By News Desk : 28 September 2016
Insults were traded, accusations flung and issues debated in a heated manner as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump met in their first presidential debate on Tuesday morning.And Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, appeared to emerge as the early victor as Asian shares recovered and the Mexican peso surged in the aftermath of the high-stakes clash. We take a look at the key moments during the debate.
1. TRUMP'S ACCUSATIONS ON TRADE DEALS
Sparks flew just minutes into the debate as Trump went on the offensive by criticizing Hillary Clinton's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) and, more recently, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) brokered by current US President Barack Obama.
2. TAX RETURNS FOR DELETED E-MAILS
Things got even more interesting as Mr Trump came up with an ultimatum for his rival: Release all her 33,000 deleted e-mail messages and he would make public his tax returns.”I will release my tax returns against my lawyers' wishes when she releases her 33,000 e-mails that have been deleted. As soon as she releases them, I will release,” Trump said.
3. JIBE ABOUT PREPARATION
Perhaps the best verbal smackdown of the clash came courtesy of Hillary Clinton, who addressed Trump's accusation that she had spent lots of time preparing for their debate with a brilliant reply.”You criticize me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did. Do you know what else I prepared for? I also prepared to be president,” she said.
4. OBAMA'S BIRTHPLACE
An oft-raised topic reared its head again as Hillary Clinton charged that Mr Trump had been pushing a “racist lie” by insinuating previously that President Obama was not born in the US.She referenced his long record of engaging in racist behavior by citing lawsuits in the 1970s when Mr Trump was accused of discriminating against black tenants.
5. TEMPERAMENT (OR LACK OF)
In quite possibly the single most baffling moment of the debate, Mr Trump declared: “I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament. I know how to win.”Hillary Clinton herself appeared to be caught off-guard by her rival's boast and initially replied with a “whoo”.
6. WHO HAS THE PRESIDENTIAL LOOK?
In another personal attack on Hillary Clinton, Trump provided a less-than-flattering description: “She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina.”But he appeared to come off worse after the exchange as Hillary Clinton delivered another gem of a response: “Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a ceasefire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities and nations around the world.”
– Courtesy: dailyasianage.com
