- Donald Trump clashed with Hillary Clinton during the first presidential debate of the 2016 elections on Monday.
- They constantly interrupted each other in a vigorous back-and-forth on the debate stage at Hofstra University, as polls showed them locked in a tight race.
- The two clashed over the US economy, ISIS, gun control, Clinton’s use of a private email server and Trump’s unwillingness to release his income tax returns.
Concluding Arguments
Both candidates concluded the first presidential debate by saying they will accept the outcome if the other wins.
Clinton spoke directly to viewers and said, “It’s not about us, it’s about you.”
Trump, however, initially dodged moderator Lester Holt’s question abut accepting the result if his rival wins, saying he would make a “seriously troubled” America “great again.” He added: “I’m going to be able to do it. I don’t believe Hillary Clinton will.”
But Trump finished his answer by saying that if Clinton wins, “I will absolutely support her”.
Trump’s Temperament
If Clinton aimed to get under Trump’s skin in the first 30 minutes of the debate, the Democratic nominee appeared to succeed. Clinton often put Trump on the defensive, saying he had “rooted for” the collapse of the housing industry and had considered climate change to be a hoax.
Later on, Trump said he had a “winning temperament,” prompting Clinton to respond: “Whew. OK.”
‘Clinton Does Not Have Stamina to Be President’
Trump said that Clinton doesn’t have the “stamina” to be president.
Clinton hit back strongly at Trump’s assertion.
She also said the remarks were sexist and reminded the audience of Trump’s past comments dubbing women “pigs” and other derogatory names.
As soon as he travels to 112 countries for negotiations or even 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk about stamina.
Trump has questioned whether Clinton has the physical fitness to be president and he addressed the question to her directly during the debate.
On NATO
Trump said NATO needs to “go into the Middle East with us” to combat the Islamic State. And he took credit for NATO focusing resources on combating terrorism.
“There are 28 countries of NATO and many of them aren’t paying their fair share. I am all for NATO but they have to focus on terror also. I think we have to take NATO to the Middle East”.
Attacking each other on foreign policy, including ISIS, cyber warfare and nuclear war, Clinton said:
We’ve gotta do everything we can to vacuum up intelligence from the middle east. Work closely with our allies. We’re working with NATO. We need to cooperate with Muslim nations, Muslim communities that who Donald has constantly alienated.
She further said that “Donald’s cavalier attitude on nuclear weapons is deeply troubling”.