How Trump Simultaneously Won And Lost The First Debate | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

How Trump Simultaneously Won And Lost The First Debate

It depends on the definition of win.

3
How Trump Simultaneously Won And Lost The First Debate
The Guardian

Who won the first presidential debate? The hashtag #TrumpWon has been trending on Twitter since the close of the first presidential debate last night, yet the tweets themselves are rather mixed. Many conservatives and Trump himself are posting screenshots of polls declaring the GOP candidate the winner, while others attach memes of confusion and laughter or blanketed false statements as a way to mock it. One quick scroll through the top tweets shows the Twittersphere has yet to reach a consensus on whether it’s a joke or not.

However, regardless of whether the trend developed into a cycle of facetious #NeverTrump users poking fun at #MAGA (Make America Great Again) tweeters – with the latter not understanding they’re the butt of a joke – the polls exist. This isn’t to say polls are an undeniably accurate depiction of what the American people believe (far from it, in fact), but they shouldn’t be tossed away immediately, as they are at least from a variety of sources (liberal, conservative and moderate media conglomerates) – which is unusual for pro-Trump responses.

Then again, another surprise may occur when voluntary pollsters realize the facts check the updated percentages throughout the following days, which the Politico Caucus touches on: “‘Donald Trump exposed himself to be a clown,’ added a New Hampshire Democrat, who also predicted ‘the polls will show dramatic movement in next 24 hours.’”

Similarly ambivalent, Trump’s demeanor and body language could be interpreted as a win or a loss. His ironic, perhaps karma-caused sniffles (given his continuous criticism of Secretary Clinton’s health, who appeared to have no ailments during the debate) that he contended did not happen – blaming a bad mic for the sounds instead – which consequently assured to his supporters that the good ol’ aphorisms ‘mind over matter’ and ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ still hold true.

His dedicated fans may appreciate his loud voice and reluctance to back down when Clinton or moderator Lester Holt was talking over him, but on top of consistent interruptions, others may consider it “braggadocious” after all. For example, this debate transcript by The Washington Post proves Trump interjected the word “Wrong” six times and there were nine instances of “crosstalk” throughout the debate. (Though, to be fair, there is no one individual to blame for that. It takes two – or in this case, three – to tango.)

Biased arguments based on political preferences aside, there is a general consensus among journalists and political pundits that debates don’t really matter in terms of gaining votes. As CNN details, “The vast majority of Americans have already decided who they're voting for along party lines,” so unless something dramatic occurs, their opinion will not sway.

This is why, despite Trump’s factual errors, he may have still won the debate – and the future election. From the classic lies about President Obama’s nationality and dubbing his father’s financial contribution a “small loan,” to more recent insistences like he never labeled climate change a hoax and the positive impact stop-and-frisk policies have on lowering crime rates, Fortune points out “his supporters seem to be able to find a way to excuse their candidate’s incorrect statements, forgive his inadequacies, and put a positive spin on his failures.”

This means other than a chance for candidates to defend themselves against their opponent in real time, debates are essentially just beneficial for the undecided. And it seems doubtful either candidate successfully garnered much in that department, leaving us with the same question we started with.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

135
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1442
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2318
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments