The First Televised Debate Between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Took Place

The first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was held on Monday evening at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. Issues such as employment, racial matters, the Iran nuclear deal, and combating the Islamic State group were the main topics of this debate. This 90-minute debate was the first of three debates that Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, are set to hold. According to NPR, recent polls indicate that Donald Trump has managed to narrow the gap with Hillary Clinton in recent weeks, while Clinton's support has not seen any growth. The first question posed to the two presidential candidates was about job creation for Americans. Donald Trump criticized recent economic policies, stating that thousands of companies have been forced to leave the U.S. and invest in other parts of the world. He promised that he could bring large companies back to the country and create jobs again. The Republican candidate criticized the NAFTA agreement (between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico), stating that Hillary's husband (Bill Clinton) signed it, which he called the worst economic deal in the country. In response to Trump's criticism of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton stated, "I think my husband had a very good record in the 1990s." She also criticized the economic policies of the pre-Obama presidency, saying, "The last thing we need is to go back to the policies that got us into trouble." Trump then told Hillary Clinton, "I can create jobs, but you can’t." He criticized Hillary Clinton's political history, stating, "You have been in politics for 30 years; where have these solutions been until now?" He added, "Our country is suffering because people like Hillary Clinton have made bad decisions." David Axelrod, who was in charge of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, told CNN about the debate that Trump had a strong performance in the first 20 minutes, but as the debate progressed, his performance diminished. As Trump's performance weakened, Hillary Clinton was able to take control of the debate. During the debate, the moderator asked Trump why he had not released his tax returns. Trump responded that if Hillary Clinton released the 33,000 emails she deleted during her time as Secretary of State, he would be willing to release his tax returns against his lawyers' advice. Hillary Clinton reacted to Trump's comments by saying that he does not release his tax returns because he is hiding something. She also raised some speculations about the reasons behind Trump's refusal to release his tax returns. The moderator then asked Hillary Clinton about her use of a personal email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. The Democratic candidate admitted, "I made a mistake in using a personal server and email, and I take responsibility for it." In response to Trump's criticism about her lack of campaign travel, Clinton said, "It seems Trump is criticizing me for preparing for this debate; yes, I am ready to be president, and that is a good thing." Throughout the 90-minute debate, Trump criticized the Iran nuclear deal multiple times, while Clinton defended it. Trump referred to the Iran nuclear deal with six world powers as one of the highlights of Hillary Clinton's foreign policy, stating, "They (Iran) were collapsing under the pressure of sanctions, but likely Iran will become a major power using this deal." The Republican candidate added, "Recently, I met with Benjamin Netanyahu (the Prime Minister of Israel), and he was also unhappy with this deal." Clinton responded, "Iran was only weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon; I spent a year building an international coalition against Iran and forced them to come to the negotiating table with economic sanctions. This deal allowed us to gain insight into Iran's nuclear program. It is an example of diplomatic cooperation to solve an international issue." Trump further criticized the payment of $400 million in cash to Iran, calling it a ransom. Clinton also criticized Trump's remarks about attacking Iranian speedboats in the Persian Gulf, stating that such comments and approaches could lead the U.S. into another war. During the debate, Trump blamed Clinton, Obama, and their administration for the rise of the Islamic State group (ISIS). In response to Trump's criticism regarding her and Obama's role in the creation of ISIS, Clinton said, "Trump supported both the Iraq invasion and the attack on Libya and the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi after his business dealings with him." Trump denied supporting the Iraq invasion. At the end of her remarks in the debate, Clinton told viewers, "The issue of the U.S. presidential election is not about me and Trump; it is about you, the American people, your families, and the future of your children. Therefore, you must come out and vote on Election Day." Some Republicans close to Trump referred to the first debate between the two main presidential candidates as a significant victory for Trump.