Clinton's debate prep: Steeling herself for Trump's Lewinsky attacks


Hillary Clinton is beginning to prepare for the first general election debate against Donald Trump, scheduled for Sept. 26, and that means getting ready to confront some old hurts. Among the topics Clinton is expected to prepare to face is the death of Vincent Foster, the accusation she is a rape enabler, and the Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers scandals, Politico reports.
"You can't put it beyond Trump that Monica Lewinsky will play a role in this debate. [Clinton's] got to be prepared to deal with the Foundation and Wall Street and super PACs and all of that. They need to be less focused on dealing with [Trump's] policy proposals and more on dealing with the unexpected. He's going to be in attack mode, probably the whole time," said Greg Craig, President Obama's former White House counsel and an experienced debate-prepper.
The main issue at hand is predicting the unpredictable. Trump might be expected to go after Clinton for her use of a private email server, for example, but that is only if he stays on message. Clinton is also going to brace for being called "crooked," or being told she "short-circuited," but also for the insults maybe even Trump himself hasn't come up with yet.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, that means finding a close ally to play Trump in the debate prep — an uncomfortable role. "You have to start off by saying, 'I want to thank the American people, especially Monica and Gennifer Flowers.' Nobody who is a friend of hers is going to want to say that in debate prep," a top Clinton ally told Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders