FOR AMERICA AND

AMERICA FIRST.

>> AMERICA'S DESTINY

IS OURS TO CHOOSE.

>> WE WILL MAKE

AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.

>> WE JOIN TOGETHER TO

GET RID OF THE THREATS

WE FACE.

>> JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.

>> I WILL BE A

PRESIDENT FOR ALL

AMERICANS.

>> FROM NBC NEWS.

DECISION 2016.

THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL

DEBATE.

LIVE FROM HOFSTRA

UNIVERSITY IN

HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK.

HERE NOW, SAVANNAH

GUTHRIE AND CHUCK

TODD.

>> AND GOOD EVENING,

EVERYBODY.

NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH

US.

CHUCK, AFTER ALL THE

HYPE, ALL THE PREP,

ALL THE PREDEBATE

GAMESMANSHIP FROM BOTH

CAMPAIGNS THIS IS IT,

WE'RE LITERALLY

MINUTES WAY FROM THE

START OF THE FIRST AND

ALL IMPORTANT

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON

A STAGE BEHIND US.

WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THE

CANDIDATES TONIGHT

HILLARY CLINTON AND

DONALD TRUMP ARRIVING

HERE A BIT EARLIER

THIS EVENING.

THEY'RE WAITING

BACKSTAGE.

AND CHUCK, WE'VE HAD A

MOMENT TONIGHT.

>> YEAH.

>> PRESIDENT BILL

CLINTON IS IN THE

HOUSE.

AND MET MRS. MELANIA

TRUMP.

THEY JUST SHARED THAT

HANDSHAKE.

WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE

FAMILIES ASSEMBLED

HERE.

>> WE DO.

AND I THINK ONE THING

WE OUGHT TO REMEMBER

AS BIG OF

PERSONALITIES THAT

THEY ARE, WE KNOW THIS

IS GOING TO BE A CLASH

OF BIG PERSONALITIES,

THIS IS ALSO A CLASH

OF TWO COMPETING

VISIONS OF AMERICA.

HILLARY CLINTON

EMBRACING THE MANY

CULTURAL CHANGES,

DIVERSITY,

ACCELERATION OF

GLOBALIZATION THAT'S

HAPPENING.

DONALD TRUMP EMBRACING

A VISION THAT SAYS

WHOA, LET'S SLOW DOWN,

LET'S SLOW THINGS

DOWN, LET'S LOOK

INWARD A LITTLE BIT.

LET'S NOT LET THAT GET

LOST TONIGHT.

>> LET'S BRING IN OUR

COLLEAGUE TOM BROKAW,

OBVIOUSLY SOMEBODY

WHO'S WATCHED A LOT OF

DEBATES.

DOESN'T THIS FEEL LIKE

THERE'S SOMETHING

SPECIAL ABOUT THIS

ONE, IF NOTHING ELSE

BECAUSE THEY THINK

MAYBE 100 MILLION

PEOPLE COULD BE

WATCHING.

>> NEVER SEEN ONE

QUITE LIKE THIS IN

PART BECAUSE THE 100

MILLION PEOPLE, A LOT

ARE TRYING TO MAKE UP

THEIR MINDS.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT

DEBATE.

ADD TO THE TELEVISION

VIEWERSHIP, SOCIAL

MEDIA GOING ON,

TWEETING THAT IS GOING

ON, TEXTING THAT IS

GOING ON, THE

STREAMING THAT IS

GOING ON.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST

ELECTRONIC EVENT IN

AMERICAN HISTORY TO

SAY NOTHING OF

AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL

POLITICS.

>> THE STAKES ARE SO

HIGH WITH THE POLLS

TIGHT AS WE'VE SEEN AS

RECENTLY AS TODAY.

LET'S GO TO ANDREA

MITCHELL, EXCUSE ME,

HALEY JACKSON IS IN

THE SPINROOM FOR US.

GOOD EVENING.

>> HI, SAVANNAH.

HERE MEDIA AND

SURROGATES ARE READY

FOR WHAT HAPPENS AFTER

THE DEBATE.

BEFORE THEN, HERE'S

DONALD TRUMP'S BIGGEST

TEST.

CAN HE PROVE HE HAS

THE TEMPERMENT TO BE

COMMANDER IN CHIEF?

IT'S ONE OF HIS

BIGGEST NEGATIVES TO

VOTERS.

TOO MANY INSULTS HE

COULD COME OFF AS A

BULLY, TOO FEW

SPECIFICS AND COULD

SEEM UNPREPARED.

SAVANNAH?

>> HALLIE JACKSON,

THANK YOU.

>> LET'S GO TO ANDREA

MITCHELL COVERING THE

HILLARY CLINTON

CAMPAIGN.

WHAT'S HILLARY

CLINTON'S GOAL

TONIGHT, ANDREA?

>> HER NEED IS TO

RELATE TO PEOPLE

ESPECIALLY MILLENNIAL

VOTERS AND VERY

FRANKLY ONE OF HER TOP

AIDES SAID TO ME WE'RE

GLAD WE HAVE DONALD

TRUMP TO DEBATE

AGAINST BECAUSE HE'S

THE DRAW, HE'S DRAWING

100 MILLION PEOPLE.

AND THAT'S THE KIND OF

CROWD HILLARY CLINTON

HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO

ATTRACT.

SHE NOW HAS TO SELL

HERSELF TONIGHT AND

BILL CLINTON IS HERE.

HE NEVER ATED ANY

OF THE PRIMARY

DEBATES.

>> THANK YOU, ANDREA.

>> WE'RE ABOUT 30

SECONDS AWAY FROM THE

DEBATE.

THE STAKES ARE VERY

HIGH.

AS I MENTIONED

EARLIER, THE POLLS ARE

EX-FREEDOMLY TIGHT.

>> THEY ARE.

I DO THINK THE

AUDIENCE IS VERY

FLUID.

WE HAVE A BUNCH OF

PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER

NONE OF THE ABOVE OR

UNDECIDED.

I THINK THE POLLS WILL

MOVE TONIGHT.

>> THE

MULTIBILLIONAIRE,

FORMER FIRST LADY,

SECRETARY OF STATE,

U.S. SENATOR ABOUT TO

DEBATE.

WE'LL LET LESTER HOLT

TAKE IT AWAY.

>> GOOD EVENING FROM

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY IN

HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK,

I'M LESTER HOLT.

ANCHOR OF \"NBC NIGHTLY

NEWS.\"

I WANT TO WELCOME YOU

TO THE FIRST

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE.

THE PARTICIPANTS

TONIGHT ARE DONALD

TRUMP AND HILLARY

CLINTON.

THIS DEBATE IS

SPONSORED BY THE

COMMISSION ON

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.

A NONPARTISAN,

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION.

THE COMMISSION DRAFTED

TONIGHT'S FORMAT AND

THE RULES HAVE BEEN

AGREED TO BY THE

CAMPAIGNS.

THE 90 MINUTE DEBATE

IS DIVIDED INTO 6

SEGMENTS EACH 15

MINUTES LONG.

WE'LL EXPLORE THREE

TOPIC AREAS TONIGHT,

ACHIEVING PROSPERITY,

AMERICA'S DIRECTION,

AND SECURING AMERICA.

AT THE START OF EACH

SEGMENT, I WILL ASK

THE SAME LEADOFF

QUESTION TO BOTH

CANDIDATES AND THEY

WILL EACH HAVE UP TO

TWO MINUTES TO

RESPOND.

FROM THAT POINT, UNTIL

THE END OF THE

SEGMENT, WE'LL HAVE AN

OPEN DISCUSSION.

THE QUESTIONS ARE MINE

AND HAVE NOT BEEN

SHARED WITH THE

COMMISSION OF THE

CAMPAIGNS.

THE AUDIENCE HERE IN

THE ROOM HAS AGREED TO

REMAIN SILENT SO THAT

WE CAN FOCUS ON WHAT

THE CANDIDATES ARE

SAYING.

I WILL INVITE YOU TO

APPLAUD, HOWEVER, AT

THIS MOMENT AS WE

WELCOME THE

CANDIDATES, DEMOCRATIC

NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT

OF THE UNITED STATES,

HILLARY CLINTON.

AND REPUBLICAN NOMINEE

FOR PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED STATES, DONALD

J. TRUMP.

>> HEY, HOW ARE YOU?