Fox News host Brit Hume says Hillary Clinton looked 'composed' at debate but 'not necessarily attractive'


It is commonly believed in the punditocracy that televised presidential debates are won not on points and policies but on "moments" and the facial expressions of the candidates. This belief was born in the John F. Kennedy–Richard Nixon debates in 1960 and codified with Al Gore's sighs in his 2000 debate against George W. Bush. So in Monday's first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, who wore their face better? On Fox News, Brit Hume seemed to suggest Clinton, but it's not clear he meant it as a compliment.
"What did they think of the two faces while the candidates were not talking, while they were listening?" Hume asked about viewers. "The Trump expression was one we're all familiar with from the earlier debates: He looked annoyed, put out, uncomfortable. And she looked, for the most part, she looked composed, smug sometimes, not necessarily attractive. I think a lot will turn on how people reacted to the faces they saw side-by-side on that screen tonight." His comments about Clinton and Trump's faces start at the 2:30 mark:
Coincidentally, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway also said Clinton looked "smug" in the post-debate spin room. Peter Weber
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.
Update: Hume later appeared on The Five and clarified that when he said Clinton was "not necessarily attractive," he was referring to her "demeanor" and not her actual looks. You can watch the video here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 11, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - shark-infested waters, Mother's Day, and more
-
5 fundamentally funny cartoons about the US Constitution
Cartoons Artists take on Sharpie edits, wear and tear, and more
-
In search of paradise in Thailand's western isles
The Week Recommends 'Unspoiled spots' remain, providing a fascinating insight into the past
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment