The first Democratic primary presidential debate may not have gained as much attention as the highly anticipated Republican debates, but it has stirred up a great deal of reaction from Americans on both sides of the political aisle, nonetheless.

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton came across as smart, poised and confident while Bernie Sanders delivered fiery points on issues involving inequality and injustice. On the other hand, the other three candidates -- Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb -- didn't leave a strong lasting impression.

During the debate, several Republican hopefuls took shots at the Democratic contenders.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took a jab at Clinton's response about her position on building the Keystone Pipeline.


Meanwhile, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush mocked Clinton's defense of the Obama administration in a tweet.

Following the debate, GOP front-runner Donald Trump applauded Clinton's performance and criticized the other four contenders for not being more aggressive.

The reality TV star also expressed praise for the former secretary of state during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday morning, saying that she "did what she had to do."

"She got through it fine," he said. "It was a very kind debate, very gentle. She came out the winner."

Trump added that Sanders should have attacked Clinton more. He was also criticized Sanders for coming to Clinton's defense when he said that Americans are tired of hearing about the "damn emails" that have undermined her campaign. The two contenders then shook hands onstage.

"I think that he's losing by quite a bit; he shouldn't have done it," Trump said of the Sanders-Clinton handshake.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), on the other hand, released a statement that was far more critical of the Democratic candidates and the front-runner.

"The Democrat debate was a predictably stale evening of liberal politicians proposing to spend trillions more that we don't have," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. "Considering the weak caliber of Clinton's competition, it speaks volumes that she continues to flip-flop and change positions in an attempt to save her faltering campaign.

"Clinton's record of hypocrisy and flip-flops on everything from Wall Street, trade, immigration, and foreign policy was on full display. Her unwillingness to fully explain the circumstances surrounding her secret email server, and the ongoing FBI investigation into it, further damages her credibility. "