• Todd Bonzalez
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    6 days ago

    They did that on purpose. Harris originally suggested open mics but Trump pushed back. I’m guessing she told the moderators not to worry too much about letting him get in an unsanctioned response, knowing that if he’s at the point where he’s barging in and ignoring decorum, he’s likely going to self-immolate on camera.

    She wasn’t wrong. She was concise enough to get almost every question answered, and baited Trump into humiliating himself. Some of the most damaging things he said were said during time he wasn’t supposed to be speaking.

    It’s the perfect trap. Giving him extra time sabotages him, but he can’t complain that getting extra time to speak was a trap, because, as you suggest, at face value, it was unfair to Harris.

    It also potentially saved the debate from an early conclusion. Trump has walked out of interviews and debates in the past when they forced him to stop talking or move on.

    They really played him well.