Round two: Second presidential debate gives Trump another shot

The second presidential debate will be held tonight in St. Louis, and it offers Republican Donald Trump a chance to show he has spent more time in preparation than he did for the first debate between himself and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Political pundits roundly criticized Trump for not being well prepared for the first encounter.

You can bet he has done more homework in getting ready for this one.

Trump should have taken lessons from his running mate Mike Pence, who by all accounts did well in his debate against Democrat vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine.

The format for tonight's debate will be different from the first one. The two candidates will be in more of an intimate town-hall setting, something Clinton is more familiar with, and will feature some questions from the audience of undecided voters.

But still the event will give Trump a chance to regain ground he has lost since the two candidates first met. And he has lots of ground to make up. Revelations about his not paying taxes for years and reports of statements he made a decade ago degrading women now haunt the billionaire, who needs to make a big push as Election Day draws ever nearer.

Published in Editorials on October 8, 2016 4:21 PM