First Presidential Debate 2016
On Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 the first Presidential Debate of the 2016 election year aired from 9-11 pm on 10 channels simultaneously. The debate was moderated by NBC News nightly anchor Lester Holt. Something new this time around was the split-screen format which allowed viewers at home to see both candidates throughout the entire debate. The facial expressions and body language showed a lot as Donald Trump, Republican Presidential candidate, and Hillary Clinton, Democrat Presidential candidate, squared off to debate issues such as economics, “stop and frisk,” and race in the United States. Another new tool at the disposal of viewers is NPR’s fact check that provided debate viewers with real-time analysis of the candidate’s claims. Viewers could see live feed transcripts while also reading fact checking from NPR’s Politics team at http://www.npr.org/2016/09/26/495115346/fact-check-first-presidential-debate.
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 “Tribune” reporters watched the debate and noted such tweet-worthy comments as:
Hillary: #trumpeduptrickledown
Trump: #greatbelieverinallsortsofenergy
While Clinton gave a plug for her new book “Stronger Together” (Clinton told Trump: “You can pick it up tomorrow at a bookstore or an airport near you”), Trump gave a shout out to opening a hotel “right next to the White House, so if I don’t get there one way, I’m going to get Pennsylvania Avenue another.”
According to “Time” magazine online, Merriam Webster reported that searches for the meaning of the word “temperament” increased 78% during the debate following Trump’s comment: “I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament.”
“Tribune” staffers counted how many times Clinton and Trump interrupted one another or the moderator. Staff Reporter Piper counted 13 times. Staff Reporter and Meme Team Queen MK counted Trump interrupting Clinton or the moderator 24 times. According to PBS Newshour Trump interrupted Clinton 51 times while Clinton interrupted Trump 17 times.
“Tribune” editor-in-chief Charis noted that Trump insulted Clinton a total of six times in the second half of the debate while Clinton insulted Trump four times. Most notable was Trump’s comment: “Secretary Clinton doesn’t want to use a few words: Law and order” and Clinton’s comment about Trump’s taxes: “ Or maybe he does not want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he has paid nothing in federal taxes because the only years that anybody has ever seen for a couple of years where he had to turn them over to state authorities when he was trying to get a casino license. And they showed he did not pay any federal income tax.” Trump replied by saying “that makes me smart.”
The next Presidential Debate will be at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9. Be sure to tune in for more interruptions, insults, and tweet-worthy comments.
