The XX Factor

Clinton’s Greatest Debate Accomplishment Was Ignoring Trump as He Lurked Behind Her

USA-ELECTION/DEBATE
Terrifying.

Rick Wilking/Reuters

Donald Trump’s major task for the second presidential debate—likely an insurmountable one—was to reassure women that he’s not a sexual predator. When asked a question early on about the instantly infamous tape from 2005 in which he bragged about groping women, Trump replied, “This was locker-room talk. I am not proud of it. I apologized to my family and the American people. I am not proud of it.” When moderator Anderson Cooper pushed him—“For the record, are you saying that what you said on the bus 11 years ago, that you did not kiss women without consent or grope women, you said you never did that?”—Trump insisted, “Nobody has more respect for women than I do.”

That respect doesn’t extend to Hillary Clinton, whom Trump repeatedly photobombed during the debate. During Clinton’s time, Trump wandered around the stage like a bored child at a wedding. He paced back and forth like a patriarch impatiently allowing a woman to speak but thinking better of it. He hovered a few feet behind her like a psycho killer about to burst through a glass window in a horror movie. This move did not go over so well on social media.

For a man who seems to completely lose focus within half an hour of the start of any televised debate, Trump really ought to conserve his energy. Next time, Donald, sit down.