Clinton and Trump debate a crowd puller
DEMOCRAT Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were set to face off for the first time on Monday in a presidential debate that could rank as one of the most watched and highly anticipated political showdowns in US history.
The tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between wellknown but polarising foes had generated wide interest in the potentially pivotal encounter, which comes six weeks before the November 8 election.
The size of the televisionviewing audience was expected to challenge the presidential debate record of 80-million who watched the 1980 encounter between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan.
The 90-minute debate was to begin at 1am GMT on Tuesday at Hofstra University on New York state’s Long Island.
It is the first of three planned presidential debates.
Both Trump and Clinton, who polls show are the leastliked White House candidates in modern history, hoped to use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and attend to campaigntrail weaknesses.
The volatile Trump, a New York businessman and former reality television star, was to get a chance to show a depth and steadiness worthy of a credible commander-in-chief, while the cautious Clinton had a chance to try to connect directly with voters who did not trust her, strategists said.
But Trump, a political newcomer who has often shown more affinity for putdowns than policy, could benefit from lower expectations from voters.
“There is no question it’s a lower bar for Trump,” said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist who is now a political scientist at the University of Southern California. “He doesn’t have to be brilliant; he just can’t be too bombastic.”
The stakes are enormous. The debate comes as polls show Clinton’s once sizeable lead over Trump has evaporated amid more questions about her family foundation and her use of a private e-mail server while secretary of state under President Barack Obama.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll released on Monday showed half of the US’s likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. More than half, 61%, were hoping for a civil debate and were not interested in the bitterness shown on the campaign trail.
Clinton and Trump have regularly exchanged sharp insults, raising the prospect of a fiery grudge match. Trump frequently refers to Clinton as “Crooked Hillary” and has called for her jailing for the e-mail controversy. Clinton condemns Trump as temperamentally unfit for the White House.
Trump dominated the crowded Republican debates with rapid-fire attacks on his rivals, but he has no experience in a one-on-one debate setting that requires more prolonged discussion of issues.
Clinton participated in many one-on-one debates on the national stage with Obama during her unsuccessful 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and with US Senator Bernie Sanders in their Democratic nominating race earlier in 2016.
Clinton’s camp has done its best to raise the bar for Trump, and in television interviews on Monday, both campaigns tried to frame expectations. “What we don’t want to have is some sort of double standard where Donald Trump can get the most improved award, but Hillary Clinton ... is getting judged on the fine points of policy,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told NBC News, calling Trump “an entertainer”.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said that Clinton’s vast experience was unlikely to translate onto the debate stage, where Trump held an advantage.
“He’s not going to be robotic and scripted,” she said.
The role of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News also has come under scrutiny ahead of the debate, with the Clinton campaign and her Democratic supporters urging him to correct Trump if he makes false claims. Trump has also tried to influence Holt, saying the candidates should be the ones to correct the record.