The billionaire businessman said generals under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “have been reduced to rubble” while the USA had “the dumbest foreign policy” under the Obama-Clinton administration.
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Clinton, speaking to reporters at Westchester County Airport before taking off for a campaign rally in North Carolina, slammed Trump’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a forum hosted by NBC last night, saying Trump took “the astonishing step of suggesting that he prefers the Russian president to our American president”.
“The man has very strong control over a country”, he explained, as he contrasted Putin and Obama.
Trump added, “I think when he [Putin] calls me brilliant, I think I’ll take the compliment, OK?”.
The Republican nominee’s comments echo past praise of the Russian premier, with whom he would have a “very very good” relationship if he makes it to the White House in November.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr Trump pledged to increase U.S. military spending – already at levels far higher than any other nation – and to demand a plan to beat the Islamic State (IS) group if he becomes president.
But moderator Matt Lauer doggedly pressed her about her handling of emails from a private server as President Barack Obama’s first-term secretary of state. Her case has been bolstered by numerous Republican national security experts who have spoken out against their party’s nominee, including former Defense Secretary William Cohen who announced his support for Clinton on Wednesday. “Always have, always will”, she replied.
The US and Israeli governments have for several months been negotiating the terms of a new 10-year defence aid pact to replace the current one, which expires in 2018 and is worth more than Dollars 3 billion (2.7 billion euros) per year.
Camerota incredulously asked Lewandowski whether he genuinely believed what he’d just said.
Clinton, meanwhile, repeated “it was a mistake” to have used a personal email account and server while leading the department, and that she would “certainly not do it again”.
Pence refused to say whether Trump would consider sending in significant ground troops to the Middle East, saying he would not “signal to the enemy” his plans.
“I’m going to let all of you ponder that last question”, she said.
While GOP candidates are often seen by voters as having an advantage on military and national security issues, Trump is far from a traditional Republican.
“We actually do. I’ll leak it to you later”, Pence said.
Providing more nuanced detail than in the broad-brush rallies to which his supporters have become accustomed, Trump outlined proposals for an active army of around 540,000 troops, an air force of at least 1,200 fighter aircraft, a 36-battalion marine corps and a navy of 350 surface ships and submarines.
“Do you want me to start naming some of the things that President Obama does at the same time?”, he replied.
Democrat Clinton has spent much of the summer trying to paint Trump as ill-prepared to be commander in chief and too unpredictable to make decisions that put American service members in harm’s way.
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Pence refused to answer whether Trump has shared his secret strategy with his running mate: “I’ll keep our private conversations private”, he said.
