There is a quiet panic among the GOP debate hosts that Donald Trump may be impossible to control. According to Politico , tonight’s Fox News moderators are going to be strictly enforcing the time-limit rule to give each GOP hopeful a fair chance of presenting themselves and prevent the billionaire real estate mogul from taking over the debate. And it isn’t just the moderators who are worried. The other candidates in tonight’s GOP debate are preparing for battle in anticipation that Donald Trump will take every opportunity to jab and punch at the other candidates’ positions on various issues, without opportunity to do the same. While each debater will have their own way of handling the juggernaut, each has cause for concern, as this GOP debate is the first chance many voters get to see the candidates and get a sense of who they are, while trying to avoid the impression of being negative, at least for now.
And that may not be a luxury the other candidates in tonight’s GOP debate have. According to the New York Times , Trump doesn’t have a list of policy issues on his website, which makes preparing for a policy debate with him near impossible. Meaning, the only way to address Trump will be about his personality. In fact, Trump has expressly indicated that his campaign won’t be built on imagined questions, which means that his seat-of-the-pants-style platform may make for one of the most entertaining GOP debates in recent history.
When Trump does talk about an issue, such as combating the Islamic State, he leverages a device similar to what a mystery novelist does: he builds anticipation by dropping small clues without revealing what the policy actually is. And, just like it worked for Agatha Christie, it seems to be working for Trump. The no-policy and all-personality Trump platform is resonating so well, it’s bringing out voters such as 92-year old Beada Corum from Tennessee, who says she has never voted before, but she will vote for Trump this election. And Beada Corum is not alone. Each of the GOP debaters know that Donald Trump is leading in the polls, and tonight’s debate may increase that lead, making Trump the fast favorite of the Republican voter.
However, according to Fox News , many political analysts are more circumspect about Trump’s personality in the upcoming GOP debate as his brash style, when forced to operate within the confines of an organized debate, may lose traction and slip from the minds of the voter. His celebrity catchphrase, “You’re Fired,” may, in fact, be the irony delivered by his supporters if he is unable to tone-down his rhetoric. Tonight’s GOP debate will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and is co-hosted by Fox News and Facebook.
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