HEMPSTEAD, NY — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) responded to the first presidential debate of the General Election by offering a stinging indictment of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who he says maintains “a deep disdain for regular, hardworking Americans,” and touting Republican nominee Donald Trump as a candidate who is “offering the people an opportunity to profoundly change directions.”
Sen. Sessions’ statement reads as follows:
“On one side of the debate stage we saw Hillary Clinton, a candidate who will continue to support the job-killing trade policies that have been an economic boon for foreign nations at the expense of American workers.
“We saw a candidate who believes anyone on the planet has a right to demand entry into the United States and has every intention of drastically expanding the current administration’s radical, open-borders immigration policies.
“We saw a candidate who has proven herself to be untrustworthy when handling classified national security information and whose stewardship of America’s foreign policy while secretary of state was a disaster.
“And we saw a candidate who has been entrenched in the Washington, D.C., establishment for some 30 years while maintaining a deep disdain for regular, hardworking Americans, to whom she does not believe she should be accountable.
“On the other side of the stage we saw Donald J. Trump, a candidate who will boldly advance trade and tax policies that will ensure that American workers come first once again.
“We saw a candidate who will secure the border and return law and order to America’s immigration system.
“We saw a candidate who as commander-in-chief will make America an indisputable ally to her friends and a feared adversary of her enemies, and re-establish America’s standing abroad.
“And we saw a candidate who, against all odds, has taken on the political establishment and started a movement that has given voice to millions of Americans whose interests have been ignored for far too long.
“According to Gallup, 72 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of their country.
“Tonight’s debate made it crystal clear that only one candidate is offering the people an opportunity to profoundly change directions and Make America Great Again. That candidate is Donald J. Trump.”
The debate drew a 46.2 television rating and a 63 share, an approximately 17% spike over the first debate of the 2012 General Election between Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama. For context, the most-watched television event of the year was Super Bowl 50, which garnered a 46.6 rating and a 72 share, amounting to about 111 million viewers. With that in mind, it appears that approximately 100 million people tuned in to watch Clinton and Trump square off.
There will be two more presidential debates prior to Election Day. They will take place Tuesday, October 4 at Longwood University, in Farmville, VA, and Sunday, October 9 at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
