It mattered largely because, shockingly, Donald Trump was shocked that Holt was in the tank for Clinton.
How could Trump not see that coming? And if he did, why wasn’t he better prepared?
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No, Trump was NOT truly shocked by it. If he seemed so, he was bringing attention to it by giving the audience emotional cues to attach THEIR shock to. Like a laugh track in a comedy show, except in this case, selling himself as the President.
The technique is probably in his Art of the Deal book somewhere. I’ve never read it, but my experiences with salesmen tell me it’s entirely possible.
Absolutely correct.
He knowingly reacted and telegraphed the feelings of the audience at the Holt debacle.
The audience “got” the message.
You are absolutely correct. Trump was not shocked, but he was faced with having to do double duty he may not have anticipated. He was restrained going against Clinton in areas she was confidently UNrestrained in going against him, and THEN he had to face the obvious bias coming from Holt, as the predictable handmaiden to Clinton. That would be enough to drive me up the wall.