Steel daggers fly once again at Clinton-Trump debate

The resilience of steel is well-known — even as a presidential debate zinger.

Hillary Clinton got two steely jabs in Wednesday night, once again chiding Donald Trump for running an America First campaign after constructing his buildings with Chinese steel and aluminum, the latter clearly riding steel’s ferrous coattails onto the national political stage.

Metals were the only commodities debated in the third and final campaign confrontation. There was no discussion of past political footballs like coal, oil, natural gas or even the price of gasoline.

It was the second debate in which the issue of Chinese steel was raised. Both times Trump brought a Clinton cudgel onto himself. In the October 9 debate, he opened himself up by bemoaning the damage done to the US steel industry and its employees by dumped Chinese steel. Clinton countered, decrying Trump’s use of said steel.

In Wednesday’s debate, Trump brought up the subject again, bemoaning the decline of American manufacturing. “Our product is pouring in from China, pouring in from Vietnam, pouring in from all over the world,” he said.

Clinton shot back: “He mentioned China. And, you know, one of the biggest problems we have with China is the illegal dumping of steel and aluminum into our markets. I have fought against that as a senator. I've stood up against it as secretary of state.”

Clinton then reiterated that she plans to enforce America’s trade agreements and have a “trade prosecutor” for the first time in US history. She said her administration would also encourage US businesses to buy more American-made products.

Trump shot back: “Let me ask a simple question. She's been doing this for 30 years. Why the hell didn't you do it over the last 15, 20 years?”

And then this: Trump again challenged Clinton to stop him before he imported Chinese steel again: “For 30 years, you've been in a position to help, and if you say that I use steel or I use something else, I — make it impossible for me to do that. I wouldn't mind. The problem is, you talk, but you don't get anything done, Hillary.”

With northern US states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana — steelmakers all — so critical to this year’s election, it is understandable why Trump would repeatedly bring up the issue of unfairly traded imports, even at the risk of being slammed again by Clinton on his trade hypocrisy.

While Wednesday night’s National Conversation was universally praised as the best Clinton-Trump debate of the three, Trump continued to interrupt Clinton as she spoke, repeatedly inserting “Wrong!” as she made her arguments.

But Clinton got in the best zinger of the night after Trump waxed poetic pondering her ties to Wall Street: “I sat in my apartment today in a very beautiful hotel down the street known as Trump...”

Clinton: “Made with Chinese steel!”

It seems steel is not just resilient. It’s recyclable too.

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