Fiorina, GOP candidates try to capitalize on debate
Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump and the other Republican presidential candidates began the "post-debate debate" Thursday, hitting television news shows to amplify their performances of the night before.
Fiorina, whose performance during Wednesday night's debate won praise from pundits, social media users and even opposing campaigns, said the prime-time session gave her a chance "to continue to introduce myself" to voters.
"I hope that what people saw last night is that I can win this job and I can do this job," the former Hewlett-Packard CEO said on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
Trump, who is leading Republican polls, took the most criticism from Fiorina and other candidates during the debate, but he said he was pleased with his performance.
The billionaire businessman did tell MSNBC, "I thought I was on too much. I felt badly for everybody else. Every question had to do with me." Trump also complained about the length of the debate, saying "three hours is too much" and likening it to the running time of Gone With The Wind.
At one point during the debate, Fiorina assailed Trump for a past comment about her face, an exchange she echoed during her round of post-debate television appearances.
"It's only a woman running for president whose appearance would be talked about," the former Hewlett-Packard told CNN's New Day.
Other candidates said they hope to move up in the wake of the debate at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who criticized Trump on issues ranging from immigration to his business practices, entered the debate with sagging poll numbers. While seeking a rebound, Bush told NBC News that "it's way early. There's gonna be lots of ups and downs."
Some of the GOP candidates noted the challenge of standing out in a debate featuring 11 candidates.
"You could see very clearly early on that it was going to be one of these things where, if you wanted more time to speak, you were going to have to interrupt somebody," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who during the debate interrupted what he called a "food fight" between Trump and Fiorina over their business records, called the exchange emblematic of the entire campaign.
Voters feel the candidates are "talking too much about themselves," Christie told Fox News.
While the candidates traded sharp attacks during the debate, they said the generally got along well during the commercial breaks.
Fiorina told MSNBC that she spoke with Trump, and, "at the end of it, he said, 'you did great.'"