Emotions were running high ahead of the first 2016 presidential debate Monday, September 26 — especially backstage at the event’s venue, Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
As reporters pushed their way through a sea of people in the spin room, one journalist, identified by BuzzFeed as Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, was fed up with the madness. While the crowd rushed to get an interview with businessman Mark Cuban, one woman seemingly shoved Halkett, who was walking in front of her.
Visibly angry, the reporter whipped her head around and snapped, “Thanks a lot, bitch!” The moment was captured in a six-second Vine video (which has since gone viral with more than 10.5 million loops in less than 24 hours) by Washington Post political video reporter Dalton Bennett.
“Scrum pleasantries,” Bennett captioned the clip. “The show hasn’t even started but things are off to a great start #debates.”
Halkett, naturally, became everyone’s spirit animal for the evening, and the Twitter reactions were top quality.
“Thanks A Lot Bitch for President,” one user wrote. Another quipped, “I really want to hang out with the ‘thanks a lot bitch’ lady.”
The viral clip wasn’t the only WTF moment of the night, however. During the debate itself, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each made multiple jaw-dropping comments.
Trump, 70, made headlines for his bizarre diction, uttering the informal and incorrect terms “braggadocious” and “bigly.” He also repeatedly said the word “stamina,” slowly annunciating each syllable every time, while discussing his opponent’s physical health.
Clinton, 68, on the other hand, earned cheers when she responded to a snarky comment from the business mogul about her having “stayed home” the past week.
“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate,” she said. “Yes, I prepared for this debate. You know what else I’m prepared for? Being president.”
See more hilarious reactions to the viral “thanks a lot, bitch” video below!
