Hillary Clinton faces the most important challenge of her campaign and her political career in Monday night’s first presidential debate against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The Democratic nominee has spent the past few days off the campaign trail to hone her stage skills in preparation for the debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. As a former U.S. senator, secretary of state, and first lady during husband Bill’s two terms, Mrs. Clinton brings extensive experience to the table, but will it be enough to show her abilities as a world leader?
Here are five things to expect from Hillary at tonight’s debate:
1. She’ll want to appear as the picture of health — Concerns about Clinton's medical condition have made headlines since her 2012 concussion and her coughing attacks occurring over the past few months while speaking. Her stumbling incident, later attributed to pneumonia, during the 9/11 anniversary ceremony in New York earlier this month led Washington Post columnist Chris Cillizza to acknowledge Clinton’s health has become a campaign issue, only a week after he had written there was no evidence of her hiding a major illness.
2. She’ll label Trump as inexperienced — Although a successful real estate developer and billionaire, Trump has not held political office and lacks leadership experience on international issues. Clinton’s VP running mate, Tim Kaine, has already gone so far as to say, “The prospect of the emotionally volatile, fact-challenged, self-obsessed and inexperienced Donald Trump as commander-in-chief scares me to death,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
3. She’ll try to expose Trump as a loose cannon — Hillary Clinton intends to get under Trump's skin with “attack lines to try to rattle him,” according to The New York Times. If she can remain calm, collected, and presidential, she could unleash the worst in Trump, who is known to fly off the handle and make insulting remarks, thus reinforcing misgivings by some voters about his leadership abilities under pressure.
4. She’ll question him on specific policy details — Trump’s aides are confident his broad approach to national and international policies will appeal to voters, The Hill reported. However, many people want to know the specifics behind his plans and whether or not Trump understands them. Hillary should question Trump on specific details about his policies, Frank Luntz, news analyst for CBS News and Fox News, advised in Time magazine. It could demonstrate that Trump doesn’t qualify to run the country.
5. She’ll attempt to portray herself as confident — To counteract possible Trump outbursts, Clinton will try to avoid visual or verbal reactions while maintaining a steady and attentive look, according to The New York Times. She’ll need to keep her composure even under attack. If confronted with the issue of using a private email server as secretary of state, for example, she might bring up his refusal to release his tax returns.