11th GOP Debate Was Wildest, Most-Watched Yet

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Motor City Melee was hot, both online and on the air.

Nineteen-million people watched the insult-a-thon, making it Nielson's highest-rated TV debate of the year.

Facebook's most-discussed moment: Donald Trump defending his … hands.

"Look at those hands. Are they small hands?" Trump said. "And [Marco Rubio] referred to my hands, 'If they're small, something else must be small.' I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee it."

Trump was again the most-searched candidate on Google, and he was the most-discussed candidate on Twitter with 62 percent of tweets.

And social media spiked for an exchange between Trump and FOX News' Megyn Kelly, after they famously clashed in the first debate.

"Mr. Trump, Hi."
"Hello."
"How are you doing?"
"Nice to be with you, Megyn."
"Great to have you here."
"You're looking well. You're looking well."
"As are you."

The night's "wait … what?" moment came from Rubio, who angered chicken-wing lovers everywhere during an attack on Trump University.

"I saw this video last week where [Trump is] sitting in front of a camera saying, 'We're going to hire the best people, and I'm going to hand-pick them … and instructors, the best instructors in the world.' One of them, by the way, was the manager at a Buffalo Wild Wings."

Lovers of the Minnesota-based chain hammered Rubio online. One tweet said, "Marco Rubio 'loses the Buffalo Wild Wing vote.'"

The most re-tweeted tweet of the night was not from a Republican. It was Hillary Clinton, who tweeted a GIF of "unintelligible yelling" at the debate, with images of her reaction during the Benghazi hearing.

Thursday night's debate was the 11th Republican contest, and there is one more next week.

It will come just before critical primaries in five states on March 15, including delegate-rich Florida and Ohio.