Stora tråden om Donald Trump [mod]

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gained on his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton among American voters this week, cutting her lead nearly in half, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling released on Friday.

The polling data showed Trump's argument that the Nov. 8 election is "rigged" against him has resonated with members of his party.
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Clinton led Trump 44 percent to 40 percent, according to the Oct. 14-20 Reuters/Ipsos poll, a 4-point lead. That compared with 44 percent for Clinton and 37 percent for Trump in the Oct. 7-13 poll released last week.

Hillary Clinton: This was the Democratic nominee's best debate performance. She finally figured out the right calibration of ignoring and engaging Trump. Given her considerable edge in the electoral map, Clinton didn't need a moment in this debate, she simply needed to survive. But she had a moment, anyway — with a stirring answer in response to Trump's comments about women and the allegations against him of groping nine different women. Clinton, borrowing from Michelle Obama's speech on the same subject, was deeply human and relatable in that moment. Throughout the rest of the debate, she did what we know she knows how to do well: She deftly dropped a series of opposition research hits and sprinkled in a series of attempts to goad Trump into mistakes. She came across as calm and composed in the face of his, at times, tough-to-watch interruptions. ("Such a nasty woman,” Trump said of Clinton as she was speaking toward the end of the debate.) Her performance wasn't perfect; she struggled to defend the Clinton Foundation, for example, but Trump managed to throw her an opening to talk about his own foundation's issues. All in all, Clinton won — a clean sweep of the three debates.

Donald Trump: Top to bottom, this was Trump's most consistent and best debate. But, it wasn't a good debate for him. Not at all. His signature moment — and the defining moment of the entire debate — came when he refused to say he would concede if the election results showed he had lost. Trump's I'll-just-wait-and-see answer was a total disaster and will be the only thing people are talking about coming out of the debate.

REED GALEN
Deputy campaign manager for John McCain's 2008 White House bid
"Trump had a good 67 minutes. Then he apparently decided that he was doing too well and blew himself up. Hillary's gentle but consistent needling took its toll and Trump couldn't keep it together — first on the (refusal to accept) election results and then by calling her a 'nasty woman.' Hard to see how a guy who can't keep it together for an hour and a half can be president for four years."

TED NEWTON
Head of VP research for Mitt Romney in 2012
"Donald Trump would not commit to a basic tenet of our democracy, the peaceful transition of power. That is absolutely disqualifying. It really doesn't matter what else he says or does."

FRANK LUNTZ
Republican pollster and CEO, LuntzGlobal
"Voters want the candidates to support the election results. No excuses. Hillary did. Trump did not."

DAVE CARNEY
Former senior adviser to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and former political director to President George H.W. Bush
"Trump's best debate by far. Amazingly, Clinton struggled to answer basic, obvious questions. Buckle up for a wild 19 days!"

DAVID M. KENNEDY
Pulitzer-prize winning presidential historian
"Trump's refusal to abide by the will of the electorate on Election Day is the most dangerous and irresponsible statement by a presidential candidate in the entire history of this Republic. It is simply beneath contempt."

STU LOESER
Former chief spokesman for New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg
"Trump took the bait pretty much each and every time Clinton laid a trap for him. Why was he defending Putin? Why did he spend so much of the time that he was supposed to be talking about the economy — one of his central issues — arguing about NATO reimbursements? Trump's aides said the goal tonight was to look Presidential, and to his credit he didn't melt down. But that hardly seems enough to turn things around."

"Is (the refusal to respect election results) going to cost him many voters that he hasn't already lost? Unclear. You can't lose voters you never had, and you can't lose voters you already lost months ago. Most people who'd be disgusted by Trump tonight gave up on him long ago."

The media refuses to talk about the three new national polls that have me in first place. Biggest crowds ever - watch what happens!