Trump says last week’s field of Democrats looks ‘easier’ to beat than Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump on Monday bragged he won every debate in the 2016 election, adding that this year’s crew of Democratic candidates ‘looks somewhat easier’ than rival Hillary Clinton.

The president took to Twitter to tout his prowess against the 2020 Democratic field, which had their first debate last week. 

‘As most people are aware, according to the Polls, I won EVERY debate, including the three with Crooked Hillary Clinton, despite the fact that in the first debate, they modulated the sound on me, and got caught. This crew looks somewhat easier than Crooked, but you never know?,’ he wrote.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in their first debate in September of 2016; Trump bragged of his debating prowess in a Monday tweet

Polls found Clinton won their 2016 debates but Trump had his break out moments, such as this one in their October debate where he was accused of stalking Clinton around the stage

Polls found Clinton won their 2016 debates but Trump had his break out moments, such as this one in their October debate where he was accused of stalking Clinton around the stage

Polls from 2016, however, gave the Hillary Clinton the debate victories. 

Surveys from CNN and NBC found voters gave Clinton the win over Trump in their first matchup; a Politico/Morning Consult poll gave her the victory for their second face off; and polls from YouGov and CNN handed her the final debate victory.

However, Trump did have problems with his microphone in their first match up, as he noted in his tweet.

The night of the first debate between himself and Clinton, Trump told reporters: ‘They gave me a defective mic and I wonder, was that on purpose?’ 

‘The microphone in the room wasn’t working properly,’ he added.

Later the Commission on Presidential Debates acknowledged that was the case.

The commission put out a statement the Friday after the September 26, 2016 debate that read: ‘Regarding the first debate, there were issues regarding Donald Trump’s audio that affected the sound level in the debate hall.’

Trump, however, did effectively use the GOP primary debates to attack his opponents and raise his national profile.

The former reality TV star played to the camera with ease and created many memorable moments – the kind that can go viral in an instant, translating into higher polling numbers and bringing in the campaign cash.  

Trump got many of them by tearing into his GOP rivals and showing he could get under their skin.

He famously dubbed Florida Senator Marco Rubio ‘Little Marco’ in a Fox News debate. 

At a primary debate hosted by CNN, he said of Carly Fiorina: ‘Look at that face – would anyone vote for that?’ 

And he said of Ted Cruz at a debate hosted by CBS: ‘You are single biggest liar. This guy will say anything, nasty guy. Now I know why he doesn’t have one endorsement from any of his colleagues.’  

Mike Huckabee, who shared the debate stage with Trump for a short while during the 2016 presidential primary, said the events were not debates but TV shows.

‘I tell people these are not debates,’ he told The Washington Post last week. ‘I was a debater in high school and college, and these are not debates. These are television shows.’ 

Trump touted his debating skills after the 2020 Democrats had their first debate last week

Trump touted his debating skills after the 2020 Democrats had their first debate last week

Kamala Harris (right) had a breakout moment of her own when she attacked Joe Biden (left)

Kamala Harris (right) had a breakout moment of her own when she attacked Joe Biden (left)

Trump also had a breakout moment in his second debate with Clinton, when he was accused of stalking her around the stage.

Clinton recounted the incident in her book ‘What Happened.’

‘We were on a small stage and no matter where I walked, he followed me closely, staring at me, making faces. It was incredibly uncomfortable. He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled,’ she wrote.

‘It was one of those moments where you wish you could hit pause and ask everyone watching: ‘Well, what would you do?’ Do you stay calm, keep smiling and carry on as if he weren’t repeatedly invading your space? Or do you turn, look him in the eye and say loudly and clearly: “Back up, you creep. Get away from me. I know you love to intimidate women but you can’t intimidate me.”‘

And while polls may not have declared Trump the winner of the debates, he ultimately won the Republican nomination and the White House.  

Democrats pushed for their own break out moments at last week’s first primary debate.

Kamala Harris had the biggest night when she tore into Joe Biden for his opposition to a school busing program, which was designed to move students from lower-income neighborhoods into schools in better districts to integrate them.  

She also confronted the former vice president on his comments about working with two segregationists in the Senate.

‘I do not believe you are a racist. And I agree with you, when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground,’ she said. ‘But I also believe – and it’s personal, and I was actually very – it was hurtful, to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.’ 

She then choked up for a second before talking about her schooling experience in Berkley, Calif.

‘And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing. And, you know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. 

‘And that little girl was me.’  

Biden fumbled his response that night and then repeatedly invoked his work for President Barack Obama as proof of his civil rights record during a speech to Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition the day after the matchup.

Harris, in the meantime, raised $2 million off her debate performance and saw her poll numbers push her up to second place in the Democratic primary contest. 

 

 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk