Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump locked horns for the third time in University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hillary gambled and came out winner.
The cacophony of the US Presidential debates is over and it is time for elections, due in three weeks. If you are in the Trump corner rooting for a knockout punch to 'crooked Hillary' en route making America great again, the debates may have come as a disappointment. Donald Trump not only failed to drive home his point, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton frequently chided and goaded him into making rash and inconsiderate statements that confirmed the worst fears of Trump critics and fence-sitters have regarding this billionaire businessman. Here are the key takeaways from Wednesday's debate which took place at University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
The implosion of Trump
Trump started out carefully, sticking to classic conservative lines when outlining his policy about SC judges, planned parenthood and immigration. But soon Clinton attacked him with jibes about using illegal workers for Trump Tower, of his sexual dalliances, about not paying taxes, of being a puppet of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, and not being a self-made man. It infuriated Trump, and he lost his cool. Again. Trump repeatedly launched into personal attacks, with a number of interruptions. But the moment of the debate, and probably of the campaign, came when Trump refused to say that he would accept the result of the elections. When asked pointedly by moderator Chris Wallace, Trump said that he would like to keep that answer ‘a suspense’. This attracted a prompt rebuttal from Hillary who called his statement, 'horrifying'. Trump's refusal to honour a longstanding US tradition strikes at the very root of democracy and even the most ardent Trump supporter will find it hard to spin it. Even Trump's campaign manager during the course of the debate retweeted a tweet which suggested that Trump has veered off course. Overall, Trump couldn't reach his message to the undecided and made no significant effort to expand his base even among the conservative leaning voters.
Clinton shows her policy chops
Hillary Clinton neither has the folksy charm of Joe Biden or Bill Clinton nor the enthralling oratory of Barack Obama. She is a wonk and shines when asked to talk about policy matters. Thanks to moderator Wallace, Hillary had enough chance to display her deep knowledge about various issues which completely contrasted with Trump's incoherent babble. From handling Middle east to tackling the debt crisis, Hillary laid out a clear plan in each of them. One may agree or disagree with them, but rarely can you accuse her of not doing the groundwork.
The aggressive side of Clinton
A lot of experts believed Hillary will play it safe in this round, not going for the kill as she is comfortably ahead in the polls. But Hillary instead went for the sucker punch to essentially end the campaign today. Clinton was brutal in her digs packing a punch with sustained jibe about Trump's accomplishments in the last three decades. She accused Trump of being Putin's puppet. In a crushing moment, Clinton noted that Trump was busy shooting for Apprentice at the same time that she was in the situation room during the raid to get Osama Bin Laden. At one point of time, Hillary said that she is daughter of a small businessman whereas Trump inherited a fortune from his father. Far from being a champion of Wall Street suits, Clinton projected her working class credentials, which could resonate with blue-collar America and those who had supported Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primaries. She took the question about the Clinton Foundation head-on and managed to divert a question about her leaked emails to Trump's Putin love. To use a cricketing term, she knew exactly which ball to leave and which to play, thus increasing her success at the wicket.
'Such a nasty woman'- Trump gets panned on social media
Trump after saying that he respects women greatly lost cool towards the end of the debate and described Hillary as a nasty woman. This was picked up by social media and became a raging issue for many who thought Trump has again crossed the lines of civility that is expected of a US Presidential candidate. It became one of the top trends worldwide. To emphasise on guarding the Mexican border, Trump said, "We have some bad hombres here and we're going to get them out.”
As the New York Times pointed out, Clinton essentially beat Trump at his own game. Trump's boorish attacks may have steamrolled the entire GOP field in the primaries but in the last mile, Clinton's experience and pugnacious defence accompanied with timely jabs finally broke Trump. who lost the plot and essentially was outwitted in the final debate. Hillary Clinton's salvo at University of Nevada is likely to be remembered as the landmark moment of the 2016 US Presidential elections. Only a miracle can return Trump to the lead, now.
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