WASHINGTON — The latest bombshell about Donald Trump dropped just in time to rock Sunday’s presidential debate.
For many people, the jaw-dropping 2005 video of Trump’s vulgar comments about women trumps anything else that has come out about the Republican nominee. And it gives Hillary Clinton fresh ammunition for her second faceoff with him.
Some things to watch for in the 90-minute debate at Washington University in St. Louis:
A MERE ‘DISTRACTION’?
With his campaign in crisis, Trump tried to minimize his “more than a decade-old” comments as a mere “distraction” from other issues. Don’t expect the voters, the debate moderators or Clinton to let Trump brush off his remarks that easily.
SECOND CHANCES
After watching his numbers slip after the first debate, Round 2 was supposed to be Trump’s chance to turn things around. That’s a steeper climb now
GOING THERE
Trump had said earlier in the week that he would not bring up Bill Clinton’s infidelities in the second debate. But all bets could be off. Trump said in his apology video that “Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.” Yes, that was a threat.
CLINTON’S CALCULATION
Clinton has to decide how best to capitalize on the latest revelations about Trump without overdoing it. With both undecided voters and debate moderators allowed to ask questions of the candidates, Clinton could choose to stand by and let them prosecute the issue as they see fit. Or the famously well-rehearsed Clinton could work up some artful ways to make sure those Trump remarks remain in focus all night.
THAT’S NOT ALL
Watch to see if anyone brings up Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that the Obama administration was allowing illegal immigrants to come into the country to vote against him. Or his insistence that the five defendants in a 1989 Central Park rape case were guilty even though DNA evidence overturned their convictions.
THE OTHER LEAK
Clinton will have her own leaked comments to contend with. Leaked transcripts of her private, paid speeches had her expressing support in 2013 for “open trade and open borders.” That’s at odds with her tougher stance on trade as a presidential candidate.
INCOMING FROM OUT OF LEFT FIELD
The town-hall format carries its own set of perils for the candidates, with half the questions coming from undecided voters. Off-beat questions can throw off a candidate unprepared for anything and everything. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush struggled when asked him how the national debt had affected him personally. “I’m not sure I get it,” he told her.
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
For this debate, the candidates will be allowed to move around the stage. That adds a new dynamic, especially given the size differential between the 6-foot-3 Trump and Clinton, who’s closer to 5-foot-5. .
TAX TUSSLE, THE SEQUEL
In the first debate, Clinton chided Trump for not releasing his tax returns and speculated that he might not be paying any federal taxes. Trump said that shows he’s “smart.” Since then, The New York Times has reported that the billionaire businessman lost so much money in a single year, 1995, that he could have avoided any federal income tax liability for 18 years. Watch how Clinton and Trump refine their arguments.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Trump will have a fresh chance to bring up some of the Clinton vulnerabilities that he largely let pass during their first debate. Check out how aggressively he digs in on issues such as Clinton’s use of private email as secretary of state, and questions about whether donors to the Clinton Foundation got favorable treatment from the Clinton State Department. He also got a gift last week from Bill Clinton, who called Obama’s health law and resulting insurance markets “the craziest thing in the world.”
DRESS REHEARSAL
Will Trump be ready? Clinton’s strong performance in the first debate demonstrated the benefits of practice. Trump, dismissive of the idea of rehearsing before that debate, momentarily seemed to have gotten the message: His campaign announced he was holding a town hall Thursday in New Hampshire. But the questions were nearly all softballs submitted by an invitation-only crowd.
SHIMMIES AND SNIFFLES
Turn down the volume and check out the candidates’ body language. Clinton’s saucy shoulder shimmy in the first debate captured her confidence. Trump’s A-OK sign got excessive, in the view of body language expert Ruth Sherman. It’s “more prevalent when he’s feeling stressed,” she says. What about Trump’s mysterious sniffle? Will it be back?
HALF AND HALF
Watch the interplay between moderators Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper. Trump has complained about unfair treatment by the moderators of both the first presidential debate and the vice presidential faceoff.
NAME THAT HASHTAG
What will emerge as hashtags from presidential debate No. 2? The first debate produced #Snifflegate and #Shimmy.
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