Make or Break in Debate No. 1

The primaries are done, the conventions are over, and even the dog days of August are nearly burnt away. There are just 10 weeks to go. The next big day of Election 2016 is the first debate between the two nominees — and everyone knows it.

As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton gear up for their first face-off on Sept. 26, their differing preparation styles highlight how each presidential nominee plans to capitalize upon their greatest strength — as well as how each plans to exploit their opponent’s greatest weakness.

While Clinton methodically pores over aides’ briefings, opposition research compilations, and policy summaries, Trump invites informal advisers over to golf courses to discuss strategies and bounce input off one another. And while Clinton seeks to bolster Americans’ perceptions of her as an experienced leader and political insider, Trump relies upon his reputation as a political outsider who challenges the status quo and bluntly speaks his mind to garner support among potential voters.

“Donald Trump is the unpredictable X factor and Hillary Clinton is the scripted statist.”

It still remains to be seen which candidate’s personal preparation style will come out on top and prove to be the winning strategy during the culmination of an intense and bitter post-convention political atmosphere. One thing is for sure, though: Trump, who has run an unconventional campaign, plans to do the same in the debates.

“He’s the unpredictable X factor,” campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on “Fox News Sunday.” “He’s an unconventional candidate. And he’s not going to prepare the way Hillary does, which is … locking her[self] in a room and cramming her head with all those binders and getting the Hollywood types that she raised gazillions of dollars with fundraisers.”

But no matter how much the presidential candidates practice, the three formal debates suggest a number of intense scenarios for each nominee to assess and carefully consider.

“There ain’t no lifelines,” Benjamin Ginsberg, a Republican lawyer and veteran presidential debate adviser, told The Washington Post. “You can’t ask an adviser what they think, you can’t read off a [tele]prompter, and you have to talk far more in depth about any given subject than you had to in any primary debate.”

For Clinton, her biggest advantage by far arises from her knowledge and vast political experience. As a former first lady, senator from New York, secretary of state, Clinton has the credentials necessary to intimidate her comparatively inexperienced opponent. Clinton will be able to sound naturally more knowledgeable than Trump — particularly on any questions in which a moderator may try to catch Trump on some aspect of foreign policy.

“She feels like it is a proving ground, that this is a job interview,” Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said, according to The Washington Post. “I think she will approach the debate with a great deal of seriousness and a sense of purpose, and also keenly aware that Donald Trump is capable of anything.”

[lz_related_box id=”195629″]

But on the flip side, Clinton’s greatest weakness — aside from her scandal-ridden past — lies in her tendency to struggle with appearing genuine and transparent, combined with an inability to predict the off-beat method that Trump could pull during a debate. Recent polls rate Clinton’s “honesty” and “trustworthiness” as very low — even among her own party members. And that, combined with Trump’s practically perfected ability to bombard Clinton with off-the-cuff verbal accusations and blunt ruthlessness, does not bode well for a heavily scripted Clinton.

As for Trump, he naturally will be able to connect with voters with his bluntness and his ability to call out the political establishment for its failures. He is renowned for “telling it like it is,” and this could compare favorably against Clinton’s severe scriptedness. Trump will also have the opportunity to take some severe swipes at Clinton in person onstage — swipes that may cause the heavily scripted Clinton to stumble.

“You’re going to see a very natural and normal guy — someone who is comfortable with who he is, not someone who’s highly scripted or nervous,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, according to The Washington Post. “The real risk is when a guy tries to be something other than what he is.”

But Trump’s refreshing bluntness may also prove to be his biggest liability — it has gotten him into plenty of controversies over the course of his candidacy. The Republican nominee will want to combat any perceptions of inexperience by doing his homework and fleshing out his political platforms and policies. Trump will want to boost voters’ confidence in his knowledge and capability of handling the presidency against any obstacle.

All in all, the first debate at Hofstra University outside New York City promises to be a must-see spectacle — each candidate will directly bring their attacks and defenses to the table for all the country to see. Bottom line: People will be watching. Alan Schroeder, author of the book Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail, said “You’re looking potentially at Super Bowl-like numbers here.” That’s 100 million-plus.

Meanwhile, Conway refused to say if LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham is playing the role of Clinton in debate preparations.

“Laura’s a friend of all of ours, and we appreciate any insight and advice that she is willing to give in her very busy life,” Conway said. “Donald Trump, who’s been taking his case directly to the voters, is the one that you will see on the debate stage with Hillary Clinton. And I think they’re nervous over in [the] Clinton camp.”