Hillary got rattled.

Donald Trump knocked Hillary off her talking points and she was clearly rattled by his political punches. Off stage, one of her campaign staffers tweeted a profane message to Trump, “F*** you.” Not a bad job for a candidate who was also fielding attacks from Clinton spokesman Anderson Cooper and Clinton’s designated debater, Martha Raddatz.

There was no pre-debate handshake.

It clearly demonstrated the level of anger and hatred between the candidates. But it’s probably best they skipped the handshake. The Mainstream Media would’ve accused Trump of inappropriate behavior.

Clinton won’t say Radical Islam.

“We are not at war with Islam and it is a mistake and it plays into the hands of terrorists to act as though we are.” Well, trying telling that to the folks who were blown up, stabbed and gunned down in places like Orlando, San Bernardino, New Jersey, St. Cloud, Minnesota, Chattanooga, Chelsea, New York and September 11th, 2001.

Trump needs to stay focused on the issues.

This presidential election was supposed to be about jobs and securing the border and protecting us from radical Islam — not repugnant locker room banter, overweight beauty queens or litigating the past. Don’t get distracted by Hillary and her minions in the Mainstream Media.

Blaming Honest Abe

WikiLeaks released excerpts of Clinton’s speech to Wall Street where she said he has “both a public and a private position” on policy issues. When asked about that, she said she was referring to President Abraham Lincoln. That led to the second best line of the night when Trump replied, “Honest Abe never lied. That’s the difference between Abe Lincoln and you.”

Best Line of the Night

Mrs. Clinton: “It’s just good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump isn’t in charge of the laws in this country.” Trump: “Because you’d be in jail.” Watch:

 

 

Bottom Line

Trump proved that he is in the race to win the race. But we still don’t know how much damage was inflicted by the “hot mic” incident. And we also don’t know what, if any, impact Republican defections will have on the campaign.

Originally published on Todd’s American Dispatch, October 10, 2016 and is reprinted with permission. Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values.