OPINION:
Well, the reserved Donald Trump didn’t show up. And that might be okay.
Because he’s hitting Hillary Clinton on the facts. Yes, he’s getting agitated, and raising his voice, and yes, sniffing – but he’s being strong, and firm, and not sexist. He’s making simple points, that resonate. He’s getting in her face like no other Republican would dare, he’s interrupting. She’s battling him on his ground.
“By the end of the night, I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened,” Mrs. Clinton said, with a tight smile.
“Why not?” Trump retorted.
Indeed.
On her private email server Mrs. Clinton said: “I made a mistake using a private email.”
Mr. Trump interrupted: “That’s for sure.”
She continued: “And, if I had to do it over again I would obviously do it differently, but I’m not going to make any excuses. It was a mistake and I take responsibility for that.
Then came the Trump hammer.
“That was more than a mistake, that was done purposely, okay, that was not a mistake,” Mr. Trump said in response. “When you have your staff taking the fifth amendment, taking the fifth so they’re not prosecuted, when you have the man who set up the illegal server taking the fifth, I think it’s disgraceful. And believe me, this country thinks it’s really disgraceful also.”
Mr. Trump accused Mrs. Clinton of flip-flopping on the TransPacific Partnership, he lambasted Mrs. Clinton for attacking his path to success, he accused Mrs. Clinton of raising taxes, said she was a “Typical politician. All talk. No action.”
When Mrs. Clinton accused Mr. Trump of stiffing contractors who he’s done business with, his answer was simple: “Maybe he didn’t do a good job and I was unsatisfied with his work – which our country should do too.”
Definitely not politically correct – but it stifled her remarks, and reinforced his outsider status. Why is this country okay with getting ripped off? Shouldn’t we have a businessman with a fresh outlook in charge?
Mrs. Clinton kept bringing up her late-father as a relatable businessman of whom she could take lessons from (again, coming down to Mr. Trump’s level), but it sounded hallow. Mrs. Clinton is a career politician, not a businesswoman.
“Our country is suffering because people like Sec. Clinton have made such bad decisions,” Mr. Trump said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.