One Wednesday, October 19, 2016, the world watched…
...the final televised presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Millions of spectators in the United States and around the world crowded around every screen possible and constantly refreshed all digital platforms to see how the spectacle would unfold.
What started as a rather stronger start for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton quickly turned into a heated battle full of insults and personal attacks. While moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News did a rather commendable job attempting to calm the beast that is Donald Trump, the Republican candidate began to spiral as soon as the conversation (or rather bickering fest) went against his favour.
Trump’s behaviour and attitudes towards women and minorities have received copious amounts of attention during the presidential campaign. This was only heightened after the release of the now infamous tape of him conversing with Billy Bush. Naturally, the topics of abortion and women’s rights would be closely watched worldwide. Unfortunately for Trump, these critical conversations would not work in his favour.
While discussing the topic of Abortion, Trump stated that he is “pro-life”, and confirmed his actions would lead to the overturning of the historic and critical Roe Vs. Wade outcome. Hillary Clinton claimed that the Roe vs. Wade is in fact a Constitutional Right, and fully supports the women’s choice to make decisions based on her health. While Hillary displayed compassion and understanding of the difficult choices women make, Donald Trump used horrific rhetoric, showing a lack of understanding about what an abortion actually is.
When asked about the now infamous leaked tape that cost Billy Bush his NBC hosting gig, Trump continued to deny his involvement. He then placed the blame on “Clinton and her sleazy campaign,” and declared the accusers who “looking for their fifteen minutes of fame.”
Although we have come to expect Trump to retaliate and react in a bully-like and immature manner, it is perhaps one specific insult targeted towards Hillary Clinton that could lead to his defeat. While discussing the topic of “entitlement reform”, Trump interrupted Clinton by calling her “such a nasty woman.” Ms. Clinton, her supporters, and the Internet did not approve: as a result, the term “nasty woman” has become an empowerment for women and minorities. As a result, it has also become an endorsement of the Clinton campaign.
Shortly after the debate, as reported by Yahoo! News, the terms “Nasty Woman” and the hashtag #NastyWomenUnite were both trending on Twitter and other digital platforms. Yahoo! News also reported that as a response to Trump’s taunt, the designer Google Ghost created “Nasty Woman” t-shirts, and already sold these before midnight post-debate. Fifty per cent of the proceeds will benefit Planned Parenthood, a loud and effective message against Trump’s “pro-life” stance.
The third debate marks the beginning of the end of the most bizarre, exhausting and emotionally-draining presidential campaign in history. Yet, most people can agree that the bickering, bullying-antics and constant insults must come to an end. Unfortunately for the Trump party, the odds are looking worse in his favour than ever before. On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, we will see if these debates actually persuade the American people.
