Meanwhile Trump again praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, and continued a streak of shifting statements on immigration by saying he was open to letting undocumented immigrants who want to serve in the military stay in the U.S.
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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump participated in the town hall-style event, held aboard an aircraft carrier that is now the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Clinton was repeatedly challenged on her controversial email use at the State Department and her vote as a senator for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. US officials have said they believe Russian Federation is behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s email system and they are investigating other potential cyber attacks.
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.
A forum created to test the leading presidential candidates’ capacity for military leadership Wednesday night displayed as much unpredictability as the rest of this election, as questions and answers veered off-topic and both candidates were put on the defensive several times.
Trump on Wednesday night said during a candidate forum that he trusts some generals, but not all, because they’ve been “reduced to rubble”.
She said she had “an absolute rock steadiness” to be able to make tough decisions, a not so subtle dig at Trump, who Democrats say is temperamentally unfit for the White House.
What would Ronald Reagan say about a Republican nominee who attacks America’s generals and heaps praise on Russia’s president? “The man has very strong control over a country”, Trump said. Trump says Clinton was weak as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state. “I mean, gimme a break”, he said. “I’d rather it be Hillary and myself, because we’re the only two with a chance of winning”. “They’re ill-informed, he might have people whispering in his ears, ‘say this, maybe that will be popular with some people.’ He has no grounding, he has no feeling”.
“Every Republican holding or seeking office in this country should be asked if they agree with Donald Trump about these statements”, Clinton said in a news conference the morning after both candidates appeared at a national security forum. Those attending include Michael Chertoff, who served as Homeland Security secretary under President George W. Bush.
THE FACTS: Far from “the first time in history”, it is routine for presidents to be greeted by a protocol chief or other low-level government official when arriving for foreign visits. But she defended her support for USA military intervention to help oust a dictator in Libya, despite the chaotic aftermath.
“I’ve already said he is really very much of a leader”.
But Trump stood by a 2013 tweet that implied military sexual assault is a result of women serving in the military, when asked by Lauer. And for the first time, he opened the door to granting legal status to people living in the USA illegally who join the military.
Trump seemed to skate by a half hour later as he repeated – unchallenged – the false claim that he was against the war, even though he voiced support for it in a 2002 interview.
Replied questioner Mike Barnicle, “You’re kidding me”.
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Steve Peoples contributed to this report.
Obama tells reporters in Laos that he thinks diplomacy is “serious business” and that Trump’s ideas are often “contradictory” and “outright wacky”.
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