“Why does she keep interrupting everybody?” asked an exasperated Trump, who by the way wasn’t even involved in the relevant exchange.

What Trump almost certainly is, is a man on a debate stage with a female candidate who has been warned within an inch of his campaign’s life to operate in such situations with care. All the communications experts and debate prep staffers that Trump’s mostly self-financed campaign can buy will have almost certainly warned him to watch the content and tone of his on-stage interactions with or comments about Fiorina. All the male candidates have very likely been warned.

Why? Voters watching on television might not consider that kind of tough talk, directed at a woman, something they like. That’s not to say that Fiorina and all female candidates are default damsels in distress. That’s just to say that voters are culturally programmed and have in the past been repulsed by male candidates who register as bullies when they interact with women on a debate stage. And there are a lot of people watching — watching Republicans and Trump, in particular — for signs and symptoms of sexism.