Reaction to the First Presidential Debate

It was a much better debate than I expected.

Donald Trump held his own in the opening segment on trade policy. He was comfortable and spoke directly to his supporters. But as the evening continued, Hillary Clinton took the fight to Trump and kept him on the ropes.

Clinton was particularly effective when needling him on not releasing his tax returns, saying, “Why won’t he release his tax returns? Maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is.”

Trump couldn’t resist and in the resulting back-and-forth, he actually bragged about not paying his workers and not paying taxes. “It’s called business,” he repeatedly said.

On the substance of the debate, Clinton was the clear winner. She was controlled and methodical in making her case. Trump was constantly interrupting and spit out jumbled talking points that sounded like they came from some obscure corner of the Internet.

It wasn’t even close. Clinton crushed him.

Let’s face it: Anytime Trump has to defend questioning President Obama’s birthplace, it’s not going to be a good night for him. Trump’s answer was complete nonsense. Clinton was ready and called it “a racist lie.”

His lies continued while claiming to have opposed the Iraq war from the beginning. Although it won’t matter much, the fact checkers had a field day with Trump once again.

Towards the end of the debate, Trump claimed his “strongest asset” was his temperament. He did so while interrupting moderator Lester Holt and yelling at Clinton. It’s clear Trump doesn’t really know what “temperament” means.

In our polarized country, both candidates probably solidified their bases. But for those still undecided or those leaning towards a third party candidate, it should be clear that Clinton is the one better prepared for this moment.