Presidential Debate – Trump Needs a ‘W’
After crashing and burning in his first debate performance, Donald Trump has another chance to square off against Hillary Clinton. On Sunday, Trump and Clinton will meet in St. Louis at Washington University for the second of three presidential debates. Heading into Sunday’s debate, Trump is trailing Clinton in the polls and in order to keep his presidential dreams alive Trump must have a solid showing in St. Louis.
Heading into Sunday, Trump’s campaign has seen a decrease in media coverage due to the Hurricane Matthew dominating the news. Losing as many news cycles to Hurricane Matthew has quietly shifted the attention away from Trump’s candidacy, especially in the battleground state of Florida. The second presidential debate will be a townhall style debate where half the questions will be asked by the moderators and the other half by the audience. While this debate format will differ from the first one, Trump will need to come across as poised, disciplined, and most of all presidential.
With a little over 30 days until Election Day, the second presidential debate is a real do or die moment for Trump, and it is imperative for him to walk away looking like a winner. Otherwise, the final stretch on the campaign trail will feel like an eternity. The pressure is mounting and Trump supporters are counting on the Donald to show up on Sunday as they guy who beat out 16 other presidential candidates instead of the guy he was at the first debate.
There is no doubt this may be tough for Trump given the format is not something he is used to. The studio audience will be comprised of uncommitted voters chosen by Gallup, and it is Trump’s chance to sell them on why they should vote for him. Trump has become known for his ability to pack arenas and hold rallies with the attendance of thousands of people, a small town hall style debate is where he should shine. Unfortunately, rumors are flying about Trump’s refusal to be handled or rehearse ahead of the debate. This type of internal strife and unwillingness on the candidate’s behalf to prepare has the possibility to cause problems on Sunday night.
Since losing the first debate against Clinton, Trump has gone on a very public death spiral from his twitter rants to hurling insults at former Miss Universe. It is safe to say, Trump needs more now than ever to hit his stride on Sunday night against Clinton. After all, the stakes are higher and the last thing Trump’s campaign needs is for his second debate performance to be the October surprise in this election.