Donald Trump 'Ready to Present His Plans' in the Second Debate

Supporters and political figures backing Donald Trump say he is engaged in 'serious preparation' for the second debate with Hillary Clinton, focusing on presenting the Republican candidate's political plans rather than launching attacks. Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and a key Trump supporter, told the Washington Post, 'The upcoming debate will be completely different from the last one. I am sure Donald [Trump] will perform much better in interacting with people than Hillary [Clinton].' Rob Mook, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, also stated on October 7 that the campaign expects Trump to 'prepare much better for the debate' and 'not resort to the personal attacks and harshness he previously threatened.' Some critics, including those within Trump's campaign, argue that the Republican candidate was unprepared for the first debate with Hillary Clinton. Trump himself emphasized in an interview with the New York Post that he does not plan to discuss Bill Clinton's private life and extramarital affairs during the upcoming debate, despite having previously indicated he would raise the issue. The Washington Post reports that Trump has notably avoided impromptu speeches and has refrained from frequent interviews in recent days, with changes in the writing of his tweets suggesting that his campaign is now responsible for drafting or editing them. Meanwhile, Mike Pence, Trump's vice presidential candidate, who had a 'successful' debate with Tim Kaine, Clinton's vice presidential candidate, noted that some of Trump's prior positions have changed. Pence, who has appeared in more media programs in the past two days, stated that the Republican candidate's views on banning Muslims from entering the U.S. have shifted. In an interview with MSNBC, Pence responded to questions about Trump's campaign's desire to 'ban all Muslims' by saying, 'Of course, that is not the case.' However, the Republican candidate himself has not personally retracted these statements. Previously, Trump had raised the issue of banning Muslims from entering the U.S. in discussions about controversial topics, including building a wall on the Mexican border, which drew criticism even among Republicans. He later clarified that he seeks to ban citizens from countries with a 'terrorist history.' The Republican candidate's campaign website still features a statement titled 'Statement on the Ban on Muslim Immigrants' dated December 7, 2015.