In the aftermath of the first presidential debate, there has been a follow-up debate of which candidate left victorious--Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump? Most of America seem to have agreed unanimously that it was Clinton, who dominated the field. She arrived on the stage that night determined to show the nation that she was the more qualified candidate, and she succeeded.
Although both polls and major news outlets agreed that it was Clinton who won, there are many voters who believe it was Trump that came out on top. The main argument for this circles back to Clinton’s strategy of exploiting Trump’s weaknesses. Clinton poked and prodded at Trump, throwing him bait and trying to get him to lose his restraint. He lost his cool startlingly early into the debate and never recovered for the rest of the night. But it is this very technique that has many Trump supporters calling the debate “unfair.”
The argument is that, although Clinton was the obvious victor, she had to make Trump break his composure in order to do so. She deliberately attacked him until he broke and went after her, which is exactly what she wanted. She vilified him and forced him to look bad, giving her the advantage. She may have won, but did she really?
The ironic aspect of this argument is that Trump supporters are admitting that he became angry far too easily. And yet, though they are aware that Trump behaved poorly, they still say it is Clinton’s fault for pushing him to that point when she knew he would snap. They are, essentially, blaming her for his extreme reaction.
It is degrading to throw the blame onto Clinton, but it is not surprising. If the situation were reversed, and Trump would have pushed Clinton to the point of breaking, succors of people would have deemed her “crazy,” “temperamental,” “easily-angered” or the ever-popular “hormonal.” It is undeniable that women are treated unequally to men even in modern America and especially in professional or political endeavors. If Clinton were to ever behave the way Trump does, all the blame would be placed on her, and she would quickly be labeled as an unworthy candidate. She is even forced to take the blame for a man’s actions when he the consequences of his actions should be solely placed on himself.
Clinton did not have to resort to making her opponent look bad in order to win the debate. He does that on his own. As a grown man, he should have enough self control to maintain his composure. Clinton won because she showed the nation just how unqualified for presidency Trump truly is. By showcasing his thin skin and maintaining her own composure while Trump took swings at her, Hillary Clinton demonstrated to the entire nation who was more capable of becoming the next president. This was her key to winning the first debate, and may ultimately be her key to winning the election.
