The ninth Democratic debate was hosted by NBC in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino. Wednesday night was full of spicy exchanges between the candidates, especially with billionaire Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
This debate was an opportunity for the candidates to show their aggressive sides and make their case for president. With the Nevada primary only a few days away, the heat was definitely on.
For those who were unable to watch, here are highlights from the debate.
1. Sen. Elizabeth Warren did not hold back against Michael Bloomberg.
Former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, who allegedly has said derogatory things about women and fostered a workplace culture that degrades women, was checked by Warren.
Warren called out Bloomberg for saying some lesbians were "fat broads" and "horse-faced," reports Business Insider.
"I'd like to talk about who we're running against — a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians, and no I'm not talking about Donald Trump," Warren said. "I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg."
Bloomberg's past comments haunted him on the stage.
"Make the customer think he's getting laid when he's getting [expletive]," and "If women wanted to be appreciated for their brains, they'd go to the library instead of to Bloomingdales," obtained by ABC News and written down on Bloomberg's booklet in 1990, are also two of the many offensive things Bloomberg has said on record.
Although the candidate was ethered on stage, Julie Wood, a spokeswoman for Bloomberg's campaign, told ABC News that "Mike Bloomberg has supported and empowered women throughout his career."
2. Mike Bloomberg is confronted over stop-and-frisk.
Former Vice President Joe Biden came at Bloomberg when Lester Holt asked the former New York mayor about his past support for stop-and-frisk, a policing policy that disproportionately affects Black teens and adults.
"Let's get something straight. The reason stop-and-frisk changed is because Barack Obama sent moderators to see what was going on. When we sent them there to say this practice has to stop, the mayor thought it was a terrible idea we send them there. A terrible idea," Biden said, according to a transcript from Real Clear Politics.
Bloomberg appeared apologetic for supporting stop-and-frisk, saying he was "embarrassed about […] how it turned out." However, Biden said it was too little, too late to back peddle on the policy.
"And it's not whether he apologized or not, it's the policy. The policy was abhorrent. And it was, in fact, a violation of every right people have."
He went further in his dig against Bloomberg, saying under his and Obama's administration the policy ended.
The end of Michael Bloomberg in 2:19.pic.twitter.com/nN0pGwhkBu
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) February 20, 2020
Warren, once again, torched Bloomberg with questions about his nondisclosure agreement form that prevented women from speaking out about workplace harassment and discrimination.
“So, Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?" Warren asked.
3. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Mayor Pete Buttigieg had heated exchanges throughout the night.
Warren wasn't the only lady of rage at the debates. There was something fiery between Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. They duked it out and tested each other's patience, shading each with personal insults.
Buttigieg and Klobuchar have a heated exchange pic.twitter.com/dO7wAg22qG
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) February 20, 2020
Klobuchar attacked Buttigieg for being inexperienced in the Iowa debate, reports The New York Times. However, attention on her comment has dwindled since Klobuchar, who is on the committee that oversees border security, failed to recall who is the current president of Mexico — a question Buttigieg was capable of answering during the Univision interview alongside Klobuchar and billionaire candidate Tom Steyer, Vox reported.
"You're on the committee that oversees border security. You're on the committee that does trade. You're literally in part of the committee that's overseeing these things and were not able to speak to literally the first thing about the politics of the country to our south," Buttigieg said during the debate.
Klobuchar popped off and said, "Are you trying to say that I'm dumb? Or are you mocking me here, Pete?"
Pete Buttigieg: *starts speaking spanish*
Amy Klobuchar: "I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete."
KAREN HAS BEEN UNLEASHED #DemDebate
pic.twitter.com/iobdBY2Oa4— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) February 20, 2020
The Minneapolis senator then mocks Buttigieg for harping on her mistake by sarcastically calling him perfect for speaking Spanish.
4. Socialism and capitalism were major topics of discussion with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg in the center.
Buttigieg also took shots at the current frontrunner Sen. Sanders and Bloomberg, mocking both socialist and capitalistic beliefs simultaneously.
“How are we going to possibly fix our economy if the choice is between a socialist who thinks capitalism is the root of all evil and somebody who believes money is the root of all power?” Buttigieg said about Sanders and Bloomberg, respectively.
5. The Democratic debates are getting personal.
Wednesday's Democratic debate was a free-for-all. As the nomination is getting closer to the wire, the candidates are more willing to openly criticize one another. For some candidates, like Warren, annihilating and embarrassing your opponent, Bloomberg, was just what her campaign needed. Klobuchar got noticeably more talking time on this debate, perhaps proving the key to a good debate is having a fired-up attitude and a good comeback.