The U.S. Elections and the 'Disaster' of the Television Debate

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the U.S. presidential elections, has once again made U.S. foreign policy a central theme in his campaign, linking it to national security. Regarding U.S. foreign policy, despite some New York Times columnists believing in his inexperience and immaturity, Mr. Trump has criticized the Obama administration once more, also targeting American media political commentators. In an exclusive interview with Larry King on the Russian television network RT America, aired on Thursday evening, September 18, he commented several times on the presidential elections, U.S. intervention in Iraq and the Middle East, and the potential Russian interference in hacking the Democratic Party's computer system. This interview was broadcast in several countries in English and Russian from a network funded by the Russian government, although RT has always presented itself as an independent organization despite ongoing accusations of bias towards the Russian government and defense of Kremlin policies. Mr. Trump's interview aired at a time when he was facing criticism from both the left and right for praising Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, a praise he has repeated during the election campaign, causing discomfort among many Republican Party members and distancing them from the candidate. On the evening of Wednesday, September 17, during a special NBC news program focusing on the views of the two presidential candidates on the importance of the commander-in-chief's responsibilities, Donald Trump went further in praising Vladimir Putin, claiming that he is a more cultured leader and much better than Barack Obama. Mr. Trump stated, 'I can confidently say that in the Russian system, Putin has been a very good leader and has been much more effective than our president.' Regarding news about Russian hackers infiltrating the Democratic Party's computer system to influence the elections, he emphasized that he does not believe such a thing is possible, suggesting that perhaps the Democrats themselves released such news. In the interview with the Russian television and in response to the question of what has surprised him in the political process, Trump suddenly began to complain about the media's political actors, stating, 'I think the media is incredibly dishonest and wicked, meaning they take a statement of yours that is very good and after shortening and deleting parts of it, they turn it into something that, although it looks good, suddenly you see it is not what you said.' Nevertheless, the Washington Post reported this week that Trump's campaign has lifted a ban on certain media, including this newspaper, which it had accused of 'bias' in covering the campaign news. Trump also rejected accusations that he has no understanding of military matters or any plan to counter the Islamic State (ISIS), claiming that he has 'a very distinct plan.' According to the Washington Post, the controversial Republican candidate has also attacked the foreign policies of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George Bush, stating, 'Hillary Clinton with her policies and Barack Obama... you know... we should never have gone into Iraq, that's it.' He added, 'But when we went into Iraq, we should not have left the way we did, and if you think about it, you will realize that our way of leaving Iraq actually led to the emergence of ISIS. We left Iraq in a terrible, unfortunate, and foolish manner that is shameful; we should have kept some of our soldiers there.' This viewpoint, of course, is not unique to Donald Trump, as some political and military experts and congressional opponents have previously emphasized the 'wrongness' of the Obama administration's decision to completely withdraw U.S. military forces from Iraq. Meanwhile, the New York Times emphasized the possibility of what it called a 'debate disaster' and in its editorial on Thursday, September 18, pointed out that while Mrs. Clinton used coherent sentences with specific details in response to NBC's moderator's questions, Mr. Trump provided disorganized but flamboyant answers. The New York Times adds that regardless of whether we agree or disagree with Mrs. Clinton's positions, this former Secretary of State and former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has shown that she is aware of and has a grasp on the complex issues facing the country, whereas Mr. Trump has demonstrated ignorance and unfamiliarity with global affairs, believing that leading the world's most powerful country is no more difficult than managing his business empire with four bankruptcies. The New York Times editorial also noted that 'Matt Lauer,' the NBC moderator, had somewhat put Hillary Clinton on trial during the special Wednesday night program and had a harsher approach towards Donald Trump, reflecting the tendency of some journalists to 'let Trump's deceptions continue without challenge.' Furthermore, 'Breitbart,' the right-wing news site whose former founder and editor recently took over Trump's campaign management, accused Hillary Clinton of deceiving regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and evading answers to the NBC moderator, stating, 'The reality is that Iran is currently cheating on its commitments in the nuclear deal while Clinton claims to focus on Iran's ballistic missile tests.' The U.S. elections will be held this November, and the next president of the United States will begin his work in January of next year; at this time, should we - as the New York Times has said - expect a 'debate disaster'? This expectation, whether right or wrong, will not last long.