Well, it's the last presidential debate—thank the heavens—and once again, we, the American people, were subjected to babbling, overtalking and a bunch of potential memes. But, as I see it, Hillary Clinton really embodied the spirit of the late Muhammad Ali, floating ike a butterfly while stinging like a bee. Her debate etiquette has been largely critiqued as too soft, too gracious and poised for her opponent, allowing him to speak over her and interrupt her. And sometimes she wouldn't call him on his false claims when she could, allowing him to essentially punk her. While her rally rhetoric has hit HARD many times, it seemed she lost her spunk each time she stood next to Trump on the debate stage.
But we in for a surprise on Tuesday night when Hillary Rodham Clinton, the woman who refused for many years to even take her husband's name, let alone submit to outward pressures, finally showed up. In a white Ralph Lauren suit, Secretary Clinton really came for blood, not only standing her ground but checking Trump at each turn. ICYMI, here's a list of the times Clinton hit back flawlessly in the last presidential debate.
1. Chinese Steel
The growth of the economy is a big part of all American elections. It's what put President Obama in office and what got President Carter put out of office. Trump was absolutely correct to put job growth on the table, but absolutely wrong one to talk about putting industry jobs back in America. When asked about the economic record, Trump said he noticed under the Clintons and the NAFTA, jobs have been "sucked" out of America all over the country due to companies finding it cheaper and easier to put in other less regulated countries. He then said he would bring industry back to America, as opposed to his opponent whom he believes will enable a softer and less expansive job market. But Clinton pointed out this wasn't always true for the business "mogul".
"The Trump Hotel in Las Vegas was made with Chinese steel" - Hillary Clinton #DebateNightpic.twitter.com/2kRv7Allzm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 20, 2016
.@HillaryClinton ribs @realDonaldTrump for his apartment being made with "Chinese steel"https://t.co/zknNNUKTovhttps://t.co/JMMJ640ZiK
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 20, 2016
2. Trump's charitable giving
Another arena where Trump and Clinton are competing. While many have brought up the dubious mistreatment of funds when it came to Haiti and the Clinton foundation, Trump dared to say he's better. Secretary Clinton then pointed out the Trump foundation not only had not released taxes, making his claims of charity unable to be checked but also the Trump foundation had done more dubious things than he cared to admit.
"Trump Foundation took money from other people and bought a 6-ft portrait of Donald. I mean, who does that?" - Hillary Clinton. #debatenightpic.twitter.com/uhLim7bXWx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 20, 2016
3. Iraq
Even during Trump's choruses of "wrong," Clinton remained steadfast that Trump supported the war in Iraq and had only recently retracted his stance, much like herself. She even told the audience to Google it. Her camp then sent out a cheeky tweet with the Google search link attached, disproving his choruses of "wrong".
Hillary Clinton: "Google 'Donald Trump Iraq'"https://t.co/Ot7rOdNgiu#DebateNighthttps://t.co/li1vmVucBo
— CNN (@CNN) October 20, 2016
"Google it."—Hillary https://t.co/2kptvkpqxn#DebateNight
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 20, 2016
4. Years in public service
In his sincerest heart of hearts, Trump has said Clinton has not done a thing for the American people, and his creation of jobs has done more than her, despite her extensive public service record. Clinton took this and spun it into one of the greatest reads we have seen in this election, comparing his business and celebrity record to her work in the public sphere.
.@HillaryClinton: While I was monitoring the Osama bin Laden raid, @realDonaldTrump“was hosting The Apprentice.” pic.twitter.com/x8Um0olcGz
— POLITICO (@politico) October 20, 2016
5. "Rigged" election
Donald Trump has recently taken up a new claim that the election is rigged, one which really tests the fabric of our democracy. In a fantastic moment by Secretary Clinton, made better by Trump's assertion, Secretary Clinton pointed out this is not a new move by Trump—he has effectively claimed that all things that don't go his way are rigged.
.@HillaryClinton: @realDonaldTrump even claimed the Emmy Awards were rigged against him https://t.co/zknNNUKTovhttps://t.co/8f8kTPKyfP
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 20, 2016
Trump on losing the Emmy tonight: "I should've won."#DebateNight
Trump on losing the Emmy in 2012, 2013, and 2014: pic.twitter.com/EQsmBStnC0
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 20, 2016
6. Immigration: Mexican-American Border Wall
I think this one speaks for itself.
Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump "choked" when he met with the Mexican president https://t.co/NIjHaGQyrL#debatenighthttps://t.co/v5nCm7hjJM
— CNN (@CNN) October 20, 2016
7. Tax closures
The piece de resistance. When asked about what she will do to improve the economy, Secretary Clinton smartly noted that she will close tax loopholes for the wealthy, in an effort to make everyone pay exactly what they owe. It was at this point Trump says "such a nasty woman" (a certified quotable I hope to embroider onto a jacket).
.@realDonanldTrump calls @HillaryClinton'such a nasty woman’ https://t.co/SyN2qY3fY7https://t.co/jnbjJPlSIY
— POLITICO (@politico) October 20, 2016
I may not know what the polls say about who won this debate and to be honest, I kinda don't care. I truly believe we had a solid winner in Hillary Clinton Wednesday night. I would say she deserves my congratulations. Great job, Secretary Clinton. Float like a butterfly, sting like a president.
Signed,
A Fellow Nasty Woman