While the candidates never appeared on stage together, their back-to-back sessions served as a preview of sorts for their upcoming debates.
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Although Trump edged ahead of Clinton Tuesday in a new CNN/ORC poll-45 percent to 43 percent among likely voters-Clinton remains ahead in a number of other surveys. She got faced by a veteran on her illegal mishandling of classified information, while Trump handled the questions so well Hillary’s supporters were upset with Matt Lauer for not being enough of a shill for Hillary in asking them.
Speaking at a televised national security forum, Clinton also defended her support for USA military intervention in Libya, despite the chaos that has consumed that country since then. “He supported it”, Clinton said.
“So, can I say I was surprised?” Even though such briefings are kept under wraps and the briefers are told to be very discreet, Trump claimed that, “In nearly every instance, and I could tell I’m pretty good with the body language I could tell, they were not happy”.
A national security expert familiar with the process said Trump’s briefers would not have expressed displeasure in any way.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Clinton over her support for the war, saying it showed poor judgment.
During Trump’s 30-minute live interview with Lauer, Trump claimed, “I was totally against the war in Iraq”.
She added: “I view force as a last resort, not a first choice”.
“I always said ‘take the oil, ‘ one of the benefits we would have had if we took the oil [from Iraq] is ISIS would not have been able to take oil and use that oil to fuel themselves”, Trump told Lauer.
Clinton drew an implicit contrast with Trump when asked for the most important quality a commander in chief must possess.
Clinton blasted Trump for appearing on the network and praising Putin, as he had done on Wednesday night during a televised national security forum.
The Republican candidate was unapologetic when questioned about this by Lauer, saying he was happy to take a compliment from Putin.
Mr Trump, who has campaigned on a platform railing against illegal immigration, also said he had no problem with existing U.S. policy of allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in America if they serve in the military.
Clinton could also be vulnerable to Americans’ worries about terrorism – particularly the Islamic State’s designs on the West – and criticism that President Barack Obama hasn’t done enough to combat extremism emanating from the Middle East.
Lauer asked whether Trump has lost faith in USA military commanders.
Hillary Clinton says it was inappropriate for Republican Donald Trump to discuss his intelligence briefing.
At a rally on Friday before thousands of cheering supporters in Pensacola, Florida, Trump had more harsh words for the Democratic presidential nominee in the fallout over their crossfire at a televised national security forum in NY on Wednesday.
“It will be on the top of my list in dealing with China on how we’re going to prevent what could very well be a serious conflict with North Korea”, she said.
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When asked how he expected to defeat IS, Mr Trump was vague, responding he didn’t “want to broadcast to the enemy what my plan is”.
