How will Donald Trump handle his first face-to-face confrontation with Hillary Clinton? That’s the question voters are asking ahead of Monday night’s presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
The 90-minute event may see the maverick GOP nominee try and refrain from his tendency to attack his opponent ferociously in favor of maintaining a presidential appearance as he combats a Democratic candidate who wants to become the first woman elected the nation's commander-in-chief.
Here are five things viewers can expect from Trump in the first debate:
1. He’ll be reactive — He could come out swinging as the aggressive Donald or he could tone it down with a more reserved approach; it all depends on Hillary. Trump has said he will “feel it out” on the stage. “She’s got to treat me with respect,” he told Bill O’Reilly on Fox News last week. “I’m going to treat her with respect.”
That includes staying away from scuffles with the moderator, Lester Holt.
Trump could also react calmly to appease undecided voters, especially women, as he did following Clinton’s pneumonia stumble at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony when he simply responded with: “I hope she gets well soon," according to Politico.
The gender factor also plays a significant role because of Trump’s need for female support.
“Trump’s instinct is to be insulting and be a bully,” Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, told The Dallas Morning News. “When you do that to a woman, it looks bad.”
2. He will focus on America’s optimism — Trump’s overzealous nature has mired him in unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories, such as Obama’s citizenship. Advisers want him to focus more on the overall big picture, The New York Times reported. Because the topics will include “achieving prosperity,” “securing America,” and “America’s direction,” Trump needs to make potential voters aware of his policies on economic growth through tax cuts and business incentives, keeping the nation safe from terrorism by strengthening the military, and on shifting foreign affairs away from nation building.
3. He’ll try to link Hillary to Obama — “An overwhelming number of the American people think that the country’s headed in the wrong direction,” Republican strategist Dan Senor, who advised Mitt Romney in the 2012 debates, told CBS News. Trump will point to foreign policy failures during Clinton’s four years as secretary of state, such as the increased tension in the Middle East, as well as the continued fear of terrorism at home and an uncertain economy during Obama’s term, according to PoliZette.
4. He’ll go easy on the facial expressions — The Donald's many faces have been topics of discussion since the primaries as he expressed his feelings by either grinning or shouting on the campaign trail or in the GOP debates. The extremes of his emotional displays can make “him look powerful,” body language expert and author Patti Wood told Business Insider. His infamous sneering, however, could backfire. “If she’s talking and he looks not like a president, he’s setting himself back,” Senor pointed out to CBS News.
5. He’ll target Clinton’s vulnerabilities — While keeping his temperament under control, Trump will most likely want to attack Hillary’s weaknesses, including her “trustworthiness challenges,” Senor says. He can score points by bringing up Clinton’s national security breaches from the email scandals and the Benghazi fiasco that led to American deaths. Voters are also concerned about her reluctance to reveal information about her health issues in a timely manner.