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Trump Live-Tweeting Democratic Debate Proves Clever Way To Steal Spotlight

LAS VEGAS (CBSLA.com/AP) — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump wasn't impressed by his Democratic rivals' performance during their first debate Tuesday night.

The billionaire businessman and showman took to Twitter to serve up his signature harsh feedback.

He described the debate as "a little sad!" and says the candidates seemed too scripted and rehearsed.

He had especially acerbic words for the lower-polling candidates.

He said there's "no way" anyone can imagine former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee as president and thinks former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley "has very little chance."

On former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, he retweeted someone asking, "Why is Webb there??"

He seemed to lay off Hillary Clinton for the most part.

The former host of "The Apprentice" knows how important commercials are to a network's profit margins, so some found it peculiar he tweeted the following.

But overall, Trump certainly understands marketing and strategy. Political pundits say his live tweets successfully piggybacked on the debate's media coverage and put the spotlight back on him.

A few of his tweets criticized the candidates' stances on hot-button issues such as illegal immigration and a trade deal Clinton dealt with while serving as secretary of state.

But Trump spent the most time retweeting compliments from fans about his debate coverage.

He concluded, "Sorry, there is no STAR on the stage tonight!"

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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