US commentators and voters reacted with incredulity after Donald Trump appeared to defend the size of his manhood during the latest Republican debate.
He made the remark less than 10 minutes into the debate in Detroit in response to a jibe by Florida Senator Marco Rubio over the weekend.
Mr Rubio had taken issue at Mr Trump's habit of calling him "Little Marco" as they battle to win the Republican nomination.
He told supporters: "He's always calling me Little Marco. And I'll admit he's taller than me.
"He's like 6ft 2in, which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5ft 2in.
"And you know what they say about men with small hands? You can't trust them."
The billionaire real estate mogulresponded to the remark during Thursday night's debate by claiming it was a poorly disguised insult about the size of his manhood.
He said: "He referred to my hands as if they're small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there's no problem."
The comment triggered thousands of responses on social media as voters watched the candidates during the debate.
Veteran US TV journalist Jeff Greenfield wrote on Twitter: "Oh my God, Trump has just bragged about the size of his penis ..."
Matt Bai, a political columnist for Yahoo News, tweeted: "Didn't think Trump could say anything to make political debates even more like a show for the 12 to 18 male demographic. I was wrong."
And Brit Hume, senior political analyst at Fox News, wrote: "Donald Trump has just guaranteed America that there is no problem with the size of his, er, manhood.
"That's one way of making history."
Mr Trump's rivals have increasingly turned to personal attacks as the tycoon has built a considerable lead in primaries and caucuses.
Mr Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruzlevelled criticism at his "flexible" policy positions, while Ohio Governor John Kasich questioned his character.
But the rivals said they would back Mr Trump if he is the Republican presidential nominee in November.
After Super Tuesday, Mr Trump has won in 10 states and leads the GOP field with 329 delegates.
Cruz has 231, Mr Rubio 110 and Mr Kasich 25. Candidates need 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination.
Ahead of the debate, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney labelled Mr Trump a "fraud".
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