Grading Donald Trump And His GOP Debate Performance
Thursday night’s GOP debate wasn’t complete without some Donald Trump provocation taking center stage, as expected. Call it an overly raucous publicity stunt or just Donald Trump being himself, either way, the 2016 Republican race should be of epic proportions should Trump win the candidacy. Some experts appreciate Fox News’ harsh angle, while others simply shrugged off any notion that a billionaire business tycoon could become the leader of our free world.
As expected, Donald Trump cavalierly stole the Republican party sunshine before anyone spoke. Many observers considered this year’s opening debate one of the most theatrical ones in recent history. Sure, roughly 80 percent of current contenders find Trump’s presence a mere charade, but however harsh the reality of our country’s foreign and domestic affairs may appear, bank on Trump boldly smearing every liberal and Democrat he can before eventually bowing out – if he does drop out of the campaign.
Every competitor showed their talented side, but the onus of dethroning the king of reality clearly was on moderators. He’s literally doubled down on competitors in terms of poll popularity over the last month, so Trump merely sat comfortably before prime time television viewers and allowed the other nine hopefuls to hang themselves. Nobody slipped up on Thursday night, but not one of the contenders could upend Trump, either. Not too shabby, considering Donald Trump’s former life consisted of firing people and building a billion-dollar empire.
Nevermind the timed answers, annoying buzzers and Fox News’ brash approach to Trump. Each question, regardless of difficulty or depth, was taken in stride despite Megyn Kelly coming in with guns ablaze. Trump offered little fresh insight into his immigration and abortion agendas, but he indicated his stance on the latter has ‘evolved’. Overall, with the exception of Rand Paul’s vigorous attempt to get under Trump’s skin, the eight viable GOP candidates handled Donald Trump gingerly.
Trump may have slipped up ripping the female gender fabric through nonsensical commentary and Twitter bashing, but was adamant about competing within the Republican class despite Fox Moderator Baier polling the candidates who may run independently. His demeanor perhaps overshadowed Carly Fiorina, who was spectacular throughout Thursday night.
In grading Donald Trump Thursday night, take into account his approach to questioning. Think about how he brushed off serious questions and direct commentary with playful candor. The country needs a hard-nosed leader who will go after the issues everyone else dances around. For his effort, minus the unneeded social media slaying, he gets an A-.
(Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images News)
