The third and final presidential debate of the 2016 election season took place on Oct. 17, 2016, at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The debate consisted of 15-minute questions including two-minute response times and a 10-minute discussion following the candidates’ answers. Fox television anchor and political commentator Chris Wallace moderated the debate.
Both candidates expressed their long-known difference in opinion in a series of questions relating to the critical issues of the upcoming election.
The Supreme Court
The opening question of the debate related to the United States Supreme Court. Both candidates were asked what qualities were important when appointing judges to fill open Supreme Court justice seats.
Hillary Clinton stated her belief that the Supreme Court needs to “stand on the side of the American People,” citing women’s rights and LGBT rights (including the landmark decisions of marriage equality and Roe v. Wade) as issues that are paramount to consideration of justices.
Donald Trump mentioned an importance to appoint justices that will interpret the constitution how it was “meant to be interpreted”, stating that it is “Imperative to have the right justice system.”
Trump cited the necessity to protect Second Amendment rights as well as appoint justices that are pro-life.
The question provided an excellent transition into the next topic of discussion.
Abortion
When asked by Wallace if they believe that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, the candidates provided two very different answers.
Donald Trump stated that with the pro-life justices that he would consider for the Supreme Court, the issue of abortion would be up to state decision.
Hillary Clinton responded with strong support for Roe v. Wade; citing her long-time support of Planned Parenthood and women’s rights.
As the question progressed, Trump criticized Clinton’s stance on abortion, stating his disdain for Hillary’s support of late-term abortions. Clinton went on to say that Trump’s statements were merely “scare rhetoric,” mentioning the complexity of many decisions relating to abortion.
Immigration
On the topic of immigration, the many differences in opinion between the candidates continued to surface.
Stating his continued support of a wall between the United States and Mexico, Trump mentioned an increasingly severe drug problem related to heroin from Mexico and an influx of illegal immigrants.
Referencing four mothers in the audience whose children, Trump said, were killed by illegal immigrants, he was met with scrutiny online from the Latino community for stating that America has some “bad hombres.” The comment accompanied a statement that America needs more complex screening for immigrants.
Hillary Clinton had a different opinion on immigration.
After mentioning a young girl that she had spoken with who feared her parent’s deportation, Clinton stated that she believes in the deportation of violent immigrants only. She promised to provide comprehensive immigration reform within the first 100 days of her presidency; mentioning a need for respect for undocumented workers in the United States and criticizing Trump’s use of undocumented workers in his businesses, calling them “underpaid.”
The question took a different turn when the topic of recently released WikiLeaks documents was brought up. Clinton stated a negative opinion on the WikiLeaks documents, saying that they were released with Russian influence in an attempt to sway the election in Donald’s favor.
Hillary also cited Donald Trump’s long-discussed relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Donald replied “I don’t know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along, that would be good.”
As tensions continued to rise, Clinton referred to Trump as a “puppet.” Trump was quick to respond, saying “you’re the puppet”. The debate was then redirected by monitor Chris Wallace towards economic issues.
The Economy
Beginning the discussion on the United States economy, Clinton stressed her economic plan’s emphasis on growing the middle class through new jobs; with an additional emphasis placed on jobs in clean energy.
In addition, Clinton stated the importance of raising the minimum wage and equitable wages for women. She also stated her support for increased tax rates for the wealthiest Americans.
On the topic of college, Hillary stated her plan, developed with Bernie Sanders, to provide free college at public universities; as well as a greater emphasis on technical education.
Donald Trump stated the importance of increasing trade and renegotiating NAFTA; of which he has been a long time opponent. He stated a need for free trade in addition to tax cuts; especially relating to small businesses. Trump cited slow GDP growth as an issue necessitating immediate action.
Fitness to be President
The debate transitioned next into a discussion on each candidate’s fitness to hold the office of president.
Donald Trump refuted claims that he was not fit to be president; stating that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama hired people and instructed them to “act angry” at his rally in Chicago. He also mentioned Haiti and criticized the Clinton Foundation, calling it a “disgrace”. In response to the controversy surrounding his treatment of women, Donald Trump stated that the allegations are “lies started by her (Hillary’s) sleazy campaign.”
Clinton jumped on the defensive, saying that “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger” in relation to his treatment of women. She stated that “that’s who Donald is” and that we need to be clear about what we want from our next president.
In response to Donald’s comments about the Clinton Foundation, Hillary mentioned the good that has occurred as a result of the Clinton Foundation’s efforts; including 30 million dollars in aid for Haiti, assistance for small businesses, and providing HIV/AIDS medicine for a sizeable amount of people worldwide.
Next came a question on a highly-discussed issue in the recent news. Having previously stated that he believes the election could be “rigged,” Trump was asked if he would accept the results of the election.
In response to the question, Donald Trump stated: “I will look at it at the time.”
Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Hillary’s candidacy, saying “She should not be allowed to run. And just in that respect, I say it’s rigged.”
Hillary Clinton responded by saying that she was “appalled” at Trump’s statements. Clinton stated that Trump was “denigrating and talking down our democracy”. She said that saying things are “rigged” when they are not working out in his favor is characteristic of Trump; mentioning his dissatisfaction with the FBI, the primaries, and the Emmys when they did not work out as he had hoped.
Foreign Affairs
The debate then turned to topics on foreign affairs.
When asked if they would station troops in Mosul after the campaign to drive ISIS out of the Iraqi city, Hillary Clinton said that she would not support putting American soldiers into Iraq.
Donald Trump criticized the campaign in Mosul, asking what happened to the “element of surprise” in military campaigns. Trump went on to say that the US would not gain anything from taking Mosul, and that the country with the most to gain would be Iran.
On the topic of Aleppo, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump whether he wanted to clarify his previous comments that Aleppo had fallen. Wallace stated that Aleppo has not in fact fallen; and that there are over 250,000 citizens still inhabiting the Syrian city. Trump stood by his earlier comments, stating that Aleppo “has fallen”, and that many of the issues in Aleppo stemmed from Hillary’s ineffective leadership.
Hillary fielded questions from Wallace on her no-fly zone policies in relation to Aleppo as well as criticisms from Trump on her refugee policies. Clinton stated that the purpose of no-fly zones in Aleppo is to provide safety on the ground for residents of the city. In relation to refugees, Clinton stressed the need for vetting of refugees, stating a desire to help women and children that have been victims of the conflict.
National Debt
As the debate began to near its end, the topic of national debt was brought to the debate room. The candidates were asked to field questions on analysis of their various plans to boost the economy.
Hillary Clinton emphasized the effectiveness of her plan, stating that it would “not add a penny” to the national debt. Clinton once again stressed the need to tax the wealthiest Americans and grow the middle class. In relation to Medicare and Social Security, Hillary expressed a desire to find more money for the programs without cutting benefits.
Donald Trump stressed the need to have American businesspeople negotiating deals for the country, stating that up until this point many deals have been negotiated by “political hacks”. He also mentioned a need to repeal and replace Obamacare when asked about a plan to prevent Social Security and Medicare from running out.
Closing Statements
To close the debate, monitor Chris Wallace asked one final question: “Why should the American people elect you?”
Hillary Clinton spoke first, saying that she is “reaching out to all Americans” to “make the economy work for everyone.” Clinton expressed a desire to “stand up for families” and create “good jobs” to boost the economy.
Donald Trump emphasized the importance of “protection veterans” and bringing back “law and order.” He promised to provide a better future for the African American and Latino communities, mentioning that with Hillary, Americans will be getting “four more years of Barack Obama.”
After responses to this final question, the debate came to a close. The candidates did not shake hands; proceeding directly to the audience to greet supporters and family members.
Voting for the 2016 presidential election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.