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Clinton and Trump Face Off at First Presidential Debate

HeadlineSep 27, 2016

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off Monday night in one of the most anticipated debates in U.S. history. The debate was held at Hofstra University on Long Island and moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. Ahead of the event, TV network executives predicted as many as 100 million people across the United States would tune in. Many more also watched from around the world, including across Asia, Europe and in Latin America. Third-party candidates, including Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, were excluded from the debate stage under stringent rules set by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties. Throughout the 90-minute, often antagonistic, debate, Clinton and Trump sparred on everything from foreign policy to trade deals to personal stamina. These are the candidates clashing over the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, known as the TPP.

Donald Trump: “You called it the gold standard of trade deals.”

Hillary Clinton: “And you know what?”

Donald Trump: “You said it’s the finest deal you’ve ever seen.”

Hillary Clinton: “No.”

Donald Trump: “And then you heard what I said about it, and all of a sudden you were against it.”

Hillary Clinton: “Well, Donald, I know you live in your own reality—”

Donald Trump: “Oh, yeah.”

Hillary Clinton: “—but that is not the facts. The facts are, I did say I hoped it would be a good deal, but when it was negotiated—”

Donald Trump: “Not.”

Hillary Clinton: “—which I was not responsible for, I concluded it wasn’t. I wrote about that in my book.”

Donald Trump: “So is it President Obama’s fault?”

The candidates also clashed repeatedly on foreign policy, including their record on the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This is Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton: “Donald supported the invasion of Iraq.”

Donald Trump: “Wrong.”

Hillary Clinton: “That is absolutely—”

Donald Trump: “Wrong.”

Hillary Clinton: “—proved over and over again.”

Donald Trump: “Wrong.”

Hillary Clinton: “He actually advocated for the actions we took in Libya and urged that Gaddafi be taken out—after, actually, doing some business with him one time.”

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