Voters hoping to learn more about what the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates’ plans to defeat the Islamic State were left wanting during the first presidential debate Monday night.
The subject of ISIS came up sparingly in comparison to issues such as the economy, but what little was offered by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his opponent Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was essentially a rehashing of what has already been said. Both candidates had previously accused one another of failing to give clear solutions to the ISIS problem, which did not change Monday night.
Trump, whose campaign manager hinted he may outline his plan that night, was the first to bring up the radical Islamic terror group, noting ISIS is “beating us at our own game” with its ability to spread propaganda on the internet.
“So we have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare,” Trump said. He did not elaborate on what measures he would take to counter the cyber problem.
In response, Clinton offered general policy points that were essentially more of the same seen in the Obama administration. Like Trump, she said she also plans to go after ISIS online, noting “we need to do much more with our tech companies to prevent ISIS and their operatives from being able to use the Internet to radicalize, even direct people in our country and Europe and elsewhere.”
Clinton adeptly outlined several problems associated with the ISIS fight, but offered few concrete solutions. She argued for a continuation of President Obama’s ISIS policy in Iraq and Syria, albeit with an increase in air strikes. She also noted the U.S. needs to make targeting the terrorist group’s leadership, foreign fighters, foreign money and weaponry a “top priority.” Clinton also noted the importance of having an “intelligence surge” to help counter ISIS threats at home.
Trump criticized NATO members, which he noted are not “paying their fair share” when it comes to collective defense, for not being more actively engaged in the ISIS fight in the Middle East. He reiterated that “we have to knock the hell out of ISIS, and we have to do it fast,” but did not explain that point.
The Trump campaign released a 10-point national security plan earlier this month that started by saying he would ask the nation’s military generals to present him with a plan to defeat ISIS within 30 days from the beginning of his presidency. It offers no other details.
Clinton’s website features her three-point plan to take out ISIS, which is a general continuation of current policy. First, she suggests taking out ISIS’s strongholds in Iraq and Syria, which is the current Obama policy. Second, she proposes working with both Western and Middle Eastern allies to destroy terror networks, which has been the policy of both George W. Bush and Obama. Finally, she proposes hardening defenses at home to prevent domestic terrorist attacks, again, a continuation.
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