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"After yet another drab, pessimistic Democrat debate, it's even more clear why they felt they had to impeach President Trump. None of these characters has a chance," she said in a brief statement.
The Trump campaign has been trying to make the case that every Democrat running in 2020 is extremely progressive, if not socialist, contrasting their policies with the economy under Mr. Trump.
It's unclear if the president, who was tweeting about Fox News coverage as of 10 p.m., watched any of the debate.
Democrat candidates Candidates wrapped up the debate with brief closing statements, restating their cases for why they should be the president.
"I know what you're thinking America: How am I still on this stage with them?" Yang joked in his statement, before pivoting to his argument that politicians need to address the political symptoms that led to Mr. Trump's election.
Klobuchar finished a strong night by emphasizing her credentials as a moderate Democrat.
"If you are tired of the extreme in our politics, and the noise and nonsense, you have a home with me," she said.
Warren tacitly reiterated her earlier attack on Buttigieg for having big-money fundraisers, saying she would not work for the millionaires and billionaires. This theme was repeated by Sanders.
"The truth is, that real change always takes place from the bottom on up, never from the top on down," Sanders said.
Biden closed by arguing that he was the most electable candidate on stage.
"We all have big, progressive plans, and the question is, who can deliver on those plans," Biden said. He argued that he could help elect Democratic senators in red states, as well as defeat Mr. Trump.
These are the seven candidates who qualified for the debate:
* Former Vice President Joe Biden
* Mayor Pete Buttigieg
* Senator Amy Klobuchar
* Tom Steyer
* Senator Bernie Sanders
* Senator Elizabeth Warren
* Andrew Yang
How they reacted to impeachment
President Trump, now the third U.S. president to be impeached, isn't expected to be removed from office, and the candidates vying to replace him have largely avoided bringing up impeachment on the campaign trial. But almost all of them have weighed in since he was impeached.
Elizabeth Warren used the opportunity to fundraise.
"It's important to remember that Trump is just the worst symptom — not the cause — of a rigged, corrupt system. A system that rewards the rich and powerful and leaves working people behind. 2020 is our chance to change that," an email to her supporters read.
Andrew Yang also pivoted from impeachment to his platform.
"Watching impeachment unfold is like watching a game when you know the final score," he tweeted. "If the media spent a fraction of the time they are spending on impeachment on the economic dislocations that got Trump elected we would be a stronger country for it."
Others expressed sadness, including Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, who is a central figure in the impeachment.
"This is a solemn moment for our country. But in the United States of America, no one is above the law — not even the President," he tweeted.
Billionaire Tom Steyer reminded Americans that he launched an effort to impeach the president years ago.
"Now, the 8.4 million Americans that signed our petition have had their voices heard," he said in a statement.
Mike Bloomberg, the other billionaire in the race, issued a warning to voters.
"If Donald Trump wins re-election, he will make extorting a foreign head of state for campaign purposes look like child's play. 2020 is not just an election. It's a referendum on whether to save our Constitution — or let Trump light it on fire," he said.
Only one 2020 candidate had the opportunity to vote on the president's impeachment, and she made the decision not to weigh in on either side.
"After doing my due diligence in reviewing the 658-page impeachment report, I came to the conclusion that I could not in good conscience vote either yes or no. I am standing in the center and have decided to vote present," said Tulsi Gabbard, who isn't running for reelection to Congress.
She was the only member of the House who voted this way, but she won't face scrutiny over her decision.
The debate featured seven candidates, which is the smallest number in this election cycle so far.
Pete Buttigieg is the only Democrat appearing on stage who has yet to react to the news.
The first question went to Biden, who was asked what he'd do to persuade the roughly half of Americans who don't think President Trump should have been impeached.
"We need to restore the integrity of the presidency," Biden said, adding it's his job to make sure Mr. Trump isn't in office another four years.
Sanders, given the same question, claimed Mr. Trump has sold out the working people of this country, and has lied "thousands" of times since taking office.
"We have a president who is a pathological liar, we have a president who is running the most corrupt administration in the history of this country," Sanders said.
Warren accused the president of normalizing corruption, even after he promised to "drain the swamp."
"From tax breaks to ambassadorships, we have to prosecute the case against him and that means" the country needs a candidate who can draw the sharpest distinction, Warren said.
"That's why I'm in this race," she added.
Klobuchar said what the president did in attempting to get a foreign nation to intervene in the U.S. election is exactly why the founders created the tool of impeachment.
"This is a global 'Watergate,'" Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar called for the president's top aides, like acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to testify.
"If President Trump thinks that he should not be impeached, he should be not scared to put forward his own witnesses," Klobuchar said.
Buttigieg said that no matter what happens in any Senate trial, Americans have the chance to vote in 2020.
"We cannot give into that sense of helplessness, because that's what they want," Buttigieg said.
Yang said American leaders aren't focusing on the problems that led to Mr. Trump's election, largely blaming the media for getting the country to this point.
"We have to stop being obsessed with impeachment … and start actually digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place," Yang said.
The Senate impeachment trial and 2020
Several of the Democrats running for president are U.S. senators, meaning impeachment will keep them busy in January.
That's when the Senate is expected to hold a trial to decide whether to remove President Trump from office. It's an unlikely outcome since the Senate is dominated by Republicans and a two-thirds vote is required.
Still, Senators Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have to attend the trial, which would take place six days a week until it's over. The trial of Bill Clinton, the last president to be impeached, lasted over a month.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed his desire for a quick trial, and unlike Clinton's, without witnesses. But that would still take the senators running for president off the campaign trail for a little while at a crucial time. The Iowa Caucuses, which kick off the primary season, take place on February 3.
"We will do our best to get back to Iowa, to get to New Hampshire, to get to all of the states that we have to, but there's no question it will make our life a little bit more difficult," said Sanders.
On the ground, it'll mean that top-tier candidates Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden will have the early states to themselves for part of the month.
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