The Debates Are Done! Detroit Today Panel Breaks Down Major Takeaways

“I could hear the sound of millions of loyal Republican souls dying,” says Nancy Derringer of Bridge Magazine.

Debate Panel 10-20 Studio

Jake Neher/WDET

Donald Trump seems to drop at least one unprecedented bombshell relating to our American democracy at each of this year’s presidential debates.

Last time, it was saying he might lock Hillary Clinton up if he becomes president. And during the third and final debate this week, he said he won’t commit to accepting the election results.

These debates have all been surprising and interesting, to say the very least. Maybe the best news this morning is that they are now over.

Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson sits down with a panel of local experts to help recap Wednesday’s debate and look back on the debate series as a whole.

Bridge Magazine reporter Nancy Derringer says Trump’s statement on the election results was “not defensible.”

“I could hear the sound of millions of loyal Republican souls dying,” says Derringer. “It kind of like that thing in Star Wars when the Death Star blows up the innocent little planet.”

Matt Friedman is the co-founder of the Tanner Friedman public relations firm, which works primarily with businesses and their leaders in crisis or bad news situations. 

“What (Trump) did last night is something that we hope every client does not do when they get the opportunity, and that is he committed an act of news,” says Friedman. “He made news and said something that was going to be a headline instead of getting his message out, which was supposed to be, ‘Here’s why you should vote for me to be president.'”

Friedman says he also thinks Clinton missed opportunities to demonstrate her knowledge and experience, opting instead to attack Trump.

Henderson is also joined by Henning Høeg, a Danish journalist based in Metro Detroit covering American culture and politics for the BT Daily newspaper

“The Danish perception is very much that the doubt is creeping in, even more so,” says Høeg. “It was creeping in to begin with, now it’s kind of set ablaze because he doesn’t seem genuine… we’re all kind of expecting for (Trump) to jump out… and say “oh my goodness, the whole thing was just a big old hoax, and here’s my reality show and my TV station and my new brand of aftershave.'”

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

Jake Neher/WDET

 

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  • Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.