Hillary, Trump share honours
She was condescending. He was combative. She displayed remarkable grace under fire. He proved himself worthy of a bully — taunting, interrupting, mocking. In fact, he interrupted her 28 times, yet she refused to be intimidated. Some commentators claimed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton got under her Republican opponent Donald Trump’s skin. We’re not sure about that but she held her ground though she looked tired towards the end of the 90-minute presidential debate. The two had their moments — the scores are even after the first round of sparring. They may have a taken a few knocks, but both went home with no visible scars. But wait till the next debate on October 9 when the daggers will be sharpened. Hillary appeared more president-like when coming under fire on her record as Secretary of State and her thirty years in public life. Trump sought to take the high moral ground above the political class that he claimed she represented. ‘Politicians like Hillary cannot be trusted’ was his message. A business candidate versus a political candidate. One makes money while the other peddles influence and power. Who will America pick? Who can the voters trust?
It’s a tight race though the liberal media put Hillary and her better organised political machine ahead after the first showdown. The Republican party is only now coming around to backing the real estate tycoon, and he could gather some much needed ammunition when he goes into the next round of debates. Trump, always the showman, attempted to play to the gallery by dwelling on his pet themes of bringing back businesses, creating more jobs and making America great again, while she appeared elitist, looking at her notes (she was clearly the better prepared of the two). He handled questions on his taxes the best way he could, though no one is convinced with him playing for time. Hillary was sorry about using a private server and personal email — she was fooling nobody. The verdict will be out on that one when more mails are expected to be released, courtesy Julian Assange’s Wikileaks. When you are so desperate to win like Hillary, there is so much to lose. As for Trump, he made it clear that he does not fear defeat. It could make all the difference in this White House race.