Who Will Win Over the People?

Presidential debates however are unique in that they allow viewers to explicitly view each candidate side by side and hear not only their opinions, but also their disposition as a person.

The winner of a debate is not always someone who has the most reasonable ideas. In terms of an average American, the President does not necessarily play such a big part in his or her life. Instead, the main attracting factor is how well they spoke, and their demeanor. When analyzing this debate, I made sure to look at both aspects of each candidate.

I feel that Hillary Clinton connected with the audience more successfully and her plans appealed more to the people. Hillary and Trump have different backgrounds, Hillary was born to a middle class family, while Trump was born to a businessman and continues to carry the business tradition. Therefore, through Pathos Hillary spoke more about helping the American people, and kept saying how her decisions will help families, and working class people. For example, she campaigned for paid family leave and increasing taxes on the wealthy. Trump, with a more business mind however, appealed more to the educated people, and often used a lot of business statements and logic. He focused on how the future will be better for businesses and therefore the formal economy, instead of directly stating how household life will be improved. He claims to be more focused on keeping jobs from being stolen to international countries, and has an innate bias towards the wealthy considering his background.

Clearly, Clinton showed more credibility and ethics during the debate compared to Trump. Initially, she stated to the audience, “I hope I can earn your vote”, and talked about investing in the American people, instantly creating a personal connection with them. When Trump brought up her email scandal, she responded professionally and admitted her mistake and apologized. Furthermore, as the wife of Bill Clinton and Secretary of Obama, she already has experience in the federal government. She used simpler language, which was appreciated by the uneducated population, and kept emphasizing her goal of “strong, fair, and sustained growth” of the country. She made a point of reaching out to the African Americans and gave them exactly what they wanted to hear: that they are more likely to be arrested for a crime than whites.

Trump on the other hand, did not show as much credibility. When asked why he will not release his tax returns, he did not give a definitive answer but instead turned to the conversation to blame Clinton about the email scandal. He made erratic statements, such as when asked why he refuses to pay workers at times, and that sometimes they “do not do a satisfactory job”, which put off a lot of people. He kept on accusing Clinton for poor decisions made over the past eight years. He talked about the need for “law and order” in this country, and proposed plans that might have intimidated people.

Clinton was dressed in a bright red color, and smiled often, laughing things off if she did not agree with her opponent. Instead, she rebutted by attempting to convince her audience, especially the lower class, that Trump is not fit to be president due to his wealth.  Trump had a habit of interrupting Trump and was more aggressive towards her. He wore a more business like attire, and often made abnormal faces. Generally, Clinton succeeded more in winning over people with not only her reasonable ideas, but also her disposition and attitude.