Elizabeth Warren Had The Most Epic Clapback About Why She's Running For President
For the second time this summer, the Democratic presidential candidates went head to head on everything from health care to immigration. Tuesday, July 30 marked the beginning of a second round of Democratic debates, featuring frontrunners like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. There were several heated exchanges throughout the night, but one particularly memorable moment from the Democratic debate was Elizabeth Warren's clap back to John Delaney about running for president. It's, uh, pretty harsh.
If you missed it, one of the moments that stood out the most on July 30 was an exchange between Warren and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. During Tuesday night's debate, Delaney criticized progressives like Warren and Sanders for focusing on policies that are too far to the left. Delaney argued that Democrats should focus more on "kitchen table" issues, like jobs and infrastructure. Just as she did several times throughout the night, Warren was quick to push back Delaney's remarks, suggesting that he was not the right person to run for president — and she was.
"I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for," Warren quipped.
Warren's swift reply to Delaney's comments was a culmination of an argument that she and Sanders made numerous times throughout the night — that Democrats need to embrace progressive policy. At the very beginning of the debate, Warren and Sanders passionately defended their plans to implement universal health care from Delaney and other moderate candidates on the stage. Delaney accused Warren and Sanders of trying to take health care away from Americans on private insurance plans, even though both Warren and Sanders made it clear that they want to guarantee health care access for all Americans.
“We are not about taking health care away from anyone," Warren shot back. "That’s what Republicans are trying to do and we should stop using Republican talking points in order to talk with each other about how to best provide that health care."
Warren and Delaney engaged in multiple arguments over the course of Tuesday night's debate. In addition to arguing with Warren and Sanders about universal health care, Delaney also went after Warren on trade and "wishlist economics."
Tuesday's matchup between Warren and Sanders was highly anticipated as voters wondered whether they would go head to head on key issues, but the two progressives ended up as allies throughout the night. To avoid stacking either night's debates with too many frontrunners, CNN held a live drawing in which the network determined debate lineups from three tiers of candidates. This way, CNN reported, each debate would have two top candidates, three middle candidates, and five lower-ranking candidates, per the polls.
Warren's unapologetic statement about running for president may have been one of the most memorable parts of Tuesday night, but the second round of debates isn't over yet. Ten more candidates will take the stage on Wednesday, July 31, and the night promises to be equally interesting. Wednesday night's lineup includes frontrunners like California Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden, who previously went head to head on school desegregation and busing during the first round of Democratic debates in June. Other candidates that you can expect to see on Wednesday include former tech executive Andrew Yang and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Basically, the showdown is about to enter Night Two. Don't touch that dial!
