Is Hillary Clinton trying to play pre-debate mind games on Donald Trump?
Perhaps a little pre-debate gamesmanship?
Two hours before the beginning of Monday night’s debate, Hillary Clinton’s campaign appears to be trying to agitate Donald Trump on the Republican nominee’s favorite social media platform.
And they’re doing it with one of the most uncomfortable moments of Trump’s public life: President Barack Obama’s infamous roast of the businessman at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ dinner.
“You didn’t blame Little John or Meat Loaf. You fired Gary Busey.
These are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night.” pic.twitter.com/njW7YAxf5I
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 26, 2016
Obama’s relentless jokes drew raucous laughs and applause at the expense of Trump, who was in the audience. Comedian Seth Meyers only piled on.
According to several accounts, the monologue, which can be viewed in full here, humiliated Trump to the extent that it was a motivating factor in his decision to launch a presidential campaign.
“Surely Trump isn’t on Twitter right now reading Hillary’s team trolling him, right?” asked Vox’s Matthew Iglesias. FiveThirtyEight’s Walter Hickey suggested the Clinton campaign was trying to play mind games on Trump.
Of course, in this campaign, it’s been Trump who has been able to turn around the joke on his opponents. But why not try to get under the temperamental GOP candidate’s skin anyway?
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