Clinton, Trump gird for debate
WASHINGTON — U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump needs to prove to voters that he has the policy depth and gravitas to serve as commander in chief. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton needs a moment to connect with Americans who question whether she can be trusted.
In an election year that has upended political convention, the candidates’ best opportunity to conquer their weaknesses will come in the most traditional of campaign forums: Monday’s 90-minute debate starting at 6 p.m.
Both campaigns expect a recordsetting television audience for the highstakes showdown, which could help tip the balance in a tight White House race.
The visuals alone will be striking as the candidates step behind their podiums at Hofstra University in suburban New York. Clinton will be the first woman to take the stage in a presidential general election debate.
Trump has spent years on Americans’ television screens as a reality show host, but it can still be jarring to see him at politics’ upper echelons.
Six weeks from Election Day, and with early voting already underway, the opening debate is one of the few opportunities left for the candidates to motivate supporters and sway a narrow band of undecided voters. According to a new Associated Press-Gfk poll, more than 85 per cent of likely voters backing Clinton or Trump say their minds are completely made up. About 13 per cent said they were undecided.
The candidates’ preparation has been a microcosm of their sharply different approaches to politics and presumably, the presidency.
Clinton has taken full days away from campaign travel to pore over briefing books, practising to pounce if Trump makes false statements and steeling herself for the possibility that he levels deeply personal attacks. She’s been preparing for the debate at her home in Westchester, New York, and a nearby hotel, where she was spotted with aides Saturday afternoon.
Longtime Clinton aide Philippe Reines is playing Trump in mock debates, according to a person familiar with the preparations who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and insisted on anonymity. Reines is a combative political operative who is deeply loyal to Clinton.
Former president Bill Clinton has sat in on some sessions, offering advice from his own White House debates.
Trump has eschewed traditional debate preparations, but has held midflight policy discussions with a rotating cast of advisers. He has also spent numerous Sundays batting around ideas with aides.
The Republican businessman’s loose approach is potentially risky given that he is new to many policy issues expected to come up during the debate. But advisers contend he will compensate by being quick on his feet and point to his experience at performing under pressure.
“Imagine the practice and the training of 13 years of reality television on The Apprentice and then imagine Hillary’s experience reading hundreds of papers,” said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and a Trump adviser who has been talking through policy with the candidate in recent days.
Clinton has debated more than 30 times at the presidential level, including several one-on-one debates with Barack Obama in 2008 and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016.
But this will be her first presidential debate against a candidate from an opposing party, which Democrats say will give her far more latitude in drawing a contrast and defending herself.
Trump had an uneven record during the Republican debates, sometimes controlling the crowded contests and other times fading into the background. He flipped back and forth between being bombastic and trying to act restrained.