Debate is confrontational, but probably not a game-changer
Questions on personalities mix with policy disputes
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump clashed repeatedly on issues ranging from jobs to trade to police tactics during the highly anticipated first general election debate of the presidential campaign Monday night, but neither candidate landed a blow likely to change the course of the election.
The debate, moderated by NBC’s Lester Holt, also touched on Trump’s tax returns, Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state and which candidate would be tougher on the Islamic State terror group. The debate at Hofstra University, which was expected to draw as many as 100 million viewers, gave Americans their first glimpse of Clinton, the Democratic nominee, and Trump, the Republican candidate, on the same stage together.
Locked in an exceedingly close White House race, the presidential rivals tangled for 90 minutes over their vastly different visions for the nation’s future. Clinton called for lowering taxes for the middle class, while Trump focused more on renegotiating trade deals that he said have caused companies to move jobs out of the United States.
The Republican backed the controversial “stop-and-frisk policing” tactic as a way to bring down crime, while the Democrat said the policy was unconstitutional and ineffective.
The debate was confrontational from the start, with Trump frequently trying to interrupt Clinton and speaking over her answers. Clinton was more measured and restrained, but also needled the sometimes-thin-skinned Trump over his business record and wealth.
“There’s something he’s hiding,” she declared, scoffing at his repeated contentions that he won’t release his tax returns because he is being audited. Tax experts have said an audit is no bar to making his
records public. Clinton said one reason he has refused is that he may well have paid nothing in federal taxes. He interrupted to say, “That makes me smart.”
Perhaps the night’s best zinger belonged to Clinton, who responded to Trump’s claim that she had stayed off the campaign trail recently while he was barnstorming the country.
“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate,” Clinton said. “And yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And that is a good thing.”
The line triggered applause from an audience that was asked to remain silent during the debate, but Trump generated applause of his own when he asked the whereabouts of some 30,000 emails during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. The email controversy, in which Clinton used a private server instead of official government channels, has dogged her campaign for months. Clinton described her handling of emails as secretary of state as a “mistake.”
The candidates also sparred over taxes and how to bring good-paying jobs back to the United States.
Clinton said her Republican rival was promoting “Trumped-up, trickle-down economics” — a philosophy focused on tax cuts for the wealthy. She called for increasing the federal minimum wage, spending more on infrastructure projects and guaranteeing equal pay for women.
Trump panned policies that he said have led to American jobs being moved overseas, in part because of international trade agreements that Clinton has supported. He pushed her aggressively on her past support for the TransPacific Partnership trade pact while she was serving in the Obama administration. She’s since said she opposes the sweeping deal in its final form.
“You called it the gold standard of trade deals,” Trump said. “If you did win, you would approve that.”
Disputing his version of events, Clinton said, “I know you live in your reality.”
On the issue of race and policing, Trump said a so-called “stop and frisk” policy that called for police to detain and search suspects they deemed suspicious “worked very well in New York.” The New York Police Department recently discontinued the tactic amid concerns about its constitutionality.
“Secretary Clinton doesn’t want to use a couple of words: law and order,” Trump said. “We have to have it. We need law and order in our country. We have a situation now where African-Americans and Hispanics are living in hell because it’s so dangerous.”
Clinton said restoring trust among police and minorities will take time and training.
“We have to be sure our police are using the best training and techniques and use force only when necessary,” she said. “Everyone should be respected by the law and unfortunately, that’s not always the case in some of our neighborhoods.
Brian Sanderoff, the Journal’s pollster and a longtime political analyst, said Trump was at his best during the debate’s first 20 minutes when he was criticizing trade deals negotiated by Democrats. And Clinton was effective in needling Trump about his business record and other issues, according to Sanderoff.
“Neither of them was great, but they both had their strong points in articulating their visions and criticizing their opponents,” he said.
Partisans in New Mexico cheered their candidates’ performances.
“Hillary Clinton focused on the issues, gave substantive answers, and reiterated that we’re stronger together,” said Debra Haaland, chairwoman of the New Mexico Democratic Party.
“In stark contrast, Donald Trump was unprepared, didn’t give any specifics, and once again showed that he doesn’t have the temperament to lead our country.”
Debbie Maestas, chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, saw the contest differently.
“Donald Trump continually pointed out in the debate tonight that Hillary Clinton has had every opportunity in the past 30 years to support the policies that will improve the lives of everyone in America, and yet 30 years later still nothing has changed,” Maestas said. “This election is about which candidate can exhibit the strength and vision needed to make America great again and Donald Trump is that candidate.”