DON, NOT OUT
Brawler Trump survives debate
The first presidential debate was a slugfest, and Hillary Clinton landed more blows. But with the bar so low for Donald Trump, columnist Michael Goodwin writes, all he had to do was survive — and he’s now tied with her in the polls.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off in a contentious first debate Monday night, with the Democrat slamming the GOP nominee for his tax proposals, refusal to release his tax returns and “engaging in racist behavior” for questioning President Obama’s birthplace.
Trump fired back, calling Clinton soft on terrorism and the economy, saying she had no stamina and that the deletion of thousands of her e-mails from when she was secretary of state was an intentional act and a “disgrace” — not a mistake, as Clinton has said.
The debate at Hofstra University on Long Island began amicably, with the two shaking hands, but quickly devolved.
“I was the one that got him to produce his birth certificate. And I think I did a good job. I was able to get him to produce it. He should have produced it a long time before,” Trump said.
“Just listen to what you heard,” Clinton told the audience, feigning incredulity.
“Clearly, as Donald just admitted . . . he tried to put the whole racist ‘birther’ lie to bed. But it can’t be dismissed that easily. He has really started his political activity based on this racist lie that our first black president was not an American citizen,” she charged.
At one point, Clinton said, “I have a feeling that by the end of the evening I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened.” “Why not?” Trump jumped in. “‘Why not.’ Yeah, why not? Just join the debate by saying more crazy things,” she said.
Clinton, 68, smiled and appeared scripted for much of the debate while a combative Trump, 70, repeatedly interrupted her as she criticized him, ignoring moderator Lester Holt’s attempts to get him to stick to the rules.
When Holt asked the Republican about releasing his tax returns, he repeated that he would release them after the IRS completes its audit.
Clinton pounced, saying Trump must have something to hide.
“First, maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is. Second, maybe he’s not as charitable as he claims to be. Or maybe he doesn’t want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he’s paid nothing in federal taxes,” she said.
“That makes me smart,” Trump shot back. “I have a great company, I have a tremendous income” — which he said was $694 million last year.
Trump said he would release his returns if Clinton released the thousands of e-mails she deleted from her private server from her tenure as secretary of state.
Clinton again called using the server a mistake, but Trump countered that the American people thought it was “a disgrace.”
Clinton accused Trump of rooting for the housing collapse in 2008 — and slammed him for calling climate change a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.
“I did not. I did not. I do not say that,” Trump interrupted — though that is what he tweeted in November 2012.
The former first lady also attacked Trump for allegedly not paying contractors who worked for him as he built his real-estate empire.
“I have met a lot of the people who were stiffed by you and your businesses, Donald. I’ve met dishwashers, painters, architects, glass installers, marble installers, drapery installers . . . who you refused to pay when they finished the work that you asked them to do,” she said, citing one architect in the audience.
“Maybe he didn’t do a good job and I was unsatisfied with his work — which our country should do, too,” the billionaire businessman responded.
They also clashed sharply over ISIS, with Trump again saying the vacuum in the Middle East created by the Obama administration led to ISIS’s rise.
“You’re telling the enemy everything you want to do. No wonder you’ve been fighting ISIS your entire adult life. Secretary, you have no plan,” Trump said.
“In fact, I have written a book about it. It’s called ‘Stronger Together.’ You can pick it up tomorrow at a bookstore or at an airport near you.”
“That’s about all you’ve done,” Trump snapped back. Iraq was another flashpoint. “Donald supported the invasion of Iraq. That has been proved over and over again,” Clinton said.
“Wrong, wrong!” Trump responded.
When asked about his comment that Clinton did not “look” presidential, Trump denied having said it and said that she lacked stamina.
“As soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease-fire . . . you can talk to me about stamina,” Clinton answered.
“Let me tell you, Hillary has experience, but it’s bad experience,” Trump retorted, shifting gears.
Clinton noted Trump didn’t answer Holt’s question and with the debate winding down went for the jugular.
“He tried to switch from ‘looks’ to ‘stamina,’ but this is a man who has called women ‘pigs,’ ‘slobs’ and ‘dogs,’ ” she said.
Trump mysteriously hinted that he had a nasty line of attack, but decided to skip it — an apparent reference to Bill Clinton’s womanizing.
“I was going to say something extremely rough to Hillary, to her family. I said to myself, ‘I can’t. I just can’t do it,’ ” he said.
Analysts said they doubted that either candidate changed many minds.
“This debate was not a rhetorical breakthrough for either candidate. It really came off as both wonkish and petty,” Jeff McCall, a professor of media studies at DePauw University, told The Post.
“Hillary came off as more prepared, but she also seemed scripted and her approach was forced,” he said.
“Trump came off as less scripted, but rambled at times. And every minute he talked about his business and his taxes, he was losing.”