Debate shatters social media records

Sunday night’s presidential debate broke records on both Facebook and Twitter, according to the platforms.

A Facebook spokesperson said that with 19.8 million people producing 92.4 million likes, comments, shares and posts related to the debate, the clash between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton was the most-discussed debate in the company’s history. More than 18 million people talked about the previous debate on Facebook.

{mosads}Trump, as is often the case online, dominated the conversation. Facebook estimated that he accounted for 76 percent of the chatter, while 24 percent belonged to Clinton.

The most-discussed moment of the debate on Facebook came when Trump dismissed the position of his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, on Syria.

“He and I haven’t spoken, and I disagree,” he said.

Twitter said that discussion of the debate had broken a record on its platform, as well. More than 17 million tweets were sent relating to the debate, according to the company.

Like on Facebook, Trump’s break with Pence generated the most chatter on the platform. Trump’s comments that he was a “gentleman” and that if he were president Clinton would be in jail rounded out the top three moments of the debate on both social networks.

The debate was closely watched after 48 difficult hours for the Trump campaign, which had been in freefall since The Washington Post and others reported on a 2005 recording in which he talks about kissing women and describes, using explicit and vulgar language, grabbing women by their genitals.

He also talks about trying to seduce a married woman.

Trump has expressed regret about the tape on Sunday night but denied that he had ever committed sexual assault.