JACKSON, MISS– Emotions ran high at the second presidential debate Sunday night as questions ranged from questions of sexual assault to clean energy.
The beginning of the debate focused on the 2005 video that emerged showing republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making comments about kissing women without permission. CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked Trump if he was bragging about sexual assault, and Trump deflected to Bill Clinton’s past, and Hillary Clinton’s defense of an alleged rapist while working as a defense attorney.
“I had words,” said Trump. “He (Clinton) had actions.” Four of the women that had made accusations toward Bill Clinton were in attendance at the debate.
Trump denied acting on the comments he made in the video.
Mississippi lawmakers have responded to the comments made in that video. Democratic Senator David Blount said the remarks were reprehensible.
“It should be condemned,” said Blount. “I’m referring to the tapes, but also his conduct in the debates, and many comments about many groups of Americans..I’m surprised that more Republicans aren’t disowning his candidacy.”
Republican Senator Angela Burks-Hill, on the other hand, said the comments by Trump on the tape did not surprise her.
“If anybody tells you that they did not already know that Donald Trump was a celebrity jet-setting playboy,” said Burks-Hill. “I don’t know where they’ve been all these years.”
She added the policy is what will make or break this nation, not comments he made a decade ago.
“He’s running for president, not pope,” Burks-Hill said.
When the issue of the 33,000 emails on Hillary Clinton’s private server came up, Donald Trump said if he were president, he’d have a special prosecutor on her case. Clinton said she was glad that there was not someone with Trump’s temperament in charge over the law, to which Donald Trump replied “because then you’d be in jail.”
Senator Blount did not deny the email scandal was something that should be addressed.
“I think it is cause for concern,” said Blount. “And she needs to answer those questions. But there’s a choice between two people, who has the temperament to be president..and I think that choice is clear.”
On immigration, Trump referred to the Muslim ban as shifting toward “extreme vetting.” Clinton said while she wouldn’t let anyone dangerous into the country, she did ask how a judgement based on religion would be made.
Other questions revolved around how each candidate would handle the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, how they’d protect the country, and what they’d do for energy in the United States.
Mississippians took to Twitter to react during the debate:
Then why hasnt it worked yet https://t.co/DmSWSDYFyw
— michelle johnson (@mijo789) October 10, 2016
@News_MS @HillaryClinton that’s too bad, because if we don’t stop ISIS in Syria, she’ll need troops in U.S. when they attack here. #stopISIS
— Carley Wilkerson (@carwilk31) October 10, 2016
@News_MS @HillaryClinton Obama promised the same thing. Bush tax cuts expired first week of Jan 2013
— Nick (@DrJellyFinger35) October 10, 2016
Biased much??? https://t.co/w9L3rvcGCi
— truckitup (@scott_gosa) October 10, 2016
