Trump will go “scorched earth,” in tonight’s debate against Clinton
Tonight in Las Vegas in the third and final debate of the presidential election cycle of 2016 it will be the last chance on national stage to see Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton to square off on the issues.
The debate gets underway tonight at 9 p.m. ET with the moderator chair being filled by Fox News, no nonsense anchor Chris Wallace. He is known for being fair and also willing to give both Clinton and Trump plenty of tough questions.
It is a big night for both but look for Trump to take a “scorched-earth” approach in the debate. It worked well for him in the second debate so why go traditional now. The New York real-estate magnate will likely continue to diverge from the Republican Party’s top brass by blasting America’s democratic process as a sham electioneered by “global elites.”
The rigged election talk has been a winner for Trump, a rallying cry throughout the campaign, the notion that any and all things are “rigged” – the economy, the political system, a judicial system that didn’t prosecute Hillary Clinton.
Look for Trump to go hard on the red meat that his based loved in their last showdown. He will try a number of things to get Clinton off her game. That could help him get his based even more energized, but he is likely to pass on the suggestions given to him by the Republican establishment.
They feel that he should temper some of his bluster and show voters a more presidential persona. They would love him to come in prepared, and go forward on the issues. But Trump feels ‘unshackled’ and he will hit Clinton hard and not care whose feelings he hurts, this war for him and he won’t let up.
So, what can we expect from Hillary Clinton?
Well she won debate number one by using a more conservative strategy, picking her moments to hit Trump on his temperament and lack of knowledge of the issues. She will also try to bait him into a tirade like she did on the Miss Universe point she scored late in the first battle. Otherwise, look for Clinton to stick to what worked well for her in the first debate when she smiled and let Trump run his course.
Unlike the primary season debates, tonight’s showdown will be simulcast across the major networks and cable channels. Pick one: ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, Univision, Telemundo, or C-SPAN. Chris Wallace of Fox News will moderate, if you want to stick with a home team. If you have cable or an antenna, this is your best bet to watch.
Look for Facebook Live broadcasts from journalists and others on the scene. Twitter will use the same live streaming system it uses for Thursday night football, trading sacks for fact checks and leaning on Bloomberg for footage. The candidates won’t be wearing Specs, but Snapchat will compile Live Stories for bite-sized debate nuggets. YouTube will feature coverage from NBC News, PBS, Fox News, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Telemundo.
Video feeds for all parties MSNBC, CNN, Fox News.
