From a true “STAR” to North Koreans eating dogs: The Democrats were debating — and the Republicans were heckling.
During the first Democratic debate Tuesday night, several Republican candidates weighed in on Twitter with their criticisms of the other party’s contenders.
Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner and reality-TV personality, was actually live-tweeting the debate. And here is the truly Trumpiest tweet of the night:
Sorry, there is no STAR on the stage tonight!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2015
But the lesser candidates had to get in their licks, too. Mike Huckabee got pretty close to Trump’s shock value, with a superfluous reference to the eating of dogs in an East Asian state, currently experiencing a food shortage:
I trust @BernieSanders with my tax dollars like I trust a North Korean chef with my labrador! #DemDebate
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 14, 2015
And ever the skillful online troll, Huckabee followed it up with this, after a round of rather predictable online outrage:
Poor liberals think it’s racist to deplore a brutal dictatorship. #DemDebate https://t.co/ItkrFfMYiL
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 14, 2015
And from Lindsey Graham, the War on Terror hawk:
Can’t take it any longer. Wouldn’t make Gitmo detainees watch all of this. Good luck @TheDemocrats, you’re going to need it. #DemDebate
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 14, 2015
Rand Paul was kind of boring, in even his best attempts to troll Hillary on the emails:
#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/ahOFVczrbU
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 14, 2015
And for a sort-of fun one, Bobby Jindal went all Billy Madison on them:
My thoughts on the #DemDebate: https://t.co/ypQCTUT7Gp
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) October 14, 2015
Photo: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Keene, New Hampshire September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Gretchen Ertl
Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the Adam Sandler comedy from which Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal lifted a YouTube clip for his trenchant, biting critique of the Democratic debate. It is Billy Madison, not Happy Gilmore. The Memo regrets this error.