Donald Trump on Wednesday opened up a new line of attack against Hillary Clinton, warning that her track record shows the White House will be up for sale if she is elected president.
Regrouping from his uneven debate performance earlier this week, Mr. Trump pounded home the message at campaign stops that Mrs. Clinton “is an insider fighting only for insiders” and “I am an outsider fighting for you.”
“Everything you need to know about Hillary Clinton can be understood with this simple phrase: Follow the money,” Mr. Trump said, rolling out the new campaign theme in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Mr. Trump said Mrs. Clinton is a puppet for the special interests, lobbyist and deep-pocketed donors that have enriched her and her husband former President Bill Clinton over the course of their careers inside and outside public office.
Mr. Trump said she raked in millions in speaking fees from financial firms before launching her campaign, and since then she has received $100 million in campaign contributions from Wall Street and hedge funds that have profited off the status quo at the expense of the middle-class.
As secretary of state, Mr. Trump said Mrs. Clinton showed she was beholden to her financial backers.
“She disgraced the office of Secretary of State by putting it up for sale — and if she ever for the chance, she’d put the Oval Office up for sale,” he said. “The only people Hillary Clinton has delivered for are her donors. Just follow the money.”
By most accounts, Mr. Trump missed a prime opportunity in the first debate with Mrs. Clinton to build on the momentum he carried into the face-off by failing to give voters tuning into the race for the first time what he planned to do if elected.
He made sure not to make the same mistake Wednesday, rattling off a long to-do list that included cutting taxes; slicing federal regulations; repealing and replacing Obamacare; stemming the flow of illegal immigration; and nominating justices to the Supreme Court that will uphold the Constitution.
“The arrogance of Washington, D.C. will soon come face to face with the righteous verdict of the American voter,” Mr. Trump said of the Nov. 8 election.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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