Monday night is the first of three debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It’s hard to think of two presidential candidates who have dodged as many questions as these two. With that in mind, here are some that ought to be asked:
• To both: When was America last great?
• Mr. Trump, have you ever hired someone to run one of your companies with no business experience? If not, why should we hire someone with no political experience to run the government?
• Mr. Trump, when you bought the Turnberry Golf Course in Scotland, did you ask to see the prior owners’ financial information to verify the truth of what they said? If so, shouldn’t voters see your tax returns?
• Mr. Trump, please release an IRS document or some other proof that your tax returns are actually being audited.
• Mrs. Clinton, you talk about how your experience qualifies you to be president. Exactly what achievements as secretary of state can you point to?
• Mrs. Clinton, you were part of “the reset” with Russia. What went wrong? Do you trust the Russians today?
• Mrs. Clinton, if you and your husband are so smart, why do you always get tangled up in ethical swamps? If your judgment on so many of these issues is so bad, why should we expect your judgment to be better for the big things that will be decided in the Oval Office?
• Mr. Trump, much has been made about the Clinton Foundation’s apparent conflict of interest when Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state. If you win, how will you prevent conflicts of interest between the presidency and your company, the Trump Organization?
• Mr. Trump, you said the people you sent to check into President Obama’s birth found “incredible” information, so what was it? Since by your own admission your suspicion was wrong, do you owe the president an apology?
• Mr. Trump, what is your thing with former KGB agent-turned-Russian President Vladimir Putin? Do you see Russia as an ally or an adversary? If ISIS says nice things about you, will you like them, too?
• Mr. Trump, a few years ago you said that pregnant employees were a problem for business. Now you want to give them paid medical leave after having a baby. What’s changed?
• Mr. Trump, you keep saying different things, so please settle the matter once and for all: If elected, will you try to have all people in the country illegally arrested and deported?
• Mrs. Clinton, until recently you had not hold a press conference for more than nine months? What were you afraid of being asked?
• Mrs. Clinton, if you win, would 2017 be a third Barack Obama term? Or would you do anything differently than he has?
• Mrs. Clinton, polls say you do not inspire a lot of young people. How do you get their attention?
Questions for both candidates:
• Since you agree that free trade is so bad, what specifically is wrong with NAFTA and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership?
• The Chinese navy is stirring things up off the coast of Asia. How should the United States respond?
• Do you think American troops should return to the Middle East to stamp out ISIS?
• Please identify legislation or a proposal that originated with the other political party that you would support in a bipartisan effort to get approved.
• While the cost of most products has been stable, medical care and education prices have skyrocketed. Why do you think this has happened and what would you do about it?
• What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career, and what did you do to fix it?
