Trump scored the debate's most retweeted tweet with a 2012 climate theory

Twitter exploded with commentary as the presidential candidates sparred in their first debate -- and one of them dominated the social media conversation with the most retweeted tweet.

Unfortunately, however, most of the retweets were probably ironic.

SEE ALSO: Trump's debate sniffles are louder than his words

When the issue of climate change arose, Hillary Clinton brought up an old accusation against Donald Trump. Namely, that he doesn't believe in it and thinks a rival country invented it.

Tweet may have been deleted

"Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax, perpetrated by the Chinese," Clinton said. "I think it's real."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"I did not," Trump quickly said. "I do not say that. I do not say that."

Fact checkers and social media explorers looked back down the long tunnel of Trump's past tweets and found one that says exactly what he denied on the debate stage.

Tweet may have been deleted

Despite false claims that the Trump camp was trying to delete such past tweets, it's still online.

The official Twitter government and elections team responsible for official social media metrics found that Trump's tweet, which claimed that China created the concept of global warming, was the most retweeted tweet of the debates.

Tweet may have been deleted

It's probably not the way that Trump hoped to establish social media dominance following the debate, but that's the way the 140 characters crumble.

BONUS VIDEO: