Clinton-Trump State of Play Heading Into Debates: QuickTake Q&A
What Trump and Clinton Should Do to Win the Debate
Two of the most widely disliked major-party nominees in U.S. history, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, should welcome any chance to change the negative impressions voters have of them. Three nationally televised debates could provide that opportunity -- or could reinforce their weaknesses. Ronald Reagan used a quip to assuage concerns about his age on his way to victory in 1984; Al Gore’s sighs while debating George W. Bush struck many viewers as smarty-pants condescension. Now it’s Clinton’s and Trump’s turns to try to spruce up their image in front of massive television audiences, certain to be in the tens of millions. The first debate is Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
Trust is Clinton’s biggest weakness, especially among voters under 35, a group that’s supposed to be a Democratic pillar. A significant number of voters consider her corrupt and liable to change positions for political expediency. At its most basic, many voters don’t like her as a person. Recent polling suggests she’s also more at risk than Trump of losing potential votes to third-party candidates, particularly when it comes to millennials.