The Narcissist Lost the Debate

DONALD TRUMP LOST TUESDAY NIGHT’S DEBATE for many reasons. In theory, some of his mistakes could be fixed. Some Republican politicians are blaming his debate prep team and suggesting that officials in his campaign should be fired.

But Trump’s problem is bigger than a bad debate. He can’t fire the person responsible for his bad performance, because that person is himself. And he can’t repair his many bad answers, because those answers were driven by a fundamental defect: He simply doesn’t care about other people.

That’s what Kamala Harris exposed. She used the debate to speak to Americans. She told them how she would improve their lives. You can argue with her plans or her level of clarity about them, but at least she described those plans and addressed them to voters. She said Trump had no such plans. She accused him of focusing on himself, not on people’s daily concerns. ...

... A PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE isn’t just an argument. It’s a job interview. If you win the argument but come off as a jerk, you might lose the election.

When your opponent tells people that you care only about yourself, no amount of talking about yourself can answer that charge. You can’t argue your way out of the accusation. The only effective answer is to act in a way that disproves the accusation.

That’s what Trump failed to do. He failed because he’s incapable of it. And that, among many other reasons, is why he shouldn’t be president.

Rest of article: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/narcissist-donald-trump-lost-the-presidential-debate
#debate #trump #fail