Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gives an address on national security, Thursday, June 2, 2016, in San Diego, Calif. (Photo: AP/John Locher)
Hillary Clinton, in a fiery campaign speech in California on Thursday, called Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy platform “dangerously incoherent,” adding the man himself is “temperamentally unfit” to be President of the United States and command the nation’s armed forces.
“This is not someone who should ever have the nuclear codes, because it’s not hard to imagine Donald Trump leading us into a war just because somebody got under his very thin skin,” the former secretary of state said. “We cannot put the security of our children and grandchildren in Donald Trump’s hands.”
While even her critics pointed out the improvement in her demeanor and performance, there was little to stop them from pointing out the foreign policy failures during her tenure at the State Department. From the failed “Russian reset” to the so-called Arab Spring and her personal failure in Libya, which cost four Americans to lose their lives, the Democratic frontrunner’s central argument against the presumptive Republican nominee began to show a clear weakness.
“I will leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants,” she said.
However, as Mrs. Clinton lambasted Mr. Trump for allegedly praising the Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and China during the crackdown against dissidents at Tiananmen Square, her critics were quick to remind supporters she called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “a reformer” right before he murdered hundreds of thousands of his own people. Nevertheless, what was billed as a foreign policy speech turned into little more than an effort to get free media to launch an attack on Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump, who later railed against her record in Libya and more at a rally in San Jose, Calif., responded to the speech on Twitter:
Crooked Hillary no longer has credibility – too much failure in office. People will not allow another four years of incompetence!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2016
Meanwhile, the secretary tried to focus on the general election even as she struggles to carry the largest and most delegate-rich state to vote on the final day of the primary season on June 7. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has also questioned her judgement on foreign policy decision-making in Iraq and Libya, has been campaigning hard in the Golden State, forcing Mrs. Clinton to leave New Jersey.
The most recent California Democratic primary poll conducted by [content_tooltip id=”39829″ title=”NBC/WSJ/Marist”] found Sen. Sanders closing the gap to just 2 points. Further, a PPIC Poll survey conducted from May 13 to May 22 showed Mrs. Clinton leading 46% to 44% for Sen. Sanders, with minority voters disproportionately making up the most supportive group for the self-proclaimed socialist.
“It’s important to note that age has been an important factor for the Democratic presidential candidate preferences,” PPIC pollster Mark Baldassare said. “The nonwhites have a younger age profile and the whites have an older age profile among the California Democratic presidential primary likely voters in our May PPIC Survey.”
There are a total 548 delegates up for grabs in the California Democratic primary, including 317 in the congressional districts. Another 105 are at large, 53 are Pledged PLEOs and 73 Unpledged PLEOs.
“This may be the end of the road for the Sanders campaign,” said PPD’s senior political analyst Richard D. Baris. “They don’t believe these numbers and actually feel that they have a good shot to defeat Mrs. Clinton in the Golden State. It wouldn’t be the first primary this cycle where the polling was grossly off.”
“But if it’s the end of a longer-than-anticipated road for Bernie, it looks like the beginning of a tough road for Mrs. Clinton.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who is still above water with 50% approving and 39% disapproving of the job he is going, endorsed Mrs. Clinton this week despite his near 25-year feud with the Clinton family. Gov. Brown once accused Bill and Hillary Clinton of public corruption on a debate stage during the 1992 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate. Those who disapprove include 67% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 20% of Democrats, with the latter groups breaking big for Donald Trump in a general election.
