St. Louis Debate
We have gone through many stages of Donald Trump during this 2016 presidential campaign, but we’ve now reached the numbing effect. He went to the bottom of the barrel in the St. Louis Presidential Debate and did not come up cleansed. The debate was held several days after the release of the sleazy and lewd Access Hollywood video and audio tapes in which we hear Trump describe kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women despite being married.
Trump apparently felt humiliating Hillary Clinton in a cheap and tawdry way in front of the world audience watching the debate was the best way to redeem himself. In a move few could believe, Trump brought four women to the debate, three of whom accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct in the 90s. His obvious goal was to intimidate Hillary Clinton and embarrass her husband who was seated in the audience next to their daughter Chelsea.
In a plan orchestrated by Trump’s campaign chairman Steve Bannon and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a pre-debate photo op with Trump and the women was held. Trump friend Rudy Giuliani then escorted the women to seats in the main debate room directly in front of Clinton’s podium.
This is the same Donald Trump who told us after the first debate, "I'm really happy I was able to hold back on the indiscretions in respect to Bill Clinton. Because I have a lot of respect for Chelsea Clinton."
The same Chelsea Clinton who was now forced to sit rows apart from women who had played a very painful role in the Clinton family life when she was a young girl. The same Chelsea who was seated in the St. Louis audience next to her father, the former president of the United States. The same daughter whose good friend Ivanka Trump was also sitting close by next to her siblings and Melania Trump.
That's what Hillary Clinton saw as she looked out at the audience in the relatively small debate area.
The debate was held on a fine midwestern college campus. In normal times, it would have been a great opportunity for students to have the presidential candidates’ debate on their campus. But what took place last night was something that should never have been seen by any of us as part of the presidential political process.
Donald Trump came on to the debate stage an angry man backed into a self-made corner. You can no longer be dispassionate about Trump. His behavior at the St. Louis debate was repulsive and wrong. He created what was too often an abusive encounter with his opponent.
He tried to make Hillary feel guilty for her husband's alleged indiscretions. Trump showed continual disrespect for the former first lady, senator and secretary of state, telling her if he were in charge "you'd be in jail." He refused to stop interrupting her, shouting at her and walking behind her when she was talking. And this was a presidential debate.
The one thing Trump didn't do last night was offer the American people a major apology for his behaviors showcased on the Access Hollywood tapes. Not the thirty second late night one quickly put together two days before. He wasn't man enough to do the right thing that many were waiting to hear.
So much damage had been done to this debate by a defiant and arrogant Trump that it was hard to focus on whatever substance there was. What we saw was a Republican candidate seriously out of control.