North by Northwestern

Whether to support their favorite candidates or to mock someone else, many Northwestern students tuned in to the most recent GOP and Democratic Primary Debates. Just as students commented to their friends as they flipped to Fox Business or NBC News, so too did Twitter to the world. NBN rounded up a few of the best (and worst) tweets of these debates. They pretty much speak for themselves.

GOP Debate Jan. 14, 2016:

Here’s a sampling of what Democratic candidates wrote during their opponent’s debate: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to appeal to her younger audience using reaction GIFs:

2 1/2 hours of this? Imagine 4 years. https://t.co/ubB7MPBfR5#GOPdebatepic.twitter.com/n2SCkfLqhp

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 15, 2016

...She then attacks all Republican candidates with one blow:

They may be arguing, but they agree on so much: denying climate change, repealing Obamacare, and cutting taxes for the wealthy. #GOPdebate

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 15, 2016

Senator Bernie Sanders went after his opponents with cute little pictures of his face:

The Republicans seem to think they could beat our campaign. They haven’t seen the polls. #GOPDebatepic.twitter.com/XitW9T28Vq

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 15, 2016

And, in case he was getting too negative, Sanders made sure to spread the inclusive love:

Now is not the time for demagoguery and fear mongering. During these difficult times, we will not succumb to Islamophobia. #GOPDebate

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 15, 2016

Tweets about the GOP debate:

Everyone loves a good meltdown...

Trump is kinda melting down right now, and Ted Cruz loves it pic.twitter.com/Gl1FRl7F8j#GOPDebate

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 15, 2016

But, as it seems, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has no love for Republican candidate Donald Trump:

.@realDonaldTrump’s proposals aren’t conservative. They’re dangerous to our economic security. https://t.co/BCpcdRjuD1

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 18, 2016

Despite the turmoil Twitter put Trump through, he was ultimately considered to have given “his best debate performance of the campaign,” according to CNN. He, along with Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, were considered the winners of the Jan. 14 Republican debate.

Dem Debate Jan. 17, 2016:

Republican candidates spent much of the debate trolling the Democrats:

Carly Fiorina (though demoted to the JV debate) made sure to prove to everyone she is still is firmly conservative:

The Democrat debate tonight was a perfect example of a political class committed to growing government. https://t.co/Y5eUvvinhR

— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) January 18, 2016

If NU students are any indication of how much the public likes free swag, Marco Rubio’s tweet may be on the right track:

Hillary Clinton is disqualified from being commander in-chief. Get the sticker → https://t.co/0c3x6rnE9u#DemDebatepic.twitter.com/59SK9LNIwm

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 18, 2016

Rand Paul bragged about his Twitter presence and made sure not to give up the opportunity for a sly dig about the debate:

Thanks for joining my latest tweetstorm. I hope you enjoyed it more than I enjoyed the #DemDebate! Learn more: https://t.co/lpzLQBXXC5

— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 18, 2016

Jeb Bush tried to make a funny, if tired, joke:

This is how @HillaryClinton would spend her first 100 days as president. #DemDebatepic.twitter.com/dGW8rgpZ2W

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 18, 2016

He couldn’t go wrong, however, with affirming the need to lessen government control:

Most passionate moments of #DemDebate are always about who will ban more guns & who will give the gov't more control over your health care.

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 18, 2016

Tweets about the Democratic debate:

The debate included a lot of speculation about scheduling it for the Sunday of a holiday weekend, which the New York Times addressed in this tweet:

If a presidential debate is held and nobody watches, does it really happen? https://t.co/zy6oI29Elcpic.twitter.com/zsnv1ZTBHO

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 18, 2015

Though Clinton talked a lot about how she would make a better candidate than Sanders, according to the New York Times, viewers were “leaning toward Sanders” as the debate winner – partially due to his immense support from Twitter.