Republican Trump, trying emphasize his military support, released a letter from 88 retired generals and admirals citing an urgent need for a “course correction” in America’s national security policy.
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Trump’s address came hours before his national security acumen is tested at a “commander in chief” forum on NBC.
Clinton pushed back, saying Trump has lagged in securing key military supporters compared to past Republican nominees including John McCain and Mitt Romney.
Specifically, the ad shows military veterans watching some of the NY billionaire’s more provocative statements, including his claim to know more about the Islamic State group than military generals, his criticism of Arizona Sen. Whites who do not hold college degrees support Trump by an nearly 3-to-1 margin (68 percent to 24 percent) while whites who do have college degrees split 49 percent for Clinton to 36 percent for Trump and 11 percent for Johnson.
And her super PAC, Priorities USA, is launching a $5 million ad buy in the swing states North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire on Friday with a spot titled “I Love War”. The pair is also set to appear at an MSNBC forum on Wednesday night on national security. But it can be hard to remember those simple truths when we’re being bombarded by bullshit: Bullshit from Trump’s relentless mouth, from networks forced to stretch two hours of news into 24 hours of programming, from the Clinton campaign claiming Trump is not just a dumbass but a possible Russian agent.
The appearances mark an intense, two-day focus on national security by Trump, who has offered tough rhetoric on America’s challenges overseas but few details.
But in many ways, the nation’s changing demographics make this Clinton’s race to lose.
Clinton said that the attacks on her family’s foundation were not rooted in fact and sidestepped a question on whether her daughter, Chelsea, should step down from the foundation’s leadership if she is elected in November. Both candidates believe they have the upper hand, with Clinton contrasting her experience with Trump’s unpredictability and the Republican arguing that Americans anxious about their safety will be left with more of the same if they elect Obama’s former secretary of state.
The former United States military leaders were sharply critical of the Obama administration’s national security and foreign policy, warning that “enemies have become emboldened, sensing weakness and irresolution in Washington” and that “in our professional judgment, the combined effort is potentially extremely perilous”.
At the joint press conference with President Enrique Pena Nieto last week, Trump told reporters that payment of his proposed border wall was not discussed. Pena Nieto later tweeted that it was discussed and he “made it clear” that Mexico would not pay.
He added that had Clinton gone to Mexico, the trip would have been “a total failure”. Trump called Clinton a failed foreign policy leader.
Looking up at the plane, she added, “Looks good, doesn’t it?”
The possibility of Russian involvement in cyber intrusions that were revealed in July “raises some grave questions about potential Russian interference with our electoral process”, Clinton told reporters on her campaign plane as she flew to a rally in IL.
Some Clinton critics have, however, warned that her approach in August – spending much of the month fundraising away from TV cameras after the Democrats’ successful convention in Philadelphia – lacked the go-for-broke energy of her rival. In flight, Clinton headed to the back of the plane and took over a dozen questions from reporters.
Hillary Clinton breaks her press silence.
“The centerpiece of his campaign [has been] from that very first day when he so shockingly accused Mexican immigrants of being rapists and criminals [to] when he questioned the credibility of a federal judge, born in IN, of Mexican heritage”, Clinton said. On Monday she took questions on an array of topics for more than 20 minutes.
“She’s trigger-happy and very unstable”, Trump said of his Democratic opponent, calling her use of a private email server while secretary of state “reckless”.
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“If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him”, Trump said.
