While live-tweeting during Monday night’s highly-charged first presidential debate, outspoken liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore contended that Republican Donald Trump “won” the contest over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
The 62-year-old Where to Invade Next director went after Trump in Twitter posts all night, however, toward the end of the debate, Moore conceded that even though Clinton “told the truth” during the showdown, Trump won the overall battle.
It's over. Trump, the egoist, the racist, the narcissist, the liar, "won." We all lost. His numbers will go up. She told the truth. So what.
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
Of course, Moore was highly critical of Trump early on in the proceedings:
Trump is wondering why there's a woman on his stage.
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
Trump keeps sniffling. Is he… SICK?! Or is he sad about something?
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
#debatenight. Ok, the XY creature is going to continue to interrupt her and slam her. Clinton has to crush this motherfucker or…
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
Wow. The racist candidate brings up her saying "superpredator." That took some very white balls. #debatenight
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
Later on, Moore predicted that Trump would continue to do well with his campaign because his base is “rabid and energized,” while Clinton’s supporters are largely apathetic.
If u just turn off the TV right now and do nothing, you've just elected Donald Trump. Do something! Plan what you're going to do tomorrow.
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
If u just turn off the TV right now and do nothing, you've just elected Donald Trump. Do something! Plan what you're going to do tomorrow.
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) September 27, 2016
Moore has previously predicted that Trump will win the election in November.
“One of the things I’ve been concerned about this week is that we’re all sitting … in our bubble, having a good laugh at this total sh*t show,” Moore told HBO’s Real Time host Bill Maher in July, shortly after Trump accepted the Republican nomination at the part’s National Convention in Cleveland.
“But the truth is, I’m sorry to have to be the buzzkill here so early on, but I think Trump is going to win,” he added.
Moore is, of course, no fan of Trump. The filmmaker was an outspoken supporter of insurgent Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders in the party’s primaries, and previously called Clinton “Wall Street’s paid candidate” during the Democratic debate in March.
In July, Moore criticized Clinton’s selection of Virginia senator Tim Kaine as her vice-presidential running mate, warning that progressive voters would “stay home” in November.
“It’s not Trump who’ll beat u. It’s the people who are going to stay home,” Moore wrote on Twitter.
Regardless of politics, Moore appears to have been correct about a prediction he made all the way back in December — that Trump would “absolutely” become the Republican nominee for president.
“I think people are feeling more and more that we’ve moved back into a darker time,” Moore told Business Insider that month. “Donald Trump is absolutely going to be the Republican candidate for president of the United States. It’s going from being a joke to being a serious reality.”
Moore was far from the only celebrity to have live-tweeted Monday night’s showdown. View a roundup of celebrity reaction from Debate Night here.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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