This is how Clinton and Trump are getting ready for the debates


Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are getting ready for Monday night's first presidential debate pretty much exactly the way you'd expect. Clinton is working with a cadre of experts and analysts and Democratic veterans to get ready to go toe-to-toe with Trump, while Trump is all but ready to go in flying by the seat of his pants.
For Clinton, it will be important to be on the offense and unnerve Trump by calling him out on his unreleased tax returns, lies, and to get a rise out of him by questioning things like his net worth. "Mrs. Clinton has concluded that catching Mr. Trump in a lie during the debate is not enough to beat him: She needs the huge television audience to see him as temperamentally unfit for the presidency, and that she has the power to unhinge him," The New York Times reports based on conversations with her allies.
Trump, who hasn't had much of an attention span for preparing for the debates, is being urged to focus on the big picture and not be provoked by Clinton calling him out on lies. "His advisers see it as a waste of time to try to fill his head with facts and figures," The New York Times writes. "Instead, they want him to practice staying focused on big-picture themes (jobs, terrorism, protecting the homeland and closing borders, 'Make America Great Again') rather than picking fights on side issues or taking the bait from Mrs. Clinton."
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.
Clinton is spending most of the weekend practicing how to react if Trump insults her or picks at her over issues of trustworthiness or even her husband's past infidelities. Trump has waved off traditional debate preparation even as his advisers worry he's not getting the practice he needs.
Still, Clinton has a tendency to look stiff on stage and is preparing to fend off stereotypes by rehearsing how she can interrupt Trump and push him in a way that optically looks good. She also could get unnerved if repeatedly attacked on her trustworthiness and character. Trump, on the other hand, can be blatantly rude and insulting, which "could be grating during a 90-minute one-on-one debate."
Read an entire breakdown of Trump and Clinton's strengths, vulnerabilities, preparations, strategies, and mock debates at The New York Times.
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.
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life