Donald Trump’s advisers hope his missteps in Monday night’s debate against Hillary Clinton will convince the Republican nominee to concentrate on his message and tactics before their second bout.
After Trump missed opportunities to go after Clinton — spending most of his time responding angrily to his Democratic rival’s attacks — his aides have delivered the message (gingerly, one said) that the first debate didn’t go well.
“Yes, he’s been made aware,” one adviser said.
Aides and advisers hope Trump’s refusal to participate in traditional debate preparation sessions — instead favoring the impromptu, off-the-cuff approach that helped him through the GOP primaries — might be eased after Monday night.
One ally described Trump as the kind of guy who can’t simply be told a stove is hot — he has to touch it to see for himself.
Another adviser said because of that reality, Monday’s poor performance could be the best thing that could have happened to Trump.
Trump, advisers said, had lines ready to hit back at predictable Clinton attacks.
“He just didn’t use them,” an adviser said. “Nobody is really sure why, but we’re all certain he won’t let opportunities pass next time around.”
In improving ahead of their October 9 town hall style debate in St. Louis, part of the problem, one source said, is that Trump doesn’t yet seem to grasp that he needs to expand his base of supporters to bring in new voters who are not yet sold on his temperament, policy positions or readiness to be president.
When Trump was told Tuesday that he should do some things differently, he responded that his approach is what his base likes.
Another challenge: There are a large number of voices — sometimes disparate — in Trump’s orbit. Two advisers said that played a big role in what they saw as Trump’s lack of a laser focus on the debate and his belief beforehand that he didn’t need to rely on traditional prep.
Trump gravitated toward those who played to his instincts — which, in hindsight, weren’t in his best interest, two advisers said.
Those in Trump’s orbit said the bottom line is it’s his ballgame — and no one else can convince him to do an about-face on how he approaches debate prep.
Trump aides weren’t just frustrated with their candidate. They complained that the first debate’s moderator, NBC’s Lester Holt, didn’t ask Clinton questions about controversies like the Clinton Foundation or the 2012 Benghazi attack — while grilling Trump on his birtherism and his refusal to release his tax returns.
Monday night, Trump told CNN he thought Holt did a “great job” and described the questions as “very fair.”
Still, aides acknowledged that in a debate, Trump is free to bring up anything he wants.
He chose not to broach those subjects — or immigration, or appointments to the Supreme Court, two issues that could help him with Republicans — and bears some of the blame for not pressing those issues, they said.
Trump’s campaign sees opportunity for improvement ahead of the second debate, advisers said, particularly on his strongest issues — trade and his argument as a change agent against Clinton’s lengthy tenure in American politics.