On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump took to the podium one last time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Different than the last presidential debate, structured in a town hall style, the third debate was comparable to the first, allowing each candidate a two-minute response. The Supreme Court, abortion, immigration and the economy were of the major topics deliberated.
Two days prior to the second presidential debate, a video was released of Trump and Billy Bush speaking of women in a vulgar manner. The days following shortly after, multiple women came forward to say Trump acted in an inappropriate manner towards them. Trump fired back accusing the Clinton campaign for hiring these women as a set up.
In a question from debate moderator Chris Wallace, Trump was asked if he would accept the result of Clinton as president if he were to lose the election. Trump answered, “I will look at it at the time,” later adding, “I will keep you in suspense.”
The topic of the Supreme Court sparked the controversy of the Second Amendment. Clinton said, “I support the Second Amendment, but I also believe there must be reasonable regulations and comprehensive background checks.”
Trump, who is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, told viewers, “I will appoint justices that feel very strongly about the Second Amendment.”
Trump became passionate over the topic of abortion, attacking Clinton’s stance, saying, “It is terrible that Hillary would allow a baby to be snatched out of the womb on the ninth month of a woman’s pregnancy.”
Clinton’s stance on abortion is pro-choice. Clinton ended her statement by saying, “I will defend Planned Parenthood and Roe v. Wade—and stand up for the rights of women.”
The topic of immigration resulted in a lot of overlapping dialogue. Trump brought to the surface the fact the Clinton had voted for border security in the past.
Trump stood true to his word of “building a wall,” affirming that the biggest problem with immigration is drugs. Referring to drug lords as “bad hombres,” Trump’s plan is to eliminate the source of the drugs first, then secure the border.
Clinton highlighted on the fact that it is essential to retract the violent people out first, but stated, “We are a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws; building a wall does not give the idea of who we are as a nation.”
During the topic of the economy, Trump fixated on producing more free trade, bashing former President Bill Clinton, stating, “Our jobs are being sucked out by one of the deals your husband made.”
Clinton’s plan displayed praise to Obama, saying the steps he took over the course of his presidency had assisted in saving the economy. Clinton also added, “One of the best ways to create jobs is by investing in people; we need to invest from the middle out.”
In the closing statements from both candidates, Clinton said, “We need an economy that will work for everyone. I have seen the presidency up close and have made children and families part of my life’s work.”
Trump used his closing statement to inject one last jab at Clinton, saying, “We will make America great again, but it has to start now. We can not take four more years of Obama, and that is what you will get if you vote for Clinton.”
The two nominees concluded the debate without a handshake, unlike the last two. This final presidential debate was the last time Trump and Clinton go head-on before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Taylor Tosheff is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at TT801606@wcupa.edu.