“I’m pretty good with the body language, I could tell they were not happy” Trump claimed.
Advertisement
The suggestion that he may clear out much of America’s top military brass came when he was pressed to explain why he had said this week that he would give US Army generals 30 days to come up with a plan to destroy Isis, while at the same time he is saying those same generals have been “reduced to rubble”.
The event brought together the meticulously prepared Clinton and Trump, a NY businessman whose brash, free-wheeling style has allowed him to dominate the headlines for months.
Lauer, who is surely aware of the factual inaccuracy of Trump’s claim, could have pointed out that 2004 was after the invasion, and therefore more of an example of Monday-morning quarterbacking than good judgment. When I traveled, I went into one of those little tents that I’m sure you’ve seen around the world, because we didn’t want there to be any potential for someone to have embedded a camera to try to see whatever it is that I was seeing that was designated, marked, and headed as classified.
Trump followed Clinton in the forum, also taking questions from Lauer.
Clinton said defeating ISIS would be her “highest terrorism goal”.
“No, not to kick them out, but something has to happen”, Trump said. “If they were, they would not get to the President in the first place”.
The Democratic candidate added that she was also opposed to putting any United States ground troops into Syria to strengthen the fight against Daesh in that country.
Trump, again said he was “against” the Iraq War, though he said he supported the invasion one month before Congress voted to authorize it, and praised the military campaign in Iraq in the first months after the invasion. “I have great faith in certain of the commanders, but I have no faith in Hillary Clinton or the leadership”, he said, and suggested that as president he would undertake mass firings of generals he didn’t like.
Hillary Clinton says she takes classified information “very seriously” and did not put national security at risk by using an unsecure system. We have to do more about addiction. Trump added, however, that Putin’s compliments would not influence his decision making as president.
Advertisement
“When she lays out a thoughtful speech outlining why he is unfit to be commander in chief, he calls her unhinged”. Trump said. “The fact that he calls me brilliant or whatever he calls me is going to have zero impact”. “Far more than our president has been a leader”.
