Regarding this presidential election, it was widely recognized by most media outlets as a thoroughly rotten contest.
Racial discrimination, gender bias, religious prejudice—especially after the leaked recordings of derogatory remarks toward women—Trump's approval ratings took a serious hit.
Of course, Hillary wasn't faring much better. The email scandal, the bribery allegations, and right before the debate, WikiLeaks exposed her flip-flopping stances on trade, energy, and other issues, reinforcing in some voters' minds the image of Hillary as a deceitful politician.
In debates on key policies like healthcare reform and foreign affairs, Trump stuck to criticism without offering solutions, saying things like, "I'll handle it once I'm in office."
Hillary, on the other hand, delivered contradictory statements, starting with outright opposition and shifting to partial support, fully embodying the "politician's style."
Interestingly, after the debate ended, most mainstream media still declared Hillary the winner of the second round.
But online, many netizens claimed Trump had won.
According to a poll by the Drudge Report, 57% of respondents thought Trump won the debate, while only 43% supported Hillary.
A poll by the popular news site BuzzFeed showed that over half of netizens believed Trump won, with another 10% choosing, "I don't know who won between these two, but I know the loser is the USA."
On the 19th of this month, the third and final televised debate would take place at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
To balance the previous two debates hosted by liberal and conservative outlets, Chris Wallace from Fox News—a conservative network—would moderate this one.
Chris Wallace was the son of the late renowned American news reporter Mike Wallace.
Unlike the "town hall" format of the October 10th debate, the third round would follow the same structure as the first.
The debate would be divided into six segments based on major issues selected by the moderator, each lasting 15 minutes.
At the start of each segment, the moderator would pose a question, followed by two minutes for each candidate to respond, with opportunities for mutual rebuttals.
The remaining time would be used by the moderator to guide deeper discussions on related topics.
Following the tradition of U.S. presidential TV debates, the third round typically focused on foreign policy.
However, many media outlets and individuals believed: "Given the chaos in the previous two debates, in the third one, Trump and Hillary will likely steer the topics toward personal attacks on each other."
In Washington, inside the Clintons' villa.
Hillary looked at her husband. "Bill, can we unleash the final move now?"
Bill Clinton shrugged. "Don't rush, dear. I've already made the call—it'll launch soon. This is a combo punch, our last resort. If it still doesn't tank Trump's approval ratings, then the rest is up to you."
Hillary said, "I don't believe voters will still support that guy after another character flaw comes out. If they do, then it's this country that's got the problem."
Clinton smiled and patted Hillary's rear. "You don't need to spout those official platitudes in front of me. No one can guarantee who the voters will choose in the end. Since the previous two recording scandals didn't take down that idiot Trump, don't count on another one having a decisive effect. It all comes down to you—got it?"
Hillary nodded uncomfortably. "Of course I know that. It's just frustrating to see this misogynist getting so much support."
Clinton stated the truth: "Because the USA is still a patriarchal society!"
Soon, the first strike of Clinton's combo punch landed.
On the third day after the second TV debate, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, announced: "I declare that due to Mr. Trump's gender bias, racial discrimination, religious prejudice, and other reasons, I will no longer campaign for or defend Trump. Instead, I'll focus my energy on maintaining the Republican majority in Congress."
Paul Ryan made this decision during an October 13th conference call with other Republican House members.
At the same time, he urged Republicans to concentrate on their own district races, striving to preserve the party's majority in the House to check the White House.
Paul Ryan said, "Trump isn't worth supporting. What we need to do most is go all out to ensure Congress isn't controlled by the Democrats."
According to a Republican insider, during this conference call, Paul Ryan seemed to have accepted the outcome of Hillary winning the presidency.
Paul Ryan's decision was nothing short of a stab in the back for Trump.
Fortunately, Trump had prepared for this in advance.
"Martin was right—Clinton has enormous influence within the Republican Party. Unlike other Democrats, he and his wife have governing philosophies closer to the Republicans, with ties to many party insiders through mutual interests."
In his campaign office, Trump waved his hand furiously at his aides.
"We've been betrayed by these damn bastards! I swear, if I'm elected president, I won't pass a single one of their bills."
Then he turned to his daughter, his expression softening slightly. "Ivanka, call Martin and thank him."
Next, he addressed his chief aide: "I need to issue a statement immediately. Stick to our pre-planned script—the tougher, the better."
Soon, Trump's response was posted on his Twitter.
The gist was:
"Paul Ryan, you might as well take a shower and go to bed. You've never supported me since I won the party nomination, so what's the difference with or without you? Honestly, you should spend your time on balancing the budget, jobs, immigration, and other issues, instead of wasting it opposing your party's presidential nominee..."
"Speaking of misogyny, am I worse than Hillary's husband? At least I haven't raped anyone, right? So why have you never attacked the Clintons? Does that mean we have traitors in our party..."
Once Trump's statement was out, it surprisingly garnered nearly 20,000 likes in just three hours.
Of course, it also got an equal number of dislikes.
The first strike of Clinton's combo punch seemed less effective than expected.