‘How is Donald Trump going to face the Presidential debate now?’ That was the first thought that came to my mind 2 days ago when The Washington Post broke the sensational story of him bragging about his sexual escapades.
Last night, I was thinking about how Trump’s team would be preparing a defence strategy. Politicians are generally careful 24X7 about what they say. Trump was not a politician when he made that “locker room talk”. But how is he going to defend his highly objectionable loose talk now, when his comments can either help him become the world’s most powerful man or lose miserably?
I woke up at 6am and turned on the TV. Before the highly anticipated telecast began, a commentator said that she had to ensure that her 4th grader son didn’t watch the presidential debate. That comment upped my curiosity exponentially!
When Trump and Hillary finally arrived, they decided to make it dramatic right from the word go. They did not shake hands. Facing a presidential debate with live audience within 48 hours of his “sex bragging expose”, Trump was clearly defensive. His voice was low and husky. His body language was visibly uncomfortable as he kept moving restlessly like an animal in the cage.
Nervously Diverts Sex Tape Questions
Second question was about his leaked “sex tape”. Trump's strategy was clear: avoid it as much as possible. When CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked him repeatedly if he actually assaulted a woman sexually, he said it was a “locker room talk” and abruptly went on to talk about ISIS!
I thought he would talk about Bill Clinton. That didn’t happen. Probably, Trump didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. He wanted to end it there. I thought Hillary would corner Trump on this issue. That didn’t happen too. Probably Hillary thought the tapes had already hurt Trump enough and wanted to focus on real issues to live up to her serious image. Or probably she didn’t want to face uncomfortable questions about backing her husband against his victims.
But when Trump was further pressed, he did it! “I simply said it, but Bill did it,” said Trump unabashedly. Hillary chose to call it a lie.
As the debate progressed, Trump raised his voice. As the debate entered his comfort zone, his body language changed dramatically. He was assertive on questions about Obama Care, Muslims, Russia, etc.
Regains Confidence, Corners Hillary
When it came to Hillary’s email controversy, Trump was visibly happy. So much so that he threatened Hillary with prosecution and said that she'd be in the jail. Vindictive politics is common in South Asia, but not in the US politics. This is probably the first time in recent past that a presidential candidate has been threatened like this.
When Trump said, “you’d be in jail,” there was a loud applause. Although audience comprised of ‘undecided voters’, they applauded for Trump twice, possibly because of his punches and timing. There was a Muslim woman in the audience. Despite Trump’s Islamophobia, I found it interesting that a there were Muslim voters, who were still undecided.
Trump has been regularly slamming newspapers and reporters. He thinks that all media houses are running a conspiracy against him. Today was no different. He blamed CNN’s Cooper and ABC’s Martha Raddatz for being biased against him. “It’s three against one,” he alleged. Frankly, given the format of today’s debate, the two journalists had little role to play apart from keeping the time. Cooper did well in grilling Trump on tapes. That was needed.
Finally, when both nominees were asked to say good things about each other, Trump was more generous in calling Hillary a “fighter”. As the debate ended on this happy note, they finally shook hands in the end.
Television polls showed Hillary managed to win more votes today. Trump may not have triumphed today, but he’s at least managed to survive. And considering the gravity of the problem he faces, that’s no less important.
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