Democratic debate: Sanders attacks ‘pathological liar’ Trump and big corporations, as progressives go on the offensive
The first 10 Democratic contenders took the stage in Detroit for the start of the second official round of debates on Tuesday night as Donald Trump insisted he was the “least racist person in the world” while continuing an explosive row with civil rights leaders.
The comments came before he travelled to Virginia to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Virginia General Assembly, where he was met with protests and chants denouncing his attacks on prominent women of colour in Congress, and attacks on the city of Baltimore.
The first night of the second round of debates featured Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders on the same stage for the first time, alongside Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, and others with much less name recognition who are hoping for their moment in the spotlight.
Asked how she would combat white supremacy, Ms Warren said she would call it out as “domestic terrorism,” blaming Mr Trump for racially unequal policies in economics and education.
Tuesday’s debate was the first since Mr Trump used racist language to attack four Democratic congresswomen of colour, calling on them to “go back” to their countries even though all four are US citizens.
The Massachusetts senator pushed back at moderate criticism by questioning why anyone would run for president just “to talk about what we can’t do.”
Ms Warren was defending single-payer health insurance and other “big ideas” as policy fights worth having.
She was also responding to critics including former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, former Maryland Congressman John Delaney and Montana Governor Steve Bullock.
Mr Delaney said Ms Warren’s and Mr Sanders’ health care proposals are “dead on arrival” because they would essentially outlaw private health insurance.
Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, opened the night by discussing the need for a president “who can get stuff done” ahead of the debates.
“We need a president who can get stuff done, who is going to solve the fundamental problems,” she said. “We deserve a president who is going to help us improve education, protect our fresh water, clean up our drinking water, close the skills gap so we can get into higher wage jobs and, yes, help us fix the damn roads.”
The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, also called on voters to elect a new president who will “inspire, not exhaust” the country.
“Presidents are supposed to be unites, not dividers,” he added. “Presidents should make our lives better, not worse.”
Additional reporting by AP. Follow live updates
Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load
