MSNBC pundits Nicolle Wallace and Claire McCaskill trashed New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio's performance at the first Democratic primary debate, comparing him to an "obnoxious guy" talking loudly at the bar.
De Blasio, who was at the end of the 10-podium debate stage due to his low polling, was the first candidate to interject when not called upon by the moderators and brought a scrappy tenor to the proceedings.
"I thought the folks on the end did their best to elbow into every discussion they could. I found it mildly irritating at times," McCaskill said. "Maybe it's just de Blasio who's mildly irritating to me, I'm not sure. Or maybe even more than mildly irritating."
Wallace agreed with the former Missouri Senator, saying he sounded like an "obnoxious guy at a restaurant or a bar talking really loudly on his cell phone."
"I wanted to hear other people's answers, and he kept butting in," Wallace complained.
The far-left mayor's campaign platform includes the message that there's plenty of money in the world, but it's in the "wrong hands." He attacked former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke in the debate for defending aspects of the American private insurance industry.
Not everyone on MSNBC agreed with McCaskill and Wallace, who cautioned their criticism could fall on gender lines. Chris Matthews said de Blasio was one of the most impressive people on the stage, although he felt Joe Biden was the big winner despite not being there because he wasn't attacked by the other candidates.
Thursday night's debate features top-tier candidates like Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) was the top-polling candidate on Wednesday night's stage and avoided conflict with the other Democrats.