Well, it’s over. While we haven’t heard the last of either candidate, the final presidential debate of 2016 is behind us. Here’s a breakdown of how we got here.
- Donald Trump learned the value of preparation. While the first debate was a perfect encapsulation of every argumentative, hostile element of his temperament, Trump’s performance in the final debate featured relatively few interruptions and a generally measured tone. He did call Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman,” but overall he kept personal attacks, including those against Bill Clinton, to a minimum.
- Clinton gave up on being fun. After near-universal mocking, Clinton finally dropped the dumb taglines and focused on extended, aggressive attacks on Trump’s record rather than his personality. She appeared more authoritative than in the last debate, when she giggled at Trump and brushed him off as a clown. By confronting him as a serious threat, she confidently shot back at him on topics including his use of charity funds and tax plans.
- The foundations of democracy continue to elude Trump. Refusing to solidly say he would support a Clinton victory and backtrack his accusations of a rigged election, Trump’s worst moment came when Clinton thoroughly broke down how dangerous his rhetoric is. While some of his most extreme supporters may think his open-ended response is something to rally around, the flak he has received from moderates and liberals alike will only increase.
- Clinton still ducks questions she should be able to answer easily. Chris Wallace’s opening question about the role of the Supreme Court should have been an easy home run for Clinton, who used to be a lawyer. Instead, she deflected and focused on policies she wants a potential Supreme Court nominee to agree with her on. Once again, she failed to solidly rebuke Trump’s comments about her private server and when he accused Democrats of seeding his rallies with violent protesters, she had nothing to say. Clinton and her supporters may think these are small issues, but undecided voters are still listening.
There are only three weeks left. Good luck everyone — we’ll all need it. Just make sure you vote.
Matt Moret is the Assistant Opinions Editor for The Pitt News. He generally writes about media and politics. Write to Matt at mdm123@pitt.edu.