Succinct summation: Trump’s one-word take on Democratic candidates’ debate

Democrats were divided on health care. The US President’s summation was succinct.

Democratic presidential candidates during a Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News on Thursday. Inset is Donald Trump’s review of the debate. Picture: Wilfredo Lee/AP

Ten Democratic presidential candidates squared off in their first joint appearance Wednesday, laying bare an intraparty dispute over the nation’s healthcare system while offering a united front in denouncing President Trump’s policies.

The two-hour session, the first of two consecutive nights of debates in Miami, offered the large field of candidates — 10 in each debate — their best opportunity to date to seize the spotlight in a crowded field vying to challenge the president.

Following a largely sedate discussion on the economy, the debate revealed feisty divisions on gun control, foreign policy, and — in the sharpest contrast — the future and extent of the government’s role in the healthcare system.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were the only two candidates who raised their hands when asked if they would eliminate private insurance as part of a Medicare-for-all, government-run health care system championed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

“What they’re really telling you is they just won’t fight for it,” Ms Warren said of politicians who cite political headwinds for Medicare-for-all as too tough.

BORING!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019

Some of the more centrist candidates on stage, including Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, pushed back on Ms Warren’s stance.

“I think we should be the party that keeps what’s working and fixes what’s broken,” Mr Delaney said.

Health care

But all the hopefuls seemed to agree they would go further than President Obama did in widening access to health care.

While the candidates challenged each other directly, they largely avoided taking on former Vice President Joe Biden, who will appear in Thursday’s debate. He has led the field in early polling, But the race remains fluid as analysts say many voters have yet to engage in the 2020 race.

Mr Trump, aboard Air Force One en route to an international summit in Japan, tweeted a one word review of the debates: “BORING!”

Immigration

Some of the Democrats also clashed over ways to fix the nation’s immigration system. That issue was starkly raised this week by a haunting, widely-publicised photograph that showed bodies of a Salvadoran migrant and his young daughter face down in the water by the river bank in the border town of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, who teared up discussing the photo, criticised ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke for not pledging to repeal a section in federal law criminalising unauthorised entry into the US, which he said is being used to separate children from their parents.

“I just think it’s a mistake, Beto,” Mr Castro said to his fellow Texan. “I think it’s a mistake. If you truly want to change the system, then you’ve got to repeal that section.”

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro teared up talking about this picture showing the bodies of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, who drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande — on their way to the US — during the debate. Picture: AFP

The debate took an odd turn at the midway mark when NBC News, which hosted the debate, had to cut to an unplanned commercial break because of audio difficulties at the beginning of the second hour.

Economy

On the economy, the candidates accused Mr Trump of favouring the nation’s wealthiest families and corporations at the expense of middle-class families.

Ms. Warren — whose poll numbers have climbed into double-digits, helped by some specific policy proposals — railed against the role of corporate power and corruption in government.

“What’s been missing is courage. Courage in Washington to take on the giants,” Ms Warren said.

Though Ms Warren was the highest-polling candidate on the stage, she didn’t command the lion’s share of attention from her rivals or the debate’s moderators. The candidates were assigned to the two stages via random draws, and the second night of debates features Mr Biden along with several top-tier contenders such as Mr. Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Foreign policy

On foreign policy, only New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said he would not re-enter the Obama administration’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Mr Trump withdrew from last year. Mr. Booker said he would instead push to renegotiate a better deal.

When the topic turned to curbing gun violence, many of the candidates spoke of their personal connection to the issue.

Mr Booker noted that he often heard gunshots in his inner-city neighbourhood in Newark, New Jersey, while Mr Castro worried that his 10-year-old daughter might not feel safe at school. Ms Klobuchar said one of her tests for gun-control laws was whether it would hurt her “Uncle Dick and his deer stand.”

The rest of Wednesday night’s line-up included several candidates who attempted to register with broad swathes of voters.

Climate, and Trump

Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who has made fighting climate change his calling card, earned his biggest applause line when asked what he considers the greatest geopolitical threat to the United States.

Democratic presidential hopefuls (from left) Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio, US Representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district Tim Ryan, Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

“The biggest threat to the security of the United States is Donald Trump, ” he said to cheers.

Rep Tim Ryan of Ohio took his party to task for not speaking to the working class across the Midwest, areas where Mr Trump has eroded Democratic support.

“We have got to change the centre of gravity of the Democratic Party from being coastal and elitist and Ivy League,” he said, adding the party needed to remember “the forgotten communities that have been left behind for the last 30 years.”

Rep Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a veteran of the Iraq war, warned against foreign intervention in Iran. She confronted Mr. Ryan, who said the U.S. should remain engaged in the Middle East.

“As a soldier, I will tell you, that answer is unacceptable,” Ms Gabbard said, arguing that the US should bring troops home from Afghanistan.

But many presidential hopefuls may only qualify for one more set of debates, scheduled for next month in Detroit, putting pressure on the candidates to stand out before an audience of millions of viewers.

Candidates were required to qualify for the debates in June and July by crossing either a threshold of at least 65,000 donors or 1 per cent support in a series of polls. The DNC is doubling those requirements for debates in September, making it more difficult for as many candidates to qualify.

The Wall Street Journal