WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been locked in a fierce election battle for months, but tens of millions of Americans will compare their presidential bona fides side-by-side anew on Monday.
The first of three debates promises to be a national sensation, contrasting two vastly different New Yorkers who are recognized around the world. Clinton, known for her extensive experience in government, is more comfortable discussing substantive issues than pitching her candidacy; and Trump excels as a self-promoter and an unsparing critic of his adversaries.
The Democratic presidential nominee is preparing for an unpredictable opponent who “hangs back a lot, picks his moments” and “may be aggressive,” according to communications director Jennifer Palmieri.
The Republican nominee is being advised by some in his orbit to put his rival on defense by questioning her judgment, intelligence and accomplishments, as well as confronting her over controversies such as the Clinton Foundation, her private email server, her paid speeches to Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms, and by accusing Clinton and her husband of exploiting the Haiti earthquake for personal gain.
In a Fox News interview Tuesday, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway cited a recent forum hosted by NBC’s Matt Lauer as a “very good preview” for what to expect from Trump during the debate. She said his answers to questions will be “concise and confident” in contrast to Clinton’s “lengthy” and “lawyerly” responses.
Trump has been practicing for weeks while traveling with his top advisers. This week alone, he spent time with Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn and Ben Carson, asking each of them between campaign events for their advice on potential questions for the debates, according to people familiar with his plans. Aides have indicated that he isn’t practicing with mock debate sessions where someone plays Clinton. Thus far, Clinton aides have declined to say who is playing Trump in her rehearsals or to say when and where she’s preparing.
She has hinted that if Trump appears more restrained on stage, she’ll remind voters of the former reality TV star’s history of inflammatory comments and controversies. “He’s trying to somehow convince people to forget everything he’s said and done, and I don’t think that he’s going to get away with that,” Clinton said in an interview that aired Monday on “The Tonight Show.”
But she’s also bracing for a more confrontational Trump to take the stage. “I’m going to do my very best to communicate as clearly and fearlessly as I can in the face of the insults and the attacks and the bullying and bigotry that we’ve seen coming from my opponent. You know, I can take it,” Clinton said Tuesday on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.”
Clinton, facing criticism for avoiding press conferences for over 270 days, has begun to do gaggles with reporters regularly in recent weeks. Trump, meanwhile, who used to do regular press conferences in the first half of 2016, has mostly avoided adversarial reporters lately in favor of regular interviews on the relatively friendly Fox News.
David Kochel, a Republican strategist and former top adviser to Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, said a blustery Trump “maximizes base turnout and keeps his people fired up,” but “doesn’t grow his electorate.”
Clinton, meanwhile, has focused heavily on criticizing Trump rather than making a positive case for herself. She’s fluent in topics sure to come up in the debate and the lines of attack on her record she can expect from Trump, because they were part of the debates during the 2008 Democratic primary race. Those include her vote to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq, her shifting positions on trade and questions about her honesty.
Steve Schale, who managed Obama’s 2008 campaign in Florida, said the debate on Monday will be critical in establishing the contours of the race in its final weeks.
“The only thing that matters is that first debate,” he said. “If Trump succeeds at passing the presidential test — which I think is a huge lift, particularly standing toe to toe with Secretary Clinton — then we will absolutely be in a fight to the end. But if he falls short, the question won’t be whether she will win, but by what margin.”