What Exactly Happened at Sunday’s Debate?

Parallax News presents big issues broken down into multiple perspectives.

Immediately after Sunday’s presidential debate, the media went into spin mode. Most news outlets are in agreement that it was one of the most dramatic in history. Everything else, however, is a matter of dispute. Journalists and pundits came to wildly different conclusions as to who won, the significance of what was said, and whether any of it will matter when voters cast their ballots.

I. Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity, a Fox News host and supporter of Donald Trump, argues that the Republican nominee won an unprecedented victory over Hillary Clinton at the second debate. “I’ve watched a lot of presidential debates,” Hannity said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen any one person get crushed the way Hillary Clinton got crushed tonight.” Hannity thinks Trump made stronger arguments on substantial issues, including vetting refugees, cutting taxes, defeating ISIS, and replacing Obamacare. The commentator also commends Trump for only going personal as a counterpunch to Clinton. Trump invited four women to the debate who accuse the former first lady of helping to cover-up their sexual assaults. The GOP nominee only mentioned the women, however, after Clinton went after him for the 2005 leaked audio in which he speaks obscenely about his sexual pursuits.

II. Dana Bash

Dana Bash is the chief political correspondent for CNN, a network whose polling, unlike that of Fox News, showed Hillary Clinton winning the debate. Bash is critical of Donald Trump’s performance, especially the threat that, if elected, he would order his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor for Clinton’s mishandling of emails as secretary of state. At one point, Trump even suggested he would jail Clinton, although his campaign claims this was a “quip” meant to draw attention to Clinton’s violations. The CNN correspondent says this adds to fears that Trump is unfit for the White House. She sees the threat as evidence that Trump still doesn’t understand the limitations of presidential power, even suggesting a mindset similar to totalitarian leaders like Stalin, Hitler, or modern African dictators. Bash notes that former attorney general Eric Holder blasted Trump on Twitter, pointing to a similar attempt by President Nixon, which led to the resignation of Nixon’s attorney general.

III. Chuck Todd

Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and host of Meet the Press. Todd says that Donald Trump gave an improved performance while Hillary Clinton looked “rattled.” Nonetheless, Todd doesn’t believe that the second debate will help Trump. The host argues that any victories in disputes over policy will be overshadowed by more dramatic controversies regarding sexual assault allegations and perceived threats to jail Clinton. At the same time, Todd has also noted the worsening divisions in the Republican Party. He believes that, by making extreme statements about the Clinton family, Trump is riling up the GOP base but alienating voters and leaders who identify as moderate. Todd sees this as a failing strategy, as the final weeks of the election are typically spent competing for undecided voters in swing states.

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Further Reading: Fox News / CNN / NBC News

This brief was written by Jared Metzker.

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