Sunday in their second presidential debate,
clashing over crude remarks by the billionaire
Republican — who vowed that if elected he would
jail his opponent over her email use as a
secretary of state.
Here are five key highlights of the showdown:
Trump dredges up Bill Clinton
Donald Trump went there, big league.
US election: Trump, Clinton trade insults in nasty debate
After holding his tongue in the first debate, Trump
assailed Clinton’s husband Bill, reminding
television viewers about a string of accusations of
sexual misconduct, including one of rape, levelled
against the former president decades ago.
Fighting the backlash against his 2005 hot mic
remarks in which he was caught saying he can
grope women because those with celebrity status
can “do anything,” Trump’s point was clear: a
certain Clinton has done more than just talk.
“Mine are words, his was action,” he said,
claiming that there has “never been anybody in
the history of politics in this nation that’s been so
abusive to women.”
In a preemptive strike before the debate, Trump
met with three women who have accused Bill
Clinton of unwanted sexual advances, including
Juanita Broaddrick, who claims Clinton raped her
in 1978.
Driving up the tension, the women were seated in
the audience during the debate, as was Bill
Clinton himself.
‘Locker room’
Trump entered the showdown at the nadir of his
16-month campaign, walloped by the release
Friday of a leaked tape that captured him saying
vile things about women.
In the debate’s opening minutes he dismissed
them as “just words” and “locker room talk.”
Clinton disagreed.
“He has said that the video doesn’t represent who
he is,” Clinton, standing just a few feet from
Trump, said calmly. “But I think it’s clear to
anyone who heard it that it represents exactly
who he is, because we’ve seen this throughout
the campaign.”
Trump acknowledged he was “embarrassed” about
his comments. “But I have tremendous respect for
women.”
Asked directly if he had done the things he
mentioned in the video, Trump said: “No, I have
not.”
But Clinton once more questioned Trump’s fitness
for the Oval Office, saying it was not just the
video that raises concerns about him.
“He has also targeted immigrants, African
Americans, Latinos, people with disabilities,
Muslims, and others.”
Jail time
Clinton’s emails are not going away in 2016.
Trump highlighted them in the debate, claiming
that her use of a private server while she was
secretary of state, and the sending of sensitive
national security data, was grounds for
imprisonment — and that he would ensure she
served time.
“If I win, I’m going to instruct the attorney
general to get a special prosecutor to look into
your situation, because there’s never been so
many lies,” Trump fumed. “It’s a disgrace.”
Clinton responded by saying it was “awfully good”
that someone with Trump’s temperament was not
running the country.
“Because you’d be in jail,” Trump interrupted, in
the most extraordinary outburst of the evening.
Russian influence
Back in July, Trump caused a firestorm when he
invited Russia to unearth Clinton’s missing emails
from her time at the State Department. Then on
Friday, the White House formally accused
Russia’s government of stealing and releasing
emails from the Democratic National Committee.
Clinton seized on the controversy. “We have never
in the history of our country been in a situation
where an adversary, a foreign power, is working
so hard to influence the outcome of the election.”
Noting her rival’s praise of Russian President
Vladimir Putin, Clinton suggested that Moscow
was seeking to “influence the election for Donald
Trump.”
“Maybe because he says he agrees with a lot of
what Putin wants to do, maybe because he wants
to do business in Moscow,” she added.
Trump batted away the accusations, saying
Democrats “always blame Russia” and were trying
to “tarnish” him through association with the
country.
Finally, some decency
The night’s final question — for the candidates to
each name something positive about the other —
took some sting out of the battering-ram nature
of the race.
“I respect his children,” a smiling Clinton stated,
looking at Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump, Jr and
describing them as “incredibly able” and devoted.
“I don’t agree with nearly anything else he says or
does, but I do respect that.”
Trump expressed grudging admiration. “She
doesn’t quit. She doesn’t give up. I respect that,”
he said of Clinton. “I disagree with much of what
she is fighting for… but she does fight hard.”
AFP
Comments
Post a Comment