast that in other times had not been required of American candidates. With that, the debate ended.
Lester Holt is like… pic.twitter.com/lSFpMdKPLC
— Ellen L. Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) September 27, 2016
Trump seemed to have gotten the better of the first 20 minutes, but gradually surrendered the advantage to Clinton.
As I thought, Trump's strongest moments were at the beginning (on trade, though I disagree w him) but Trump boiled over later. #debatenight
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) September 27, 2016
After the first fifteen-twenty minutes, it was like the SS Trump hit the iceberg, then backed up and hit it again just because.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 27, 2016
Voters who approached the debate with pessimism had no reason to change their feelings.
This is the darkest timeline.
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) September 27, 2016
Stamina! Draperies! Underleveraged!
I hate this election.
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) September 27, 2016
There were a lot of laughs…
this is the longest snl cold open ive ever seen
— sarah haluska (@sarahhaluska) September 27, 2016
Hilary Clinton is what happens when a Bratz doll has sex with a bean bag chair
— J (@Dis0beyJay) September 27, 2016
… until we remembered:
when the debate memes are funny but then u remember this is the state of our country rn #debatenight pic.twitter.com/5u8gipwFfV
— Girls be like… (@girlhoodposts) September 27, 2016