Carly Fiorina earns praise for Republican debate
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34286018 Version 0 of 1. Carly Fiorina, the only woman in the Republican field of White House hopefuls, has been widely praised for her performance in a TV debate. Commentators praised her "steely" self-assurance while analysts detected much approval for her on social media. She also received the biggest applause of the night for an exchange with frontrunner Donald Trump that left the pugnacious businessman deflated. CNN, the host broadcaster, said the event pulled in a record audience. An average of 23 million people watched the debate, which was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The broadcaster's media correspondent Brian Stelter described the size of the audience as one that usually watches NFL football games. Those that tuned in saw Donald Trump come under attack from all sides and he was on the receiving end during an exchange with Ms Fiorina. She was asked to respond to an interview in which Mr Trump said she could not be president because "Look at that face". The former boss of Hewlett-Packard replied, to thunderous applause: "I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr Trump said." Mr Trump's exchange with Ms Fiorina: Moderator Jake Tapper gives Ms Fiorina the chance to respond to Mr Trump's comments about her in Rolling Stone magazine in which he said: "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that. Can you imagine that as the face of our next president?" Mr Trump later said he was talking about her persona, not her appearance. CF: "You know it's interesting to me. I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr Trump said." (Loud applause) DT: "I think she's got a beautiful face and I think she's a beautiful woman." It was not just those in the room who were impressed. The New York Times described her performance as "steely, self-assured and at times deeply personal", while Fox News praised hers as the "standout performance of the night". Ms Fiorina also scored well on social media, with nearly 20,000 tweets, second only to Mr Trump. And an analysis of positive and negative mentions on social had her near the top, according to Reuters. Her impassioned denunciation of reproductive health organisation Planned Parenthood and her admission that she lost a child to drug abuse were among her key moments. She wasn't the only candidate to have a good night, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were also praised. Republican debate's winners and losers Has Fiorina found Trump's kryptonite? Fifteen Republicans are vying to be the party's White House nominee in 2016. The Democratic Party will hold its first debate in Nevada in October, also hosted by CNN. Iowa will be the first state to choose its candidate from each party in February, then other states hold primaries in the following weeks and months. By next summer, each party will have a presidential nominee who will do battle in the race for the White House. Votes will finally be cast in November 2016. Twists and turns of debate as they happened Join in our debate on Facebook 2016 hopefuls The early Republican frontrunner is Donald Trump Meet all of the 2016 hopefuls |