Chicago Sun-Times

YUUUGE DEBATE AUDIENCE: RECORD 84 MILLION WATCH

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The showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was the most- watched presidenti­al debate ever, with 84 million viewers.

The Nielsen company said the viewership, over 13 different networks, toppled a record that had stood for 36 years. The previous record for presidenti­al debate viewership was the 80.6 million people who saw the only debate in 1980 between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican challenger Ronald Reagan.

Social media was humming, too, with Nielsen saying there were some 17.1 million Twitter interactio­ns involving 2.7million people on Monday.

Trump on ex- Miss Universe: ‘ The worst we ever had’

When she gained weight after being crowned Miss Universe for 1996, Alicia Machado said, Donald Trump labeled her with a sexist nickname —“Miss Piggy” — that caused her shame and humiliatio­n.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton told Machado’s story toward the end of Monday’s first presidenti­al debate, scolding Trump for referring to the Venezuelan- born actress as “Miss Housekeepi­ng,” as Clinton said, “because she was Latina.”

Asked about the exchange during an interview Tuesday with “Fox and Friends,” Trump said Machado was “the worst we ever had,” adding: “She gained amassive amount of weight. It was a real problem.”

Trump plagued by sniffles

Donald Trump sniffled very loudly throughout much of the first general election debate Monday, eliciting a slew of comments and jokes on social media. Trump claimed after the debate that he was given a “defective” microphone. “I wonder: was that on purpose?” he asked.

 ??  ?? Machado in 1996
Machado in 1996

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