The gloves are off

When Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic presidential nomination, she took a big step towards breaking the ultimate glass ceiling. But before she can do that, the former First Lady, Secretary of State and senator will first have to figure out a way to beat the devil in disguise Donald Trump, a dangerous man whose campaign has confounded politicians, pundits and strategists at every turn.

Trump started as a joke. He is one of those suckers which are born every minute. But the mood in Washington and around the globe, throughout the primary season, continued to shift in his favour as he has risen dramatically in the polls. The Clinton camp had long been confident that Mr Trump would be clobbered by Mrs Clinton. They were confident that his campaign would eventually crash over his harsh rhetoric about women, disabled people, Muslims and Hispanics. But ever since his popularity gained momentum, Mrs Clinton has now taken a more aggressive stance after recognizing that it is no longer enough to dream and hope that his divisive campaign will simply implode.

The new approach by Mrs Clinton comes after weeks in which she seemed unsure about how to go after Mr Trump. Recent polls have shown that Mr Trump poses a stronger than expected challenge for Mrs Clinton. She has to find a way how to land blows on a candidate who seems immune to attacks. She is now portraying him as a con man that has preyed on the middle class and is temperamentally unfit to be president. “When he mocks a reporter with disabilities or calls women pigs, it goes against everything the American people stand for,” she said. Mr Macchiavelli Trump replied, “The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form. Hillary Clinton turned the state department into her private hedge fund.”

Some political observers point out that his racist comments have done very little to stem his dramatic rise in the polls. There are still a lot of people who argue that Trump’s success story is not built on paper but on a big momentum campaign. No one really knows if Trump’s rise is going to be longlived or short-lived! His strength has captured the frustrations of people who many in the political establishment had lost touch with: white, working-class men whose factory jobs have left the US, and other cultural conservatives. These supporters say they are frustrated by the lack of economic opportunity and believe that their culture is under threat as gay marriage is legalized and rights are extended even to transgender people.

These and other difficulties are what Hillary Clinton has to face. Mr Trump’s unpredictability and ability to dominate the media is yet another factor that Hillary Clinton has to take into account. But in the meantime, can she find a way to attack such a dangerous man who seems so immune to criticism? Only time will tell.