We can’t get enough! Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had plenty of WTF moments during the first 2016 presidential debate at Hofstra University on Monday, September 26 — so much so that we couldn’t resist another roundup of the most bizarre interactions. “Bigly” and “stamina” aside, here are six more jaw-dropping comments from the candidates.
1. Fred Trump Was a Generous Man!
Early on in the debate, Clinton, 68, stated that Trump, 70, “was very fortunate in his life” because he “started his business with $14 million borrowed from his father.” The Republican presidential candidate hit back, saying, “My father gave me a very small loan in 1975, and I built it into a company that’s worth many, many billions of dollars.”
It turns out that Trump’s late father Fred’s “very small loan” was actually, as Clinton said, $14 million — a value of $31 million in modern day currency, according to The Wall Street Journal. The news outlet also noted that it was unable to verify the value of Trump’s privately owned company because he hasn’t released his tax returns, much to the dismay of Americans.
2. Is Trump Confused About Clinton’s Age?
While Clinton discussed her plan to defeat ISIS, Trump (who has yet to explain a strategy of his own, leading many to believe he doesn’t have one) interjected, saying, “See, you’re telling the enemy everything you want to do. No wonder you’ve been fighting ISIS your entire adult life.” Laughing, Clinton invited fact checkers to “get to work” on her opponent’s ignorant claim.
Fact check: ISIS was established in 1999 but did not rise to global prominence until 2013 — when the Democratic presidential candidate was in her mid-60s — making it simply impossible for Clinton to have battled the militant group her “entire adult life.”
3. “Trumped-Up Trickle-Down”
As the former secretary of state debated Trump’s plan for the economy, she coined a new term: “Trumped-up trickle-down” economics, a nod to the political term “trickle-down economics,” which characterizes policies that favor the wealthy (see: Reaganomics).
4. Trump Revives “Braggadocious”
Discussing his wealth, the businessman clarified that he didn’t intend to sound “braggadocious,” but wanted to emphasize the United States’ need for a leader with a background in finance. The odd word choice immediately sent viewers to Google, which later noted that searches for “braggadocious” spiked during the debate. Merriam-Webster called out Trump via Twitter, writing, “He was trying for braggadocio.” (“Braggadocio” refers to boastful behavior, while “braggadocious” is a dated and informal term.)
5. Trump Body-Shames Hackers
When Clinton mentioned the Democratic National Committee server hack that happened earlier this year, she blamed Russia, citing the “high confidence” of FBI officials. Trump replied, “She’s saying Russia, Russia, Russia. But I don’t — maybe it was. I mean, it could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds. You don’t know who broke into DNC.”
Several celebrities promptly took to Twitter to discuss the controversial comment. “OMG did he just weight shame!!! WTF?!” Leslie Jones tweeted, while Lin-Manuel Miranda posted a GIF of Angelina Jolie in the 1995 film Hackers.
6. Trump Snubs Moderator Lester Holt
After the 90-minute debate officially ended, Clinton walked over to moderator Lester Holt to shake his hand. Trump, on the other hand, sauntered in the other direction toward his wife, Melania Trump, and the rest of his family, prompting Holt to awkwardly sit back down while scratching the back of his neck. The GOP candidate did eventually come back to shake the NBC Nightly News anchor’s hand after briefly chatting with his wife.
Tell Us: Who do you think won the first debate?
