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Elizabeth Warren attacks Mike Bloomberg for his company’s NDAs

'Cause of death: Elizabeth Warren': Democratic debate's brutality delights viewers

This article is more than 4 years old

The tone for the evening was set from Warren’s first answer, prompting glee on social media

It only took nine debates and eight months, but the Democratic candidates for president have finally taken their gloves off and gone for each other. And – with the likely exception of Mike Bloomberg’s supporters – it seems that most viewers have been delighted.

While Trump sits in the Oval Office, this is what the Democratic debate stage looks like tonight. pic.twitter.com/GdDRsHi6Ir

— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) February 20, 2020

From the very start of the Las Vegas debate, the tone for the night was set. It all kicked off when Elizabeth Warren branded Michael Bloomberg a “billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians” in her first answer.

Bloomberg was then attacked from all sides over his problematic legacy as mayor and history of unsettling remarks about women.

Warren’s opening salvo on Bloomberg set the tone for the rest of the debate. He was unable to come back from this. pic.twitter.com/tHwoRL7Soc

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 20, 2020

Soon enough, a light backdrop of memes and jokes began to accompany the tearing apart of Bloomberg, who had just joined the debate stage for the first time since announcing his candidacy in November.

For many, the general message was a simple “RIP”:

Time to update Bloomberg's Wikipedia page...

Date of death: 2/19/2020
Place: Democratic Debate stage
Cause: Elizabeth Ann Warren#DemDebate

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) February 20, 2020

Some dudes would pay a lot of money for the humiliation Warren is giving Bloomberg for free #DemDebate

— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) February 20, 2020

Bloomberg arriving at the debate pic.twitter.com/LtHLSspeyF

— Andrew Todd (@mistertodd) February 20, 2020

Did Bloomberg forget to spend money on debate prep?

— Erika Stallings (@quidditch424) February 20, 2020

However, Bloomberg wasn’t the only candidate getting beaten up on stage. The other big battle of the night was between Senator Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Things started to go awry when she asked Buttigieg if he was calling her “dumb”, after he criticized her recent inability to name the president of Mexico.

The two continued to lay into each other at any given opportunity, their obvious mutual dislike serving as an inspiration to those watching the debate online:

amy klobuchar will never be president but if she was her first act would razing south bend, indiana to the ground out of spite

— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) February 20, 2020

Pete:

Amy Klobuchar: pic.twitter.com/FWzcspMtvV

— Zach Heltzel (@zachheltzel) February 20, 2020

In the end the general consensus seems to be that Warren’s attacks on Bloomberg won her the debate. And she definitely triumphed across two semi-significant metrics: she had the longest speaking time out of any of the candidates and was the most-tweeted-about candidate of the night.

Meanwhile, the biggest loser of the night was unambiguously Bloomberg, who, after spending more than $400m to get into the race, may be starting to get buyer’s remorse.

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