In first face-off with Clinton, Trump
struggles to be 'change' candidate
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[September 27, 2016]
By James Oliphant
HEMPSTEAD, New York (Reuters) - Running as
an anti-establishment candidate, Donald Trump took the presidential
debate stage on Monday night to hammer home his call for sweeping
political change and try to win over millions of undecided voters.
But the Republican nominee seemed unable to capitalize on his
opportunity in front of a television audience that by some estimates may
have been 100-million strong. Instead of presenting himself as a change
agent, he spent most of the evening trading personal insults with his
Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
It illustrated the paradox that has plagued Trump’s campaign. Polls show
an electorate hungry for change, with a majority believing the country
is on the wrong track. Yet Trump’s brash personality and his tendency to
stir up controversy have made him, at times, a poor messenger.
Trump started strongly on Monday, sticking to the bread and butter theme
of his campaign - the erosion of U.S. manufacturing jobs. But he soon
lost his composure, especially when Clinton questioned his success in
business and his refusal to release his tax returns and accused him of
racism and sexism.
When on message Trump paints a bleak picture of a United States that is
victimized by China in trade, hemorrhaging jobs to Mexico and blighted
by gangs of illegal immigrants roaming the streets of "warzone" inner
cities committing crimes.
Robert Adams, 75, an undecided voter from Boise, Idaho, said he thought
Trump’s dystopian view of America was correct. “I think it’s hell in the
big cities,” Adams said.
But after watching the debate, he viewed both the real estate magnate
and Clinton as a "sad" choice for American voters and was leaning toward
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows an electorate in a downcast mood, with 64
percent of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track. That
number includes 87 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of Democrats.
When Reuters asked voters to pick the first word that comes to mind when
thinking about the country, the most popular choice was “frustration,”
followed by “fear” and “anger.”
Some of Trump's strongest moments at Monday’s debate were when he
categorized Clinton, a former secretary of state and U.S. senator as a
“typical politician,” accusing her of achieving nothing in her years in
Congress and government.
With an electorate yearning for change, Clinton is hamstrung by her long
record and her close association with the Obama administration.
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Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks as
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton listens during
their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead,
New York, U.S., September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Rather than proposing wholesale political overhaul, Clinton offers
up a vision of a country headed in the right direction but one that
needs some changes to address income inequality and create jobs.
Her more optimistic view impressed another undecided voter, Nancy
Willhite, 61, of Portland, Oregon. "She seems more in touch with
reality to me,” she said.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday found that about half of
all likely voters in the United States were looking to the debate to
help them make a final decision.
Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist in Washington, said Trump's
performance on Monday would have left many undecided voters with
questions about his ability to lead the country.
“Donald Trump has to convince them that he is going to be a safe
alternative and I think it’s open to debate whether he pulled that
off,” Bonjean said.
Christopher Devine, a political science professor at the University
of Dayton in Ohio said Trump's message on Monday sometimes got lost
in a welter of hyperbole that invited mocking responses from
Clinton.
“He’ll identify a problem people are concerned about, but in that
excitement over making that point, he goes overboard and makes
claims that don’t hold up. It loses its effectiveness at that
point.”
(Reporting by James Oliphant, Ginger Gibson, and Chris Kahn. Editing
by Paul Thomasch and Ross Colvin)
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