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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump levelled sharp and personal charges and counter-charges over trade, the U.S. economy, race and foreign policy in their first face-to-face debate, an event that put on display their starkly different personalities and visions of the nation’s future.
From the first question posed by moderator Lester Holt, the debate devolved into an exchange of accusations and blame as Trump and Clinton reached into each others’ past statements and records. On most policy issues they fell back on their standard campaign stances, offering no new proposals for how they would deal with the country’s challenges.
The debate Monday night at Hofstra University in New York ended as it began with testy exchanges — and a few odd moments — between the candidates when Holt asked Trump about a comment he made that Clinton doesn’t present the image of a president.
“Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a ceasefire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina,” responded Clinton, who served as U.S. secretary of state
Probing Weaknesses
As they probed each others’ weaknesses, Trump raised the issue of Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server while secretary of state, and Clinton questioned why the Republican candidate won’t release his tax returns.
After Clinton repeated her calls for Trump to release his, as has been tradition for the past four decades among presidential nominees, Trump said he would, although with conditions connected to the e-mails that are missing from Clinton’s personal server when she was secretary of state.
“I will release my tax returns against my lawyer’s wishes when she releases her 33,000 e-mails that have been deleted,” Trump said. “As soon as she releases them, I will release my tax returns.”
Clinton said Trump’s refusal to release his returns suggests “there’s something he’s hiding.” Among the possibilities, she said, are he’s got foreign business entanglements that would create a conflict if he were in office or that he’s paid no federal income tax for years, which meant he’s contributed nothing to support U.S. troops or veterans.
The two candidates made clear their disdain for each other as the debate wore on. Often when Clinton was speaking, Trump could be heard off-camera making a skeptical sigh.
Keeping Control
Holt, of NBC News, struggled at times to maintain control and stay on schedule during the more than 90-minute session. What viewers saw was a combative Clinton who went on attack over Trump’s main bonafides for president — his business record — and Trump, supposedly preparing a more subdued approach, return quickly to his fiery ways.
Clinton presented Trump as both unprepared for the debate and for the presidency, as she sought to contrast her decades of experience in government. “I prepared to be president and that’s a good thing,” she said.
Later, Trump responded: “Hillary has experience, but it’s bad experience.”
