--- title: Republican Debate: Here are the Top Twitter Moments description: Some moments from the presidential debates got more buzz online than others. canonical: https://time.com/4180929/debates-twitter-moments/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-14T21:31:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:28.156Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here Are the Top Twitter Moments From Every Debate So Far og:description: Some moments from the presidential debates got more buzz online than others. og:url: https://time.com/4180929/debates-twitter-moments/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd70a9aa9cdc1ff7b/6988758ebc6cfc28893dadcf/gettyimages-501505692.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer looks on as Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) are i og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are the Top Twitter Moments From Every Debate So Far twitter:description: Some moments from the presidential debates got more buzz online than others. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd70a9aa9cdc1ff7b/6988758ebc6cfc28893dadcf/gettyimages-501505692.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here Are the Top Twitter Moments From Every Debate So Far > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jan 14, 2016 9:31 PM UTC  CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer looks on as Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) are introduced during the CNN presidential debate at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer looks on as Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) are introduced during the CNN presidential debate at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jan 14, 2016 9:31 PM UTC Twitter has been a great second-screen to catch all of the action of the presidential debates this election season, but some moments from the presidential debates got more buzz online than others. Twitter ranked the moments on the list are ranked by Tweets per minute, meaning the volume of conversation on the platform in reaction. Heated exchanges between the candidates and witty comebacks made up most of the list. Surprisingly, Donald Trump doesn’t completely dominate the list. **_Read more:_** [_How to Watch Tonight’s Republican Debate Online_](http://time.com/4179420/republican-debate-watch-live-stream-online-free/) Below are the top debate moments from this election season. 1. Bernie Sanders says [Hillary Clinton’s “damn emails”](http://time.com/4072613/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-email/) are a distraction during the first Democratic debate. (51,525) 2. Lincoln Chafee [justifies his vote on Glass Steagall,](http://time.com/4072630/heres-how-lincoln-chafee-justified-a-vote-he-regrets/) saying he had “just arrived” in the Senate. (36,616) 3. Bernie Sanders says “Congress does not regulate Wall Street, Wall Street regulates Congress” while Trump sends shots at the Democrats tweeting, “no STAR on stage tonight.” (34,693) 4. Chris Christie and Rand Paul have debate over the fourth amendment, NSA spying—and hugs at the first Republican debate. (33,713) 5. Donald Trump admits [Hillary Clinton attended his wedding](http://time.com/3988313/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-wedding/), and telling Rand Paul, “You’re having a hard time tonight.” (33,264) 6. Donald Trump is questioned at the first GOP debate on the [language he uses to describe women.](http://time.com/3990598/donald-trump-women-voters/) (32,486) 7. Carly Fiorina responds to [Trump’s comments made about her looks.](http://time.com/4037757/donald-trump-carly-fiorina-republican-debate/) (30,334) 8. Carly Fiorina [moves up from the undercard to the main stage](http://time.com/4038387/carly-fiorina-could-defeat-hillary-clinton-by-channeling-her/) at the second Republican debate where she discusses Planned Parenthood and handling Iran. (26,725) 9. Jeb Bush demands an apology from Trump regarding comments he made about his wife Columba Bush. (25,118) 10. Donald Trump tells Jeb Bush at the December Republican debate, “You’re a tough guy, Jeb, I know.” (22,977) Bernie Sanders says [Hillary Clinton’s “damn emails”](http://time.com/4072613/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-email/) are a distraction during the first Democratic debate. (51,525) Lincoln Chafee [justifies his vote on Glass Steagall,](http://time.com/4072630/heres-how-lincoln-chafee-justified-a-vote-he-regrets/) saying he had “just arrived” in the Senate. (36,616) Bernie Sanders says “Congress does not regulate Wall Street, Wall Street regulates Congress” while Trump sends shots at the Democrats tweeting, “no STAR on stage tonight.” (34,693) Chris Christie and Rand Paul have debate over the fourth amendment, NSA spying—and hugs at the first Republican debate. (33,713) Donald Trump admits [Hillary Clinton attended his wedding](http://time.com/3988313/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-wedding/), and telling Rand Paul, “You’re having a hard time tonight.” (33,264) Donald Trump is questioned at the first GOP debate on the [language he uses to describe women.](http://time.com/3990598/donald-trump-women-voters/) (32,486) Carly Fiorina responds to [Trump’s comments made about her looks.](http://time.com/4037757/donald-trump-carly-fiorina-republican-debate/) (30,334) Carly Fiorina [moves up from the undercard to the main stage](http://time.com/4038387/carly-fiorina-could-defeat-hillary-clinton-by-channeling-her/) at the second Republican debate where she discusses Planned Parenthood and handling Iran. (26,725) Jeb Bush demands an apology from Trump regarding comments he made about his wife Columba Bush. (25,118) Donald Trump tells Jeb Bush at the December Republican debate, “You’re a tough guy, Jeb, I know.” (22,977) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4180929/debates-twitter-moments/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4180929/debates-twitter-moments/"},"headline":"Here Are the Top Twitter Moments From Every Debate So Far","datePublished":"2016-01-14T21:31:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:28.156Z","description":"Some moments from the presidential debates got more buzz online than others.","url":"https://time.com/4180929/debates-twitter-moments/","keywords":["2016 Election","Tech","Social Media","2016 Election","twitter","Donald Trump","Debates"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd70a9aa9cdc1ff7b/6988758ebc6cfc28893dadcf/gettyimages-501505692.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd70a9aa9cdc1ff7b/6988758ebc6cfc28893dadcf/gettyimages-501505692.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer looks on as Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. 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