ABC News(TAMPA, Fla.) — Although miles apart campaigning in different battleground states, Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, shared one mission on the trail Tuesday — needling Donald Trump over national security.
Clinton, speaking at a voter registration rally in Tampa, Floria, Tuesday afternoon, criticized her opponent for his treatment towards veterans.
“His whole campaign has been one lone insult to all those who’ve worn the uniform to protect our most cherished American values,” the Democratic presidential nominee said.
Clinton mentioned his criticism of Gold Star father Khizr Khan, which drew condemnation around the time of the Democratic Convention, exclaiming, “A man who is so wrong about our veterans isn’t right to serve as our commander-in-chief.”
Meanwhile, Kaine was in Wilmington, North Carolina, delivering what the campaign had billed as a major address on national security.
The Virginia senator attacked Trump as an “emotionally volatile” reality TV star whose foreign policy ideas are in “stark opposition” to American national security goals, but match “perfectly with Vladimir Putin’s wish list.”
Kaine also ticked through Trump’s controversies including his remarks about Sen. John McCain, the Khan family, his ties to Russia and his remarks about NATO.
“Donald Trump is unqualified and temperamentally unfit to serve as President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief,” Kaine said. “He has a bizarre fascination with strongmen and authoritarian leaders. And with respect to our allies he would toss our alliances aside, and says he wants to – quote – take everything back from the world that we’ve given them. Trump has offered nothing but empty promises and divisive rhetoric. Under his leadership, we would be unrecognizable to the rest of the world. And we would be far less safe.”
.@timkaine hits Trump for hosting Gaddafi: “You were saying something about judgement, Donald?” https://t.co/57gLdBC2Zj
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 6, 2016
The Clinton campaign started Tuesday by releasing a new television ad going after Trump for what the campaign described as, his “continued disrespect” for veterans and military families.”
The spot, titled “Sacrifice,” features veterans and family members of military members who died watching Trump speak about national security. The military families watch Trump saying he knows “more than the generals do” and questioning whether McCain is a war hero.
The video ends with Trump’s remarks to ABC News about what sacrifices he has made.
“I think I made a lot of sacrifices, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success,” Trump can be heard saying in the ad as a visual of a disabled veteran in a wheelchair is shown.
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