Clinton and Trump's Debate; Confrontation of Two Different Worlds

The 90-minute intense debate without interruption between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the two presidential candidates of the United States, ended with supporters from both sides claiming their favored candidate was the winner. Despite the stark differences between the two rivals on various issues, it is hard to expect that even this exciting debate could shift votes in the polarized American society. Overall, Hillary Clinton, by controlling her tone and movements, focusing on issues, and having the initiative, created a tough night for Donald Trump and demonstrated that she was well-prepared for televised debates. Trump also showed that he had no qualms about attacking Clinton on any topic. Both sides focused their attacks on the idea that the other was unworthy of entering the White House. As expected, the first of three debates between the two presidential candidates was filled with personal attacks targeting each other's professional records. Trump's continuous attacks resulted in him lacking a logical structure in his arguments during at least the last hour of the debate, and he did not bring up weaknesses that could have been difficult for Clinton to respond to, such as her unpopularity and her performance during her time as Secretary of State. In fact, Trump failed to effectively use the time he had to seriously pressure Clinton, highlight her dark and negative personality traits, or provoke her to disrupt her mental composure, a tactic he is known for and had effectively used to eliminate his rivals in the primaries. CNN reported an hour after the debate that a phone poll of viewers showed that 62% believed Clinton won, while 27% said Trump did. However, it was noted that the percentage of Democratic participants in this poll was slightly higher than that of Republicans. Time magazine also reported that its online poll indicated a victory for Trump. The New York Times published a report stating that Clinton was the winner of the debate. Some television analysts described the first debate as a good night for Clinton and a terrible night for Trump. Clinton managed to provoke Trump by using quotes and phrases he had previously used, causing him to frequently go off-topic and address unnecessary issues, thus losing time for effective attacks on Clinton. Although viewers' perceptions can often differ from those of television analysts, this is particularly true for Trump, who often receives more support from his followers for actions that analysts criticize. Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, with 11,000 students and a 40-minute distance from Manhattan, hosted the two presidential candidates, one a former senator from the state and the other a resident of the city. Interestingly, only Lester Holt, the NBC news anchor and moderator of the debate, was aware of the questions, and no one knew the questions before the debate. According to a lottery, the first question was directed at Hillary Clinton. Trump's children were present in the audience, as were Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton's daughter, and her husband, Bill Clinton. This debate is considered the most historic televised debate since the first televised debate 56 years ago between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, where one side featured a woman testing her chance to enter the White House for the first time, and on the other side, a businessman who had never been in government or politics. The topics discussed in the debate included the economy and job creation. Hillary Clinton detailed her program regarding this issue, discussing raising the minimum wage, universal healthcare, and fair taxation, stating that the American people should decide who can make the right decisions for their future and their children in critical moments. Trump, in response to this question, attacked China, stating that the unequal economic relationship between China and the U.S. causes many jobs to move abroad. He said he would reduce taxes for companies to create jobs. Clinton criticized Trump, saying his plan would raise people's taxes and slow economic growth. She remarked that Trump had a happy life starting his business with money borrowed from his father, while her father was a worker who began life from the middle class. Lester Holt asked Trump how he could force companies to return to America, but Trump again attacked China and Mexico and how they trade with the U.S. He also referred to NAFTA, signed during Bill Clinton's presidency, claiming it was harmful to the economy and job creation. Holt asked again how he would bring companies back, and Trump replied that the first step is to prevent companies from leaving America. He then explained how changing the corporate tax system would keep them in the U.S. Clinton stated that America experienced a severe recession in 2008, and with Trump's policies, the U.S. would lose millions of jobs and enter another recession. She then referenced many details of both her and Trump's economic plans. Trump had the most impact in pressuring Clinton during this section. One controversial question expected to arise in this debate was Trump's refusal to release his tax records. When asked why he does not publish his tax records, Trump turned the question back to Clinton, asking why she deleted 33,000 emails. However, Clinton detailed what might be in Trump's tax records that he is hiding, including that he owes $650 million to foreign banks and Wall Street, and that he has not paid federal taxes, meaning he has not contributed to schools, soldiers, and other public services. Trump stated that he could not release his documents because the IRS is auditing him, while Clinton pointed out that even during an audit, one can still release tax documents. The next part of the debate concerned race relations and the status of African Americans in the country. Clinton stated that race still plays a significant role in various aspects of American life, including where people live, and called for gun control in America while referencing gun-related violence. She also spoke about rebuilding trust between different communities and the police. Trump, referring to the lives of African Americans in America as 'hellish,' stated that there must be law and order and spoke about thousands of shootings in America, asserting that the police must have the power to act. Clinton expressed regret that Trump paints such a bleak picture of African American lives, stating that despite the problems faced by this segment of American society, their efforts and achievements should also be recognized. Trump's insistence that Obama is not American and does not have an American birth certificate has been a recurring theme over the years, even after Barack Obama released his birth certificate. Trump attributed the blame for this to people close to Hillary Clinton. Clinton responded by indicating how much this issue has upset Obama and how incorrect it has been from the start to label the first African American president of the country as un-American with such a racist act. The topic of cybersecurity was the next set of questions, where Clinton pointed out hackers from countries like China, Iran, and Russia, stating that America has significant capabilities and that Russia should understand that America defends its citizens. Clinton found it shocking that Trump requested Russia to hack American information, stating that such remarks indicate he is unfit for the presidency. Trump expressed doubt that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic Party's website, suggesting that anyone could have done it, including China or other countries. In foreign policy, Trump criticized the Iran nuclear deal, claiming it has turned Iran, which was collapsing, into a regional power. Clinton countered by referencing her efforts to establish economic sanctions even with the agreement of China and Russia, stating that these sanctions brought Iran to the negotiating table and that this diplomacy achieved a deal without firing a shot, preventing Iran from gaining the ability to acquire nuclear weapons in a short time. Clinton also raised Trump's reaction to the issue of Iranian boats harassing an American warship, which he claimed he would shoot at, as something that indicates he lacks the character necessary for the presidency. She stated that such actions could lead to the start of a war, implying that someone who might start a war over such incidents is unworthy of having the nuclear codes. The impact of the debate on American voters: Hillary Clinton's target group in the first debate with Donald Trump included Republicans and independents who might not be inclined to vote for Trump but still have serious doubts about Clinton. This also includes individuals who are staunch supporters of Bernie Sanders, the primary candidate who lost to Clinton but later supported her, yet some of these supporters still hesitate to back Clinton. How successful Clinton was in attracting the votes of these individuals will be revealed in polls published in the coming days. More than 90% of Republicans who have declared they will vote are expected to vote for Trump, giving him less trouble in this regard compared to Clinton. However, he is trying to attract independents and Bernie Sanders supporters who are not inclined to vote for Clinton. Currently, less than 10% of those determined to vote have not decided who to choose. Nevertheless, it seems that the total of the three debates, the last two of which will take place in October, could solidify voters' decisions. For Donald Trump, who participated in a debate for the first time for 90 minutes without commercial breaks and with little rest, it was expected that his usual methods of attacking his rival would not be very effective, showing how ignoring the preparation process for the debate and being unfamiliar with the details of economic and foreign policy can be detrimental to him. Minutes before the debate began, CNN reported that some individuals within Trump's campaign believed he was not well-prepared for the debate against Hillary Clinton and had not done adequate preparation. Some of them told CNN that they were holding their breath until the debate ended. Trump had agreed to have a few points written down in bullet form, while those close to him believed that such an approach was insufficient for such a heavy debate. Before the debate, Trump's campaign stated that the burden of the debate would be on Clinton because she was the candidate who had seen a slight decline in polls over the past few weeks. However, for Trump, who had offended minorities, women, Muslims, and disabled individuals with his words, it seemed that merely being stable in his speech and body language and reactions to his rival's words would count as a victory. The main narrative among Clinton's supporters to question Donald Trump is that he lacks the qualifications and indicators of being president. Therefore, from the perspective of expectations, Trump did not have a difficult task ahead of him, yet he was not very successful even in achieving this low level of expectations. Clinton even showed restraint in areas like the economy, where she was attacked, and refrained from addressing some of the accusations Trump made against her, steering the topic in the direction she preferred. However, Trump demonstrated that there are many issues he could use to pressure Clinton, particularly questioning her experience and performance while presenting himself as the 'candidate of change.' The outcome of a historic debate: Trump effectively confirmed the prevailing perception of him as someone who wants to return America to its golden days but has no plan to do so. A candidate who presents a dark and grim image of America, considers himself the savior of all the country's problems, threatens friendly countries, extends a hand of friendship to Russia, and ultimately does not shy away from insulting women, immigrants, Muslims, and other social groups.