Trump Holds Photo-Op with Clinton Accusers
Donald Trump appeared less than two hours before the beginning of the debate with three women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct and one whose accused rapist was represented by Hillary Clinton in 1975.
Kathleen Wiley, Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones and Kathy Shelton appeared alongside Trump, seated at a conference table to make remarks that were broadcast on Facebook and captured by a traveling press pool. Each woman made a brief statement.
Broaddrick, who has long maintained that Bill Clinton raped her in 1978, repeated those accusations again during her appearance.
"Mr. Trump may have said some bad words, but Bill Clinton raped me and Hillary Clinton threatened me. I don't think there's anything worse," Broaddrick said.
Trump told reporters the four women had asked to be present for the panel, which was billed to the press as part of Trump's preparation for the debate.
Broaddrick, Wiley and Jones will all be in the debate hall tonight, a Trump aide confirmed.
Trump did not respond to a reporter who shouted a question to Trump about whether he believes his star power allows him to touch women without their consent.
Eric Holder Thinks Americans Should 'Be Afraid' of Trump
Former Attorney General Eric Holder wrote a scathing take-down of Donald Trump's threat to prosecute and jail Hillary Clinton.
Holder, who served under Barack Obama between 2009 and 2015, pointed out that such a threat to use the position of president to jail a political opponent was unprecedented in the United States.
Afghanistan Is Ignored by Trump and Clinton During Debate
Friday marked 15 years since U.S. bombs started falling on Afghanistan. The Taliban controls more territory than at any time since it was ousted from power and the country remains corrupt and impoverished.
How many times, then, did Trump and Clinton mention this chaotic remnant of U.S. foreign policy during Sunday's debate? None.
'Trump Won' More Searched Than 'Clinton Won'
Who won Sunday night's debate? Depends on who you ask. But as far as Google search interest is concerned: "Trump won."
For what it's worth, search interest in "Trump won" was 95 percent higher than search interest in "Clinton won," according to Google's analysis of search trends Sunday night.
It should be noted, however, that just because more people were googling the words "Trump won" does not necessarily mean more people believe that Trump actually won.
More from Google's analysis, shared with NBC News:
· Clinton and Trump are tied with 50 percent each in candidate search interest across Google
· Search interest in “vote for Trump” was 30 percent higher than search interest in “vote for Clinton”
· Search interest in “Clinton website” was 130 percent higher than search interest in “Trump website”
Clinton Spokesman's Message to Trump: 'Go F*** Yourself'
A spokesman for Hillary Clinton reacted hotly to comments made by Donald Trump Sunday night as the second presidential debate shifted to Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan, an American soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2004.
Clinton brought up attacks her Republican rival has launched at Khan’s parents, who are Muslim, following their emotional remarks at the Democratic National Convention in July. Shortly after the Khans’ appearance at the DNC, Trump suggested Clinton’s team had scripted their speech and questioned whether Khan’s mother “wasn’t allowed to have anything to say.”
During the debate, Trump suggested that Khan "would be alive today," if he had been in the White House.
“Unlike her who voted for the war without knowing what she was doing, I would not have had our people in Iraq,” Trump said, reiterating a false claim that he never supported the Iraq war. Trump did, in fact, express support for the war before, and 48 hours after, the invasion, although he began questioning it within a week.
Trump's response caused Clinton’s foreign policy spokesman Jesse Lehrich to erupt on Twitter.
He wrote: "hey, @realDonaldTrump — regarding your claim that Captain Khan would be alive if you were president: Go f*** yourself."
Lehrich apologized a short time later "for the clearly inappropriate nature and language of this personal tweet."
Clinton's In a Great Mood Post-Debate
Kellyanne Conway: "I Am With Him Until the Bitter End, Unless..."
Following the debate, Trump's campaign manager said she is "with [Trump] until the bitter end, unless ..."
Conway trailed off before saying unless something were to happen to her or her family.
"I'm sitting here as his campaign manager," she said, adding that is was "obvious" that Trump "dominated the debate."
Top Topics of Tonight's Debate
These are the top 5 topics discussed on Facebook during tonight's debate:
- ISIS
- Trump tapes
- Taxes
- Government Taxes
- Healthcare
Tonight's #Debate Broke Records
They may not have broken the internet, but Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's head to head broke Twitter records as the most tweeted #debate ever.
Pence Tweets: 'Big Debate Win!'
Even after Trump publicly broke with him over Syria policy, Mike Pence congratulated his running mate on a "big debate win!"
That's a Wrap on the 2nd Presidential Debate
The moderators wrapped the debate on a pleasant note, after the candidates both said what they respected in one another.
Clinton and Trump shook hands at the end of the sign off; they did not shake hands at the start.
The third and final presidential debate will be on Wednesday, October 19 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Final Question: What Do You Respect About Each Other?
The final question of the night: "Regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?"
Clinton: "I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald."
Trump: "I consider her statement about my children to be a very nice compliment. I don't know if it was meant to be a compliment."
And more from Trump: "I will say this about Hillary, she doesn't quit. She doesn't give up. I respect that. She's a fighter. I disagree with much of what she's fighting for... But she doesn't give up, and I consider that to be a very good trait."
