U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a joint press conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (not seen in the picture) after their meeting in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on August 31, 2016.
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Putin is “very much of a leader”, Trump said in a televised interview, where he and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were separately grilled over their national security and military credentials.
It was the first time the candidates had appeared back-to-back at an event since they secured their parties’ nominations, and the evening offered a preview of their first debate on September 26.
Donald Trump rode a hard line on illegal immigration to the Republican presidential nominee, calling for a wall on the U.S. -Mexico border and mass deportations.
Trump, who followed Clinton at the forum on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier turned museum berthed on the Hudson in NY, was asked about his qualifications for office.
OH is viewed as one of the key states Trump must capture in his bid to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November election.
By virtue of a coin flip, Clinton took the stage first and quickly found herself responding at length to questions about her years in government.
“We are not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again and we are not putting ground troops into Syria”, Clinton said. “I think we have enough insight to know”, she said, adding the details of the agreement give the United States enough latitude “to be able to mistrust and verify” that the Iranians are living up to their end of the agreement.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton vied for the title of commander-in-chief on Wednesday, each touting their own experience while saying the other lacks the judgment and temperament to lead the nation’s armed forces in perilous times. And she pledged to hold weekly Oval Office meetings with representatives from the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to stay abreast of health care for veterans.
Trump remained persistently vague about his plans for defeating the Islamic State group, insisting that he privately has a blueprint for taking on the terror group but wanted to remain “unpredictable”.
Asked to square his request for military options with his harsh criticism of the current crop of generals, Trump said simply: “They’ll probably be different generals”.
The businessman has previously said there were “major problems” with women serving in combat roles while noting sexual assault in the military. And for the first time, he opened the door to granting legal status to people living in the USA illegally who join the military.
“I did exactly what I should have done and I take it very seriously, always have, always will, ‘ she said. But that’s one of the weakest, least incisive performances I’ve seen from a presidential forum moderator”, tweeted Will Saletan, a writer at Slate.
Praise Putin’s 82% approval rating.
The appearances mark an intense, two-day focus on national security by Trump, who has offered tough rhetoric – but few details – on America’s challenges overseas.
In Tampa, Fla., Clinton criticized Trump for saying he knows more about fighting Islamic State terrorists than military generals.
In an editorial titled “Donald Trump is no Republican”, the paper’s editors rebuked the GOP hopeful, advising Texas voters that Trump is “not qualified to serve as president and does not deserve your vote”.
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Trump’s address in Philadelphia also included plans to eliminate deep spending cuts known as the “sequester” that were enacted when Congress failed to reach a budget compromise in 2011. But this debate, like so many others, has paralyzed Congress. Democrats are hesitant to lift the spending caps on defense without similar relief for social programs, such as Head Start and food stamps.
