What now for Trump? Maybe a heaping helping of debate prep
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Donald Trump and his aides say he will continue to be himself in the campaign days ahead, but some observers said more debate preparation is in order.
A day after middling reviews for his debate performance against Hillary Clinton, Trump and his supporters defended his efforts and said he will continue to stress the jobs issues and critique Clinton on the campaign trail — including at the second debate set for Oct. 9.
"It really felt good," Trump himself told Fox News right after the debate.
The Republican nominee served notice Tuesday morning he will maintain his aggressive style. Hammered by Clinton during the debate over his past comments about women, Trump refused to take back his criticisms of a beauty pageant winner.
"She gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem," Trump told Fox & Friends.
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During the debate, Clinton noted that Trump has described pageant winner Alicia Machado as "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping."
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Trump, who campaigned nearly every day leading up to Monday's debate and did not spend as much time preparing for the debate as Clinton, hits the road again Tuesday. His targets are battleground states, including ones hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs that Trump blames on bad free trade deals. His weeklong schedule includes Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Michigan.
Trump and his campaign aides also indicated they would ramp up criticism of their rival over her use of a private email system while secretary of State, contributions to the Clinton Foundation, and the 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya. They complained that Clinton did not receive questions about these items during Monday's debate at Hofstra University on Long Island.
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Before Monday's session, Trump and his aides made much of saying that he did not engage in traditional debate preparation and did not hold a practice debate with another person playing the role of Clinton — an approach that drew scrutiny following the debate.
Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, said Trump did well early in the showdown with Clinton but seemed to flag in energy later in the evening.
"It just shows the contrast in debate preparation styles," Kall said. "He has to change his preparation."
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Kall said Trump might also be well served by changing the subject in the days ahead, seeking to make news on other issues, and "shift the focus from his performance in the debate to something else."
Jo-Renee Formicola, a political science professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, said that "instead of going on the road, I think he needs to spend some time in mock debates."
Trump spent too much time during Monday's debate on the defensive rather than pivoting off the questions to talk about the issues central to his campaign, she said.
"He's got to be able to take the question and turn it into something" that would enable him to play offense, said Formicola, who teaches campaign management.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, said Trump does best when he "pivots" off events and turns them to his advantage.
"I would encourage him to do even more pivoting," Conway said.
