Thursday’s GOP debate got off to an eye-popping start, yet Donald Trump’s bragging about his penis size wasn’t even one of the top three most-tweeted moments of the raucous stage rumble.
According to Twitter, the most-tweeted moment of the night was when Marco Rubio went after Trump University, calling it a “scam.”
Top Tweeted moment for #GOPDebate: Trump defends his businesses, including Trump University. https://t.co/RkhYnViYKo
— Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) March 4, 2016
The second was Rubio’s joke about yoga after Ted Cruz first implored Trump to “breathe.”
2nd most-Tweeted moment for #GOPDebate: Cruz tells Trump to relax, Rubio follows up with a yoga joke. pic.twitter.com/EytfTqsGEX
— Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) March 4, 2016
The third? Trump calling Rubio “little Marco.”
3rd most-Tweeted moment for #GOPDebate: Trump calls Rubio “little Marco”; Chris Wallace live fact-checks Trump. pic.twitter.com/qtxnDsnlM6
— Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) March 4, 2016
Also from Twitter, Trump gained the most new followers during the debate, but the fourth candidate on stage — the one who didn’t partake in any of the most rollicking moments — gained the second-most: John Kasich.
Ranked follower growth for all candidates in #GOPDebate:
1. @RealDonaldTrump
2. @JohnKasich
3. @HillaryClinton
4. @TedCruz
5. @MarcoRubio— Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) March 4, 2016
The candidate with the third-most follower growth? Hillary Clinton, who will most likely face one of the four in November. That probably had something to do with this tweet, the most-retweeted of the debate:
#GOPdebate pic.twitter.com/SGW200luN8
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 4, 2016
And finally, no GOP debate Twitter wrap would be complete without acknowleding — gingerly — the online conversation about Ted Cruz’s Lip.
While it didn’t make Twitter’s official list, the interwebs positively lit up with one question: What was on Ted Cruz’s lip?
In case you were blissfully unaware, during the debate, something small appeared on the Texas senator’s lip, until — with the briefest of pauses — he ate it off and continued making his point. Speculate away.
What was that thing on Ted Cruz’s lip during the #GOPdebate? https://t.co/Ma7tzwNTiK pic.twitter.com/Yzp4e8KLUG
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) March 4, 2016