Debate coach: Trump's
constant hyperbole is
starting to work against
him
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
By Todd Graham
 Updated 2:38 PM ET, Mon October 10, 2016
Story highlights
Todd Graham: Both Clinton and Trump made
strong cases on many statements. So what
set them apart? Hyperbole
Trump kept his distance from the audience,
and this made him the less eLective of the
two
Editor's Note: Todd Graham is the director of debate at
Southern Illinois University. His teams have won five national
championships and advanced to the "final-four" of a national
championship tournament nine consecutive years. He's been
recognized three times as the national debate coach of the
year. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN) — For Sunday night's second presidential debate in St.
Louis, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced questions
presented in the town hall format. As a reminder, I don't give my
debate coach grade on a curve, expectations, or
improvements: I examine this debate by itself.
There are four categories important for a successful town hall debate: interaction with questioners,
personality/warmth/humor/nonverbal communication, substance, and persuasiveness.
Interaction with questioners
This category goes to Hillary Clinton. She approached each of the audience members as they asked their
question, and she talked to them as if she were in their living room.
Clinton's strategy (I teach this to debaters on my team) was to repeat parts of the question in her answer. She did
this with the first question when she asked Patrice Brock, "Are you a teacher?" and continued with other
questioners, using the names of the audience members ("Mr. Carter...") And on one of the final questions -- about
energy policy -- Clinton engaged the questioner, Kenneth Bone: "You know, because it sounds like you're in the
business or you are aware of people in the business."
Trump didn't interact much with the questioners, instead
appearing to play to his loyal audience members. He didn't
want to talk "to" the questioners, but would talk "at" them,
and then often ventured away from the topic they asked him
to speak about. Trump kept his distance from the audience,
and this made him the less eWective of the two.
Clinton: A
Trump: C
Todd Graham
Personality/Warmth/Humor/Nonverbal
The main criticism of Clinton is that she's too robotic. And the main criticism of Trump is that he interrupts too
much and is too harsh. As I expected, both Clinton and Trump improved in these categories, due in large part, to
the format. Clinton came across as warm, and had what I call a "conversational quality" to her answers. And Trump
didn't dare interrupt or fight with the audience members, so this generally brought his demeanor under control
and made him more likeable.
However, the rest of this category was troublesome for Trump. I teach my debaters to practice speeches just like
they will deliver them at the tournaments. Trump clearly didn't follow this advice. He rarely sat on the chair, and this
hurt him while Clinton was speaking. He aimlessly wandered around the room, often within the camera frame
while Clinton was speaking, as if looming over her (it's not a great visual, as my own teams have learned, for a man
to be "hovering" over a woman.)
And while he interrupted less, it was still annoying when he
did it (to everyone except his equally annoying, loud
supporters in the audience). He frowned, he rocked back and
forth, he paced, wandered, etc. If he'd have just sat on the
chair when it wasn't his turn, he'd have fixed most of this.
Plus, again, he didn't practice with a microphone. He
complained about the mic after the first debate, but the main
problem was his loud inhaling, a behavior he repeated once
again.
I've known coke fiends who inhale with less fervor than
Trump. Again, it could have been solved with practice.
Donald Trump and Hillary Cliinton
during the debate
Finally, the whiny complaints are just too much. It's not
appealing to hear presidential candidates complain about
their time (Ben Carson, I'm talking about you), and Trump's
insistence that the moderators were out to get him was silly.
(And disproven by the total speaking time).
Examples: "She went 25 seconds overtime," and "One on three," and "why don't you interrupt her?". My teams
know that an audience will turn on you if you complain about the moderators. Trump should have learned that by
now. Independent and undecided voters simply don't care.
Clinton: B+
Trump: C-
Substance
My criticism of Clinton in substance is that Trump would shift the topic so often and so quickly that he'd have two
or three random attacks for her on each topic that she left unanswered. She told us what he was saying was not
true, and that we should fact check, but when he's throwing the kitchen sink at her, it would have been nice if she
had had a short, 10 or 15 second, rejoinder at the ready for each attack.
For example, she didn't answer his erroneous charge that she'd started the racist birtherism that he had long
trumpeted. Trump's debate strategy may have been to throw a bunch of stuW against the wall to see what would
stick, and even though she might have gotten bogged down in fielding all the wild accusations, I would have liked
her to try harder to answer some of them.
Finally, on the issue of the WikiLeaks revelations about her Wall Street speeches, Clinton's answer -- in which she
likened her approach to negotiating to Abraham Lincoln's -- was mocked by Trump... and she didn't respond.
The two had stark diWerences in content. Substance is also determined by how well one answers the questions.
The Syria issue oWered a perfect example of the diWerences. Asked twice what he would do about Syria, Trump
avoided the question. The only news we got was when he contradicted his own vice presidential pick, Mike Pence.
In college, debate teams are two people, and you've got to defend your partner. Well, Trump's partner is his vice
presidential nominee, Mike Pence. And on the topic of using American forces in Syria, Trump said, "He and I
haven't spoken and I disagree."
Whereas his answer was avoidance and contradicting Pence, Clinton said the US should have a no-fly zone,
perhaps arm the Kurds, and target ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Trump handled the leaked tape of his sexual remarks by quickly apologizing and changing the topic. For many, this
probably didn't seem contrite enough, especially considering the severity of his language in the tape. Anderson
Cooper was on-point. "You bragged that you sexually assaulted women. Do you understand that?" Trump clearly
didn't, saying, "No, I didn't say that at all. I don't think you understood what was said." Yes, Mr. Trump. He did.
Another thing I want to point out: Trump was questioned by a Muslim audience member about how he would help
Muslims with consequences of being labeled as a threat to the country. Trump answered, "You're right about
Islamophobia and that's a shame." But in his next breath he espoused Islamophobia, asserting with no evidence
that in San Bernardino, "Many people saw the bombs all over the apartment" (an assertion fact-checkers deemed
untrue). So he was both lying, and promoting Islamophobia. This inconsistency was lost on no one and would not
fly before a debate judge.
And there was also scary substance when, in a discussion of Clinton's deleted emails, Trump told her that if he
were elected he'd appoint a special prosecutor and "you'd be in jail." The FBI has already cleared Clinton, but he
was bizarrely threatening his opponent in an election. This is Putinesque, and again, made no sense -- besides
being a frightening threat from a candidate for president of a democracy.
Clinton: BTrump: F
* If he could have been more honest, even with all his problems, I was prepared to give him a higher grade.
However, post-debate, four fact-checking sites had him telling far more falsehoods than Clinton. You can't lie this
much and win a debate. The goal of debate is truth-seeking. We've got to grade more stringently against
falsehoods.
Persuasiveness
They both made strong cases on many statements. So what set them apart? Trump's hyperbole. I teach my
debaters that exaggerations are almost as bad as lies when it comes to persuasion. They have a cumulative eWect.
After so many times exaggerating, your audience is much less likely to believe you at all.
Trump used the word "disaster" for education, inner cities, Syria, and Obamacare, and asserted that "everything is
broken" about Obamacare. And for immigration, he said "nobody has ever seen numbers like this" and predicted
that immigrants "are going to cause crime like we've never seen." He also said Clinton's plan to increase the
number of Syrian refugees in the US would be the "great Trojan Horse of all time," called NAFTA "the greatest
disaster trade deal in the history of the world," and my favorite, "nobody has more respect for women than I do."
Enough already.
Clinton: B
Trump: C
Overall grade for the debate:
Clinton: B
Trump: D+
Donald Trump is learning the
hard way he's not the Messiah
Tillerson makes a strong start
at State
Trump needs to learn some
American history

Burned toddler's future waits on Trump's
ban
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Alan Words Oct 16, 2016
Does the author of the article expect to us to believe he is not biased or does he care
his bias is glaring?
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CNN User Oct 18, 2016
@Alan Words Or he, like everyone else with half a brain, is sick of the
hyperbole, lies, ra.cis.m, and s.kata.logical ran.tin.gs of Trumpf.
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1 Like
Joan Oct 16, 2016
I googled the word demagogue and found a photo of Trump, beside Hitler and other
dictators. The definition said, in part,
"Rabble-rouser, plays on emotional grievances and anxieties, makes false claims and
promises without posing any practical solutions..."
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1 Like
CNN User Oct 13, 2016
For wiki leaks coverage go to Fox News
Good info on current leaks how Clinton crafted server story!
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1 Like
mik3 Oct 13, 2016
@CNN User Their 'fair & balanced' coverage explains why more Republicans
believe Ted Cruz was born in the US than believe Barack Obama was born in
the US...
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1 Like
CNN User Oct 13, 2016
The above grades are erroneous! I graded them and found trump had an overall
average of a B plus and Clinton had a D-. Remember she failed to answer what she did
w those emails! Go to Fox News for fair coverage.
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1 Like
Tom Horsley Oct 12, 2016
I keep imagining Joseph Goebbels listening to Trump and saying, "Yikes! That's going a
bit far!".
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1 Like
Punch61 Oct 12, 2016
Please no more debates from both of these candidates. It's doing nothing for the
country except feeding the political sharks at both ends.
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Daniel Karsh Oct 10, 2016
If you believed my previous comment, I have the Brooklyn Bridge for sale.
1 Like
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Daniel Karsh Oct 10, 2016
10 News reported Hillary has increasd her lead ahead of Donald Trump by double
digits.... Poor Donald. He really is a kind, considerate, young, moral man, and deserves
to be ahead of Hillary
because he will make The USA GREAT. He really is a HUUUUGE genius. I hope no one
has hurt his sensitive feelings. Good Luck sweet Donald.
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3 Like
Alexander Oct 10, 2016
CNN won't post my comments because they are biased. Pending.
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CNN User Oct 10, 2016
@Alexander then try and posting some comments that arent biased, smart
guy.
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4 Like
Jodie Oct 12, 2016
@Alexander CNN doesn't monitor this board, Livefyre does. They have filters
and algorithms. Use your words and find another way to say things.
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1 Like
DaveGreen50 Oct 12, 2016
@Alexander I love how people think their comments are so shocking and eye
opening that some actual moderator read it and thought "Can't let that
through! That will blow the whole thing!!" It's an algorithmic word and phrase
filter that catches everyone on these boards, with sometimes s illy restrictions.
work around it or don't.
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Hans from Holland Oct 10, 2016
Please, watch this: it's hilarious (and Hillaries)
http://www.luckytv.nl/time-of-my-life/
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uberethnic Oct 10, 2016
Rick Scott is fighting hard for a Trump victory in Florida. He has had the political
acumen to see that the hurricane is a superb excuse for depressing voter turnout in his
state.
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1 Like
CNN User Oct 10, 2016
The deplorables are calling #TheRealDonaldTrump, so in the ballot is there going to be
multiple names, the realDT or unrealDT. I hope there are fewer diplorables and under
educated needed to make America Great
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2 Like
TrumpTheMarxistGlobalistSocialistPromiscuousLeft Oct 10, 2016
I'm shocked! I'm shocked! CNN seemed so in the tank for Trump.
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mik3 Oct 10, 2016
@TrumpTheMarxistGlobalistSocialistPromiscuousLeft The facts are in the
tank...
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1 Like
CNN User Oct 10, 2016
I dont talk to Pence, he calls himself wise president, and no one is wiser then me and I
disagree with him.
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CNN User Oct 10, 2016
Here's the reality...while I agree with the author, we are not talking about a normal
debate. Mostly, we are not dealing with normal audience observers...meaning, Trump's
minions. They don't care. Most Trump supporters completely agree with him. His lies,
his exaggerations, support their own perspective. Debate analysis only is valuable to
those who watch objectively. There is nothing objective about the 'basket of
deplorables' that constitute a substantial component of Trump's support. He validates
their paranoia and prejudices. And no debate protocol will change that. Period.
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7 Like
CNN User Oct 12, 2016
@CNN User While what you state is true, I believe the author is mainly speaking
to the eWect of the debate on objective (if possible) undecided voters. He
alludes to this at the end of the second section, "Independent and undecided
voters simply don't care."
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CNNecomment Oct 10, 2016
Dump did a horrible job. He'll still get his 45% because there is an entrenched group
who can't fathom voting for the other party regardless of how bad your nominee is. But
with all of this he's not going a tick above 45%.
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5 Like
Medijine Oct 11, 2016
@CNNecomment Trump never has gone over 40%, check your numbers.
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BigRead Oct 10, 2016
I actually think Tic Tac was the winner with this tweet:
Tic Tac respects all women. We find the recent statements and behavior completely
inappropriate and unacceptable.
At least they had the good sense to apologize after Trump's misogynistic locker room
banter.
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