How Hillary baited Trump in 2nd debate with a compliment

Trump we know can be baited by a critical tweet or comment as Hillary did this continually in the first debate. However, he can not only be baited by criticism, but by compliments. Remember this exchange about Putin from the Commander-in-Chief forum hosted by Matt Lauer?

LAUER: But do you want to be complimented by that former KGB officer? [Putin]

TRUMP: Well, I think when he calls me brilliant, I’ll take the compliment, OK? The fact is, look, it’s not going to get him anywhere.

But is it a coincidence that Trump can’t stop complimenting Putin. Again the transcript from just before the exchange quoted above:


LAUER: Let me ask you about some of the things you’ve said about Vladimir Putin. You said, I will tell you, in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A, our president is not doing so well. And when referring to a comment that Putin made about you, I think he called you a brilliant leader, you said it’s always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his country and beyond.

TRUMP: Well, he does have an 82 percent approval rating, according to the different pollsters, who, by the way, some of them are based right here. Look, look…


Compare this to what happened when the final question of the 2nd Presidential debate was asked:

RADDATZ: We’ve sneaked in one more question, and it comes from Karl Becker.

QUESTION: Good evening. My question to both of you is, regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?

RADDATZ: Mr. Trump, would you like to go first?

CLINTON: Well, I certainly will, because I think that’s a very fair and important question. Look, I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald. I don’t agree with nearly anything else he says or does, but I do respect that. And I think that is something that as a mother and a grandmother is very important to me.

[Hillary goes on to end with a fine closing statement about why the country should elect her. And, then it’s Trump’s turn. What Trump should have said is something like this, “Yes, I’m proud of my children. And as Ivanka and Chelsea are friends I’ve been able to see how fine a daughter you’ve raised. And then he should have pivoted as Hillary did to his closing statement, something like, “But to raise up America to greatness we need new leadership….”

What Trump actually said about his adversary in this election is astonishingly like what he said in the Commander-in-Chief forum about one of American’s leading adversary’s in the world today, Putin.

RADDATZ: Mr. Trump?

TRUMP: Well, I consider her statement about my children to be a very nice compliment. I don’t know if it was meant to be a compliment, but it is a great — I’m very proud of my children. And they’ve done a wonderful job, and they’ve been wonderful, wonderful kids. So I consider that a compliment.

I will say this about Hillary. She doesn’t quit. She doesn’t give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is. She’s a fighter. I disagree with much of what she’s fighting for. I do disagree with her judgment in many cases. But she does fight hard, and she doesn’t quit, and she doesn’t give up. And I consider that to be a very good trait.

RADDATZ: Thanks to both of you.

So, Trump repeats the major theme from Hillary’s Democratic nomination, that she never will quit fighting for us. Is Trump owned that easily?

Again, let’s go to the transcript for the last question of the second debate:

RADDATZ: Mr. Trump, would you like to go first?

CLINTON: Well, I certainly will, because I think that’s a very fair and important question. Look, I respect his children.

Did Hillary jump in and take Trump’s question first to see if she could bait him with a compliment?
If that wasn’t her plan she could have let Trump struggle with the question and be pleased to have the last word in the debate. As it is she got Trump to end the debate by reciting her campaign theme about why the American people should vote for Hillary Clinton for President, i.e. She will never quit fighting for us.

Did Hillary jump to answer the question first, although it was Trump’s turn, in order to bait him with a compliment? I’m not sure. What I am certain of is that Trump can’t handle compliments any better than he can criticism. Trump is not fit to be president.