Beverly Hills, Meyers Estate.
"Martin, that future father-in-law of yours is facing a lot of scrutiny lately," Sofia said, looking at the newspaper. "His business losses leading to the 'billionaire' image collapsing, even if explained through tax avoidance methods, tax evasion—even legal—will likely leave a bad impression on voters."
Scarlett, also very interested in politics, added, "Shouldn't the impact be that big? The New York Times admitted in its report that the documents they obtained couldn't prove whether Trump had previously donated to charities, couldn't prove he had gone bankrupt before, and couldn't prove he actually used tax laws to avoid federal income tax for 18 years."
Sofia replied, "They can't prove it, but this evidence at least provides new information about Trump's financial situation, raising public doubts. And such doubts can clearly affect votes."
Elizabeth Olsen, who had stayed over last night, chimed in, "Trump has consistently promoted his image as a 'Successful Businessman' during the campaign, boasting that his business experience will help lead the US to success. Now, the true profit situation of his businesses and his tax payment records are being questioned. Probably quite a few of his original supporters will feel deceived, right?"
Alexandra Daddario, also staying over, said, "No wonder when he submitted his personal financial information to the Federal Election Commission in May, he only provided estimates of assets, debts, and income, using the excuse that his tax returns were under audit to refuse disclosing the related documents."
"Probably many people are now calling for him to make his financial records public," Sofia said.
That was exactly the case.
But this time, Trump learned to be smart. He didn't respond directly but said, "As long as Hillary releases her emails, I will release my tax records."
A counterattack hitting Hillary's weak spot—mutual destruction or mutual survival!
...
Time came to October 4th, 9 PM.
The US Vice Presidential debate was held at Longwood University in Virginia.
This debate featured Democratic candidate Tim Kaine versus Republican candidate Mike Pence.
In an election season long dominated by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the media headlines, these two vice-presidential candidates rarely found themselves in the spotlight.
The New York Times predicted on October 1st that this might be one of the least-watched debates in US election history.
How much impact can a Vice Presidential debate have on an election?
According to Gallup's 2012 statistics, since 1976, no Vice Presidential debate has had a significant impact on voters' intentions.
Gallup analysis suggested this might be because voters focus more on the presidential candidates, and the vice-presidential candidates' debate performances rarely change voters' pre-existing views.
Although generally true, there are exceptions.
For instance, the Vice Presidential debates in the previous two elections left a very deep impression on American audiences.
In 2012, the experienced Democratic candidate Joe Biden launched a comprehensive attack on his younger Republican opponent, Paul Ryan, during the debate.
That debate, with Biden's eloquent speaking style, left a profound impression on the public, salvaging Obama's performance from his first debate with Romney.
In the 2008 presidential election, the debate between Biden and Sarah Palin attracted a record 72 million North American viewers due to Palin's unexpected gaffes.
Biden's performance also drew public attention, with most believing he completely dominated Palin verbally.
However, the New York Times reported that the debate's impact on the two parties' support rates was lower than expected. After the debate, the Democratic support rate only increased by 2%, and the Republican support rate only decreased by 1%.
The old but sharp Biden was still very effective.
History proved that those two Vice Presidential debates involving Biden were exceptions.
The clash between Kaine and Pence didn't cause much of a stir. Viewer ratings were average, and the impact on Trump and Hillary's support rates was minimal.
Next, the polar bear joined the fray again.
"WikiLeaks" recently announced it would successively publish secret documents related to the US presidential election, war, weapons, oil, and other aspects.
Hillary was in for more sleepless nights.
This seasoned female politician with an increasingly thick skin was being labeled by more and more people as a "Liar," "Sick person," "Criminal," someone who "Belongs in jail, not the White House."
Of course, Trump wasn't short on labels either: "Megalomaniac," "Demagogue," "Conspiracy Theorist," "Autocratic Oligarch," "Racist and Sexist."
It was a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other. As the British The Times commented on the election a few days ago: "This is a messy election. The 'American Dream' and the reality of US society are increasingly diverging, yet both presidential candidates choose to ignore it..."
Interestingly, recently, the labels Hillary and Trump stick on each other have started to show homogenization.
For example, both attack the other as stubborn, hypocritical, unfit for the presidency, and lacking "presidential demeanor."
Now, they are both talking about "rigging the system," mutually labeling and being labeled as beneficiaries and representatives of the "rigged system."
...
Mid-October.
The post-production of IT was basically complete. Meyers Pictures held a test screening, inviting representatives from several major North American theater chains to watch the film.
The film's story didn't deviate from Stephen King's novel but incorporated some adaptations, enhancing the depiction of human relationships without damaging the core horror elements—in short, it was a story about conquering fear.
The theater chain representatives were very satisfied because they were genuinely scared and genuinely moved.
Applause rang out in the small screening room.
Anya, sitting next to Martin, couldn't help but smile and said to him, "Honey, is this movie going to be a blockbuster?"
Martin said confidently, "My films don't need to worry about box office."
...
In the apartment, Martin patted the "Wonder Woman" beside him on her perky bottom.
"Didn't you say you wanted to have a baby? Why did you want me to use protection?"
Gal Gadot said, "Don't rush, darling. After I finish filming Wonder Woman, we can have one, okay?"
Martin nodded, "OK, we agreed. I can't wait to be a dad."
"Him, haha!" Gal Gadot scoffed, "You already have kids tho."