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For a while, the two behaved, as you would expect with the election only days away. They followed the cues of moderator, Fox Newsanchor Chris Wallace. The audience heard opposing, well-articulated positions on the future of the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment and abortion rights. But, with voters having long accepted the fact that presidents must learn on the job, the real topic of this final debate was character.
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Soon the old animus returned providing a test in real time to determine which candidate has the attributes to face the stressors of being president. It started with Clinton’s first jab at Trump during the question on immigration.
“He went to Mexico, he had a meeting with Mexican President—didn’t even raise it, he choked, and then he got into a Twitter war because the Mexican president said we’re not paying for that wall.”
That energized Trump but not in a good way. Clinton’s debate strategy to provoke Trump with stiletto-size taunts, leading him to appear petty and thin-skinned, was now perfected. Each time he took the bait he moved further way from a man undecided voters would trust with nuclear codes or invite into their lives for four years.
At one point, Clinton struggled with a question about her call for “open borders” in a speech leaked by WikiLeaks. She shifted the focus to Trump.
“Will Donald Trump admit and condemn that the Russians are doing this and make it clear that he will not have the help of Putin in this election?”
Trump got a laugh when he pointed out Clinton’s obvious deflection, but then he got sidetracked.
“He said nice things about me. If we got along well that would be good. If Russia and the United States got along well and went after ISIS, that would be good. He has no respect for her. He has no respect for our president.”
“She doesn’t like Putin because Putin has outsmarted at every step of the way. Putin has outsmarted her in Syria, he has outsmarted her every step of the way.”
Trump’s response suggested that he was pleased to be the Russian president’s favorite. He sounded unpatriotic; then Clinton made him sound weak with her best put down of the night.
“Well, that’s because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States.”
At this point in the debate Trump’s character flaws may have even have dimmed the enthusiasm of those tilting his way. He continued to project his less appealing self. Asked about the video of Trump boasting of groping and kissing women, he retreated to the oddly personal with his denial.
“And I didn't even apologize to my wife who is sitting right here because I didn't do anything.”
Women have come forward claiming otherwise. Even if voters could be convinced that they lied, why would Trump declare that he had not apologized to his wife after the embarrassing video was seen around the world? This was another smudge on his character with more to follow when the topic turned to taxes.
Again, Trump conceded that he has not paid federal income taxes in years, but now he provided a reason: Hillary Clinton and the other ninety-nine Democratic and Republican senators over the relevant time periods.
"If you don't like what I did you should've changed the law.”
Trump was telling voters that what he did was legal and in his best interest. This was not a winning message from someone who kick-starts every rally on the sad state of the nation’s schools, veteran hospitals, infrastructure and the lack of resources for border patrol officers.
When Clinton accused him of using Chinese steel and aluminum over American steel and American workers, Trump again blamed his access to foreign materials on lawmakers.
“And if you say I've used steel or I used something else, make it impossible for me to do that.”
Another telltale reply, it suggested a would-be president incapable of making ethical or principled choices then refusing to take responsibility when challenged.
Trump had bested Clinton as she struggled to explain his charge of the “pay-to-play” culture at the Clinton Foundation when she was Secretary of State. She ran long when over explaining her plans for a turnaround in Syria. But for every gain, Trump lost ground, appearing more and more self-centered and un-American in his dealings.
Another problem for Trump was his penchant for over-the-top exaggerations. Even when he had Clinton scrambling for answers, he undermined his most compelling moments with hyperbole. This one on abortion:
“I think it's terrible if you go with what Hillary is saying in the ninth month you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.”
Here on NAFTA, the trade agreement signed by President George H.W. Bush—not Bill Clinton as he stated repeatedly.
“The NAFTA deal signed by her husband is one of the worst deals ever made of any kind of signed by anybody.”
Two unpopular candidates, Trump and Clinton took different paths. She banked on experience, Trump on his personality. Yet, Trump was the candidate voters liked and respected the least. He had flunked the character test. When he was asked about his statements questioning the legitimacy of the election outcome, he blew up the last remaining path to victory.
“She should not be allowed to run. And just in that respect I say it's rigged because she should never have been allowed to run for the presidency based on what she did with e-mails and so many other things. What I'm saying now is I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense, okay?
By the end of the debate his bitterness was on full display. Trump dismissed his opponent, characterizing her as “such a nasty woman.” It was a final shot at Clinton and a lasting slur on his temperament.
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Bodine Williams is a public relations consultant who specializes in crisis communication, issues management and media training. Her new book, Game Face: Mastering the Media Interview, 19 Cautionary Tales, is available on Amazon.
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