This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

As Hillary Clinton prepared for the first presidential debate against Donald Trump on Monday, campaign surrogates spoke in swing states and the New York Times published a strongly worded endorsement of the former secretary of state.

Clinton: ‘habitual liar’ Trump must be curbed in presidential debate Read more

The Times’ editorial board said that as first lady, senator for New York and secretary of state, Clinton had shown herself to be “one of the most tenacious politicians of her generation”, capable of fostering bipartisan cooperation.

It also called Trump “the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history”.

In New Hampshire, where, according to the Real Clear Politics average, Clinton holds a 44% to 38% lead, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren accused Trump and the Republican party of “making hate OK”. In Ohio, where Trump leads by 45% to 42%, cast members from the 1990s TV show The West Wing, which portrayed an imaginary Democratic administration, hit the stump for Clinton.

Echoing concerns among Democrats about motivating voters, particularly the young, to vote for a candidate who has struggled to generate campaign momentum, the Times’ editorial board argued that Trump’s negative qualities were not enough to merit an endorsement of Clinton.

“Running down the other guy won’t suffice,” wrote the board, which is separate from the newsroom. “The best case for Hillary Clinton cannot be, and is not, that she isn’t Donald Trump. The best case is, instead, about the challenges this country faces, and Mrs Clinton’s capacity to rise to them.



“A lifetime’s commitment to solving problems in the real world qualifies Hillary Clinton for this job, and the country should put her to work,” the editorial board added.

Addressing Clinton’s poor poll ratings regarding trust and favourability, it said: “Mrs Clinton’s occasional missteps, combined with attacks on her trustworthiness, have distorted perceptions of her character.

“She is one of the most tenacious politicians of her generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of unyielding partisanship.”

Grouping as examples the rise of Trump, the Brexit vote for Britain to leave the European Union, the spread of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and the resurgence of Russia under Vladimir Putin, the Times said the next president would take office “with bigoted, tribalist movements and their leaders on the march”.

It added: “War, terrorism and the pressures of globalization are eroding democratic values, fraying alliances and challenging the ideals of tolerance and charity.”

Regarding the candidate’s long-running battles with the press over her use of a private email server while secretary of state, which flared up again on Friday with the release of FBI notes and the news a judge had ruled some such emails must be released to the public before election day, the Times said: “That decision deserved scrutiny, and it’s had it.

“Now, considered alongside the real challenges that will occupy the next president, that email server, which has consumed so much of this campaign, looks like a matter for the help desk.

“And, viewed against those challenges, Mr Trump shrinks to his true small-screen, reality-show proportions, as we’ll argue in detail on Monday.”

The paper promised a scathing perspective on Trump for Monday, saying he is “the worst nominee put forward by a major party in modern American history”. In a preview, the Times said the Republican candidate “discloses nothing concrete about himself or his plans while promising the moon and offering the stars on layaway”.

On the campaign trail in Nashua, Warren spoke to volunteers at a Clinton campaign office. “We’re here to say hate is not OK,” she said. “We build a stronger America together – that’s what this is about.”

Warren was scheduled to make three stops in the state, where a Senate contest between incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democratic governor Maggie Hassan remains close. Warren sought to tie Ayotte to Trump – the senator has said she would “stand up” to Trump but nonetheless vote for him – saying she had not thought a major presidential candidate would base a campaign on scapegoating Mexicans, women and Muslims.

Trump v Clinton: 10 awkward debate questions to put candidates on the spot Read more

“What Donald Trump is doing is not what any of us thought a man who’s running for president would do,” she said. “He’s found something much uglier that he wants to make the basis of his campaign.”

Warren was also critical of the ultra-conservative Texas senator Ted Cruz, who on Friday said he would vote for Trump despite having denounced him, while they were primary rivals, for Trump’s personal attacks against the senator’s wife and father.

In July, Cruz refused to endorse Trump in a speech to the Republican convention, earning boos, then explained his speech by saying he was not a “servile puppy”.

Explaining his decision in a statement posted to Facebook on Friday, Cruz said: “Even though I have had areas of significant disagreement with our nominee, by any measure Hillary Clinton is wholly unacceptable.”



On Saturday, Warren asked: “Is that really what your word is worth, Ted Cruz?”