Two days after he was criticized for taking his first presidential debate too lightly, Donald Trump is promising that debate prep is underway.
At least his campaign is. As Trump hit the campaign trail in Iowa on Wednesday, his campaign sent an email to supporters that included a link to a debate preparation survey asking respondents for their opinions.
“Debate preparation is already underway, so you’ll need to get your input in immediately,” the email says. Trump came under considerable criticism, even from Republican quarters, for presumably failing to practice for the debate: “I'm not positive Hillary actually won the debate. But I'm sure Trump lost it. He choked,” Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol wrote in an article, titled “Trump Choked.”
The campaign survey -- mostly aimed at gathering email addresses -- asks respondents to name Trump’s “strongest” issue during the first debate and what he should focus on at the next debate -- Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis.
“The next debate against Hillary Clinton is just 11 days away,” the email says. “I need your immediate feedback from the first debate in order to win the second one.”
The survey also asks respondents whether Trump should bring up a flurry of Clinton scandals and some of the topics he failed to mention on Monday, including what his campaign calls “the Clinton Foundation’s pay-to-play scheme.” That line of attack could be complicated as Trump’s own foundation has come under scrutiny.
Other questions: “Should Trump have brought up Hillary’s failure in Benghazi as a disqualification for the presidency?” and “Should Trump have called out Hillary’s massive Wall Street fundraising and the paid speeches that she refuses to release to the public?” That second line of attack could also be complicated by Trump’s refusal to release his income tax returns -- a presidential tradition since President Richard Nixon.
Trump at the debate appeared to criticize Clinton for being overly prepared, saying she “stayed home” while he had been on the campaign trail.
That gave Clinton one of her most popular lines: “You know what else I prepared for?” she said. “I prepared to be president. And I think that's a good thing.”
Lesley Clark: 202-383-6054, @lesleyclark
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