With the first Presidential debate scheduled for Monday evening, many pundits have speculated on how exactly you debate someone as unpredictable and unstable as Donald Trump. Do you bombard him with facts and watch him stumble? Do you trade insults with him? Or do you go high when he goes low?
Those who have faced the Orange Menace–former aides and advisors to his GOP rivals–are recommending five strategies for dealing with an unconventional debater like Trump:
Be Authentic, Not Scripted
In other words, don’t try to memorize lines or zingers to fire back at Trump. Go with the flow and speak from your heart. If he uses insults, rebut him with rhetoric which shuts him down but also gets your point across.
Carly Fiorina’s former campaign manager, Frank Sadler, has this advice for Clinton:
“She’s got to be herself in those moments. If that comes across scripted with Trump, that’s where you get into real trouble.”
Fight Back, But Don’t Wallow In Mud
Trump is the master of the insult, the prince of mud slinging. He loves to try and push people’s buttons by commenting on their looks, their personal life, or even their flaws.
Alice Stewart, who advised both Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz, suggests:
“Don’t go out there and criticize him. Show the contrast on the issues and don’t make it about personal insults.”
Even though it’s tempting to take the low road and attack Trump for his divorces, his bankruptcies, and his inflammatory comments, nothing is really gained if you lower yourself to his level.
Lean On Your Strength: Policy
The former Secretary of State has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of dozens of issues. Some might say that makes her sound mechanical or robotic, but it doesn’t have to. Instead, it can be her strength and the cudgel she uses to both destroy Trump and draw the contrasts between her and her opponent.
Also, if a vote is somewhat put off by Clinton’s personality, which can come across as cold to some, the fact that she knows her way around the issues could be incredibly reassuring in comparison to Trump, who speaks in slogans.
Don’t Be Too Wonkish:
A candidate can be seen as overly packaged and get lost in the details, as was the case with Al Gore in his 2000 race against George W. Bush. People had a hard time understanding much of the granular specifics Gore rolled out as he discussed issues. In other words, he got lost in the weeds and no one could digest what he was saying.
Never Underestimate Your Opponent:
While it’s incredibly tempting to take Trump lightly, down that road lies the biggest mistake any debater can make.
A former campaign aide to Mike Huckabee puts it best:
“He is a charismatic guy, likes the attention, and will certainly not be intimidated by the bright lights and lots of people watching, he’ll probably thrive on it.”
However, there will not be a studio audience for Trump to play to, and that is a big disadvantage for him because he loves to gauge his comments by how they’re received. But if Clinton takes Trump lightly and expects to waltz through the 90-minute debate, she will have fallen into a trap.
Bottom line for Clinton: Prove you’re steady and your opponent is a borderline psychopath. Then trust the voters to make the right choice.
Featured Image Via NDTV
