Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton held their leads in the battle for their parties’ 2016 presidential nomination in the latest state-by-state voting as the Daesh terrorist organization inserted itself deeper into American politics with the attacks it claimed in Belgium.
While both front-runners scored victories in the night’s biggest prize of Arizona, Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders won caucuses in Utah and Idaho and Republican Ted Cruz claimed his party’s caucuses in Utah.
Cruz gained some momentum on Wednesday as former candidate Jeb Bush said he’s endorsing the Texas senator for president, tweeting that Republicans “must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena” or risk losing to Clinton. Both Clinton and Trump seized the attacks on the Brussels airport and subway that left dozens dead as a chance to level bitter assaults on one another.
“This is about not only selecting a president, but also selecting a commander-in-chief,” Clinton said in Seattle as she condemned Trump by name and denounced his embrace of torture and hard-line rhetoric aimed at Muslims. “The last thing we need is leaders who incite more fear.”
Trump, in turn, branded Clinton as “Incompetent Hillary” in an interview with Fox News as he discussed her tenure as secretary of state. “Incompetent Hillary doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” the billionaire businessman said. “She doesn’t have a clue.”
Clinton and Trump’s Republican rivals piled on with questions about his temperament and readiness to serve as commander in chief, and condemned his calls to diminish US involvement with NATO. Belgium is a NATO ally.
Addressing supporters in Seattle, Clinton said the Brussels attacks were a pointed reminder of “how high the stakes are” in 2016.
“We don’t build walls or turn our back on our allies,” she said. “We can’t throw out everything we know about what works and what doesn’t and start torturing people.”
Source:Arab News