With Fridayās release of the 2005 audio that included Donald Trump saying that he would grab women āby the pā-y,ā the stakes are even higher for him in tonightās debate.
It would be a harder mountain to climb if it werenāt for Bill Clinton. Because the potential first man is synonymous with that blue dress, Hillary canāt rake Trump over the coals for his comments towards women. The potential backlash against her husbandās behavior and her own ties to it means she must tred carefully. She knows this and Trump knows this.
And while Bill didnāt always answer well when it came to his own sexual indiscretions (āI did not have sexual relations with that women, Miss Lewinskyā), he often knew how to smooth talk himself out of a jam.
Love him or hate him, you canāt deny Billās ability to win over an audience.
Hereās what Trump can learn from the ultimate Charmer-in-Chief.
Bill attacks policies, not people
Even though heās been trying to walk back his most recent statement, declaring Obamacare āthe craziest thing in the worldā illustrates how Billās typical mode of attack is towards policy (even if he doesnāt get into the details) rather than a person.
To even the debate score, Trump should stop defending himself against the punches, and instead call out and connect the Obama administrationās bad policies to her. Instead of taking the bait, put Hillary on defense. Here are a few strikes Clinton will most likely throw Trumpās way and how he can pivot:
His taxes ā Clinton Foundation/Paid Speeches to Goldman Sachs
Putin ā Russia āResetā and Benghazi
His Temperament ā Her rehearsed use of talking points and lack of authenticity
The Wall ā The rise of the Islamic STate
And when the 2005 Billy Bush interview is mentioned? Trump should repeat his apology and then pivot to Billās past. Take your pick, Trump, on which scandal you want to name.
Bill knew how to work a room
Presidential debate No. 2 is the town hall debate, where the candidates will interact with the crowd, not stand behind a podium. (If weāre lucky, the non-stop, split-screen will RIP.)
Even in Trumpās many campaign events over the past year, he has stayed firmly behind that piece of wood, no doubt an anchor and security blanket. It will be a big shift to see how (if?) he can adapt and look natural as he roams the stage and answers questions from the audience. While Hillary will be her normal robotic but likely composed self, we havenāt seen Trump in this setting.
Ironically, it was Billās 1992 presidential campaign that proposed the town hall style in order to highlight his interpersonal strengths. It was massively successful and turned his campaign around. Voters liked Bill. He charmed them.
Even if there is a tough question from the audience, Trump will have to keep his composure. While the average person may overlook a verbal attack on the moderator or Hillary, the audience is a different story. If he calls anyone out (cue crying babies, protestors, fire marshals, etc.), heāll likely turn off the undecided voter. In order for him to win, he needs to pull a Bill Clinton by working the room and looking directly into the eyes of each audience member as they ask questions.
Bill knew that a good debate could bury a bad debate
Bill Clinton knows a thing or two about a comeback. Heck, he came back from impeachment.
And as Bill told President Obama after his disastrous first debate against Mitt Romney in 2012, āYou donāt win the second debate by re-litigating the first one.ā
It might be the pep talk Trump needs.
There are three presidential debates. Trump didnāt knock it out of the park in the first one, but he also didnāt crash and burn like George H.W. Bush did in 1992 as he glanced at his watch mid-question from an audience member. Therefore, itās possible to turn it around tonight.
But the man who tends to respond to Twitter trolls has a hard time letting things lie. If he follows his normal pattern of resurrecting news stories (ahem, the Khans, Miss America, and whatever is next), heāll let round one haunt round two. He mentally needs to let go of the first presidential debate and double down on the momentum from Mike Penceās success in the vice presidential debate.
Tonight is a chance for Trump to channel his best Bill Clinton by trying to move past a scandal, demonstrating message and mental discipline, and connecting with the people in the audience. Because, after all, when you have the former president joining conservatives in bashing the hallmark of Obamaās last eight years, it might not be such a bad thing for Trump to claim #ImWithHim.
Beverly Hallberg is president of District Media Group. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
