Clinton and Trump to Address Military and Veteran Issues
By Debbie Gregory.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) will be the host of the September 7th live televised “town hall” style forum featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. They will take questions on national security, military affairs and veterans issues from NBC News and an audience comprised mainly of military veterans and active service members.
“IAVA is proud to lead this historic event for our veterans community and all Americans,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief executive officer of IAVA said.
The event comes just days before the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and three weeks before the first official debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees on September 27.
The event will be broadcast in primetime on both NBC and MSNBC and focus exclusively on issues the next president will have to confront as Commander-in-Chief.
“IAVA members world-wide, 93 percent of whom say they’ll be voting in November, and many deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, are ready to hear from the candidates and hold them accountable,” Rieckhoff said.
Clinton and Trump will appear back-to-back in the one-hour event. In addition to questions about the size of the military and fixing the Veterans’ Affairs Department, the two will separately discuss national security.
Preparedness to be commander in chief has become a major issue in the presidential race, with Clinton and Trump questioning each other’s fitness. Trump said Clinton “lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all of the many adversaries we face.”
Clinton, meanwhile, has touted the endorsements of a growing number of Republican military and national security figures who question Trump’s temperament and knowledge of international affairs.
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