In their first appearance at a joint forum, Hillary Clinton was on the defensive over her emails while Donald Trump opened himself up to future attacks.
The two major party presidential candidates appeared back to back at the Commander in Chief forum devoted to veterans and national security issues. The Wednesday event, moderated by NBC’s Matt Lauer, was a test run for the presidential debates later this month.
Clinton struggled to answer questions about her private email use while secretary of state. Recent revelations have cast doubt on her public explanations weeks after the FBI called her unusual arrangement careless but advised against charges.
Clinton also had to deal with criticism of her vote to authorize the Iraq war and her leading role in the Obama administration’s Libya military intervention.
The former secretary of state pointed out that her Republican opponent also supported both, specifically citing a Howard Stern interview in which Trump said he guessed he was for the Iraq invasion.
Trump nevertheless ripped Clinton for bad judgment on Iraq and Libya while also arguing the government’s treatment of veterans was not up to par.
But Trump provided ample fodder for attack ads when he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for having control over his country. Trump also defended a 2013 tweet in which he partially blamed gender integration in the military for rape in the armed forces.
Trump has been criticized for being too cozy with Putin as well as for insensitivity toward women.
Clinton entered the forum under fire for her emails. Critics allege she exposed important communications to foreign hackers despite the danger to national security to shield her emails from transparency requirements. Clinton has also been considered too supportive of the VA after numerous reports of substandard care for veterans and long wait times.
Trump faced the burden of proving to skeptical voters that he understands complex national security issues and is prepared to be commander-in-chief. Observers suggested some of his answers lacked details while others, such as when he suggested he would sideline generals who disagreed with him, were worrying. Others complained about Lauer’s follow-up questions.
Both candidates have their work cut out for them before the first debate on Sept. 26.
