Town hall-style events offer presidential campaigns a counterpoint to the one-way discourse of massive rallies. Candidates typically use these events as a way to humanize themselves, and voters are more than happy to directly question the candidates trying to earn their votes. But because dialogue is the last thing that former President Donald Trump wants, the town hall is a uniquely horrible format for him.
From cutting off questions so he could "do a music" (his words), to rambling far beyond the original point of the questions asked of him, each of Trump's town halls over the last week has been uniquely disastrous. There were a few moments between his meandering diatribes in which he mustered up the pretense of caring about his supporters' concerns, but by continuously pulling the spotlight back to himself, again and again Trump missed opportunities to show empathy with struggling Americans.
When it comes to the bullet lodged in his arm, the question isn't whether Montana's Tim Sheehy lied. The question is when and to whom he lied. Read more.
PROTECTING THE ELECTION
This article is the second in a five-part series called "Protecting the Election." As former President Donald Trump and many of his allies refuse to concede his defeat in the 2020 election, this MSNBC Daily series brings election law and policy experts to explore the many threats to certifying election results at both the state and national levels. Read the full series in this newsletter on Sunday, Oct. 27.
Tonight, Alex Wagner is live from Pennsylvania speaking with voters about the upcoming election. Watch Alex Wagner Tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
On Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 1:30 p.m. ET, join Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, and Claire McCaskill for "MSNBC Live Democracy 2024: The Insiders," a virtual event – with analysis from Steve Kornacki. As the election quickly approaches, they'll offer the latest insight and analysis, behind-the-scenes look at what happens in the home stretch of a campaign, and answer your live questions. Click here to register.
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