ST
LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 08: Students from Washington University rehearse as
stand-ins for the second presidential debate in St. Louis, Missouri.
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Tonight, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off for their second debate, which will be moderated by Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC. The town-hall debate will be Donald Trump’s best, and perhaps last, chance to reverse his campaign’s free-fall after the Washington Post revealed a taped conversation in which Trump made crude and sexually charged comments about women.
First, here are some basic facts about tonight’s debate:
- When: Tonight, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EST.
- Where: Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
- How to watch on TV: Turn to any major network (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox), any cable news channel, Univision or C-SPAN.
- How to watch online: Check out Youtube (streaming coverage from NBC), Twitter (streaming Bloomberg coverage), Facebook (streaming ABC coverage), CBSN, or the main networks’ streaming services (may require a cable subscription).
Moderators Cooper and Raddatz still plan to let the audience of undecided voters ask half the questions. Moderator questions will be influenced by voters’ concerns voiced on social media.
However, whether from a voter or a moderator, one of the first questions must be about the controversy of the last 36 hours. Leading Republicans, including the third highest ranking Republican in the Senate, are calling on Trump to quit the race. Others, like John McCain, withdrew their endorsements. Even VP nominee Mike Pence said he’ll be watching tonight’s debate to see if Trump can “show what is in his heart.”
Even before the tape controversy, the second debate was a must-win for Trump. Hillary Clinton moved from a narrow edge in the polls before the first debate to a 5 to 6 percentage point lead now. In FiveThirtyEight’s model, Clinton’s chances of victory increased from 55% before the debate to 81% today.
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Interestingly, this will be the first presidential debate in history moderated by two people. As such, moderators Raddatz and Cooper will have to split their time not only with the audience members, but with each other. They will need to make smart use of their limited number of questions and ask tough follow-ups to fact-check the candidates and explore issues raised by the audience in greater depth. They will also have to maintain control in a debate format that can be highly unpredictable.
Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper are up to the task. Raddatz is a serious journalist with a deep understanding of foreign affairs. She rightfully won acclaim for her forceful moderation of the 2012 vice presidential debate. Cooper moderated several debates during the 2016 presidential primaries and memorably tussled with Trump in a March town hall: When Trump said he tweeted about Ted Cruz’s wife because, “I didn’t start it,” Cooper retorted, “that’s the argument of a five-year-old.”
Trump may add to the chaos tonight. He lacks experience in town-hall-style events. He may move awkwardly around the stage or launch overly aggressive attacks against Hillary Clinton. He may not appreciate the difficulty of connecting with an audience that is not already friendly to him. In his apology video issued late Friday night, Trump threatened to raise Bill Clinton’s sexual indiscretions and Hillary’s alleged complicity. If he follows through, the audience of uncommitted voters may react visibly and undermine Trump’s attack. (Just watch the woman over Trump’s right shoulder in the March town hall. She’s incredulous.)
A record 84 million Americans tuned in to the first Clinton-Trump debate. Only 37 million watched Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, the smallest ratings for a VP debate since 2000. Tonight’s numbers may not reach 84 million—ratings tend to decline after the first presidential debate—but the new Trump controversy will certainly bolster ratings. Trump will need a large audience, and a masterful, disciplined performance if he hopes to turn his campaign around.
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