First 2016 Presidential Debate: on Principles & Values


Donald Trump: I filed a 104-page disclosure form; I earned $609M last year

Q: You have not released your tax returns. Nominees have released their returns for decades so that voters will know if their potential president has any business conflicts. Don't Americans have a right to know that?

TRUMP: I'm under a routine audit. As soon as the audit's finished, it will be released. But you will learn more about Donald Trump by going down to the federal elections, where I filed a 104-page essentially financial statement. It shows income at $694 million for this past year.

Q: The IRS says you're perfectly free to release your taxes during an audit.

TRUMP: Look, I've been under audit almost for 15 years. I'm not even complaining. I don't mind it. It's almost become a way of life. I get audited by the IRS. But other people don't. I will say this: I will release my tax returns--against my lawyer's wishes--when she releases her 33,000 e-mails that have been deleted. As soon as she releases them, I will release.

Q: So it's negotiable?TRUMP: It's not negotiable, no.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

Donald Trump: I did a good job getting Obama to produce birth certificate

Q: You perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks, you acknowledged that the president was born in the United States. What took you so long?

TRUMP: [Hillary's 2008 campaign] sent a highly respected reporter at McClatchy, [a news agency], to Kenya to find out about it. She failed to get the birth certificate. When I got involved, I didn't fail. I got him to give the birth certificate. So I'm satisfied with it.

Q: The birth certificate was produced in 2011. You've continued to question the president's legitimacy as recently as January 2016. So what changed your mind?

TRUMP: Well, nobody was pressing it. I figured you'd ask the question tonight, of course. But I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate. And I think I did a good job.

CLINTON: Donald knew he was going to be asked this question, so he tried to put the whole racist birther lie to bed.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

Donald Trump: Hillary does not have the stamina to be president

Q: This year Secretary Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major party. Earlier this month, you said she doesn't have, quote, "a presidential look." She's standing here right now. What did you mean by that?

TRUMP: She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina. I said she doesn't have the stamina. And I don't believe she does have the stamina. To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina. You have to be able to negotiate our trade deals. You have so many different things you have to be able to do, and I don't believe that Hillary has the stamina.

CLINTON: Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease-fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world, or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

Donald Trump: Clinton's private email server was on purpose & no "mistake"

TRUMP: Let her release the e-mails. Why did she delete 33,000?

CLINTON: You know, I made a mistake using a private e- mail.

TRUMP: That's for sure.

CLINTON: And if I had to do it over again, I would, obviously, do it differently. But I'm not going to make any excuses. It was a mistake, and I take responsibility for that.

TRUMP: That was more than a mistake. That was done purposely. OK? When you have your staff taking the Fifth Amendment, taking the Fifth so they're not prosecuted, when you have the man that set up the illegal server taking the Fifth, I think it's disgraceful. And believe me, this country thinks it's disgraceful, also. As far as my tax returns, you don't learn that much from tax returns. That I can tell you. You learn a lot from financial disclosure.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

Donald Trump: I got Obama to produce birth certificate, so I'm satisfied

Q: For five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. In the last couple of weeks, you acknowledged that the president was born in the US. What took you so long?

TRUMP: Sidney Blumenthal works for [Hillary's] campaign and sent a highly respected reporter to Kenya to find out about it. They were pressing it very hard. She failed to get the birth certificate. When I got involved, I didn't fail. I got him to give the birth certificate. So I'm satisfied with it.

Q: The birth certificate was produced in 2011. You've continued to question the president's legitimacy as recently as Jan. 2016. What changed your mind?

TRUMP: Nobody was pressing it. But I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate. And I think I did a good job.

CLINTON: Donald started his political activity based on this racist lie that our first black president was not an American. There was absolutely no evidence for it, but he persisted.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

Gary Johnson: I offer choices beyond the same old red vs. blue

My America is about the freedom to make choices, pursue your dreams and use your skills as entrepreneurs. It is about having more choices than just red versus blue. I'm offering that choice. I wasn't part of the presidential debate on Monday, but as Americans listened in dismay to the so-called major parties' candidates, Google searches for 'Gary Johnson' skyrocketed.
Source: N.Y. Times OpEd by Johnson: First 2016 Presidential Debate Sep 26, 2016

Hillary Clinton: Birtherism is a racist lie against our first black president

Q [to Trump]: You perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen.

TRUMP: [Hillary's 2008 campaign] sent a highly respected reporter at McClatchy, [a news agency], to Kenya to find out about it. She failed to get the birth certificate. When I got involved, I didn't fail. I figured you'd ask the question tonight, of course. I got him to give the birth certificate. And I think I did a good job.

CLINTON: As Donald just admitted, he knew he was going to be asked this question, so he tried to put the whole racist birther lie to bed [two weeks ago, by declaring Obama was born in the US]. But it can't be dismissed that easily. He has really started his political activity based on this racist lie that our first black president was not an American citizen. There was absolutely no evidence for it, but he persisted, year after year, because some of his supporters apparently believed it or wanted to believe it.

Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University Sep 26, 2016

  • The above quotations are from First Presidential Debate at Hofstra University, Sept. 26, 2016, moderated by Lester Holt of NBC News.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values.
  • Click here for more quotes by Donald Trump on Principles & Values.
2020 Presidential contenders on Principles & Values:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Nov 30, 2021