From the first minute everyone knows: That would be hard. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump enter the stage and do not pay attention to each other. And it continues for 90 minutes. Again and again they interrupt, correct and insult each other. The lowest point of the election campaign. America's second TV debate is a psychological war.

How did Trump perform on stage? He walked around, pulled faces, grinned, snorted and pulled up his nose over and over again. Clinton was attacked by him brutally. Trump said that she had a lot of hate in her heart. His answers were often without any context and incomprehensible. When Clinton said that Trump was fortunately not responsible for the US judiciary, he replied because she would be in jail if he was. Trump had great problems explaining his plans objectively and his greatest weakness, his temperament was once again the center of attention.

With his personality he did not convince any new voters. But what he achieved, he again and again put the focus on things which made the democrats look bad -  Clinton’s e-mail affair, Clinton’s dependence on rich donors, Clinton’s time as a foreign minister ("a disaster"). Trump even made her responsible for the rise of the IS: "Congratulations, Hillary, great work." said Trump ironically.

How did Clinton succeed? Clinton was not as secure as in the first TV debate. When it came to threats, she got under pressure. However in terms of content, she did not make any mistakes. She delivered a solid performance without great highlights. Clinton tried to bring Trump's ignorance concerning international relations into play and made allusions to a possible link to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What does it mean? Once again the political content and concepts got mostly lost. Above all, Trump often steered away from the questions for minutes. On the subject of foreign policy and the fight against terror, his lack of plan became clear and Clinton just let him talk. Trump will certainly not give up - on the contrary. For the remaining four weeks to the election, it will be exciting. In the poll Trump is currently behind Clinton. But performances like the debate on Sunday evening show that the race is not decided yet and Trump is not the clear loser.

Now we wanted to know what the population says about the debate and which candidate the people would vote for. For this, 3 people were asked:

Madison Franklin, 27 years

“My opinion is fixed. Already after the first TV duel, Hillary Clinton was my clear favorite. This hasn’t changed after the second TV duel. Even if Trump has hit this time quite well and Clinton didn’t manage to close the sack clearly, I believe that she is the better choice for the leadership position and she will represent America appropriately. Overall, I hoped for something more from the second TV duel. Both candidates have disappointed in my view. The constant accusations and provocations have left the important political topics on the track. Despite this, Hillary is the winner for me because Trump has broken everything through his unprofessional appearance. He has told a lot of lies, was very aggressive, and often aped Clinton. In addition, he ignored partial questions, made a large circle around them, or spoke only in a confused ay , which made his lack of plan clear. Clinton on the other hand argued objectively, could always name and explain facts, and showed enormous political expertise. That is why she gets my voice. Whether she can meet our expectations and withstand the pressure will show.”

Greg Steven, 62 years

“Donald Trump will win the election 2016 in the state of Missouri. I have always voted for the Republican Party and Trump has improved himself in the 2nd debate compared to the first one. He's still my favorite and I’m pretty sure he makes America great again. Many people here in Missouri support Trump and his campaign, me too. He convinced me with his plans. In return I dislike Clinton’s plans consisting of military and wars around the world like Iraq and Syria. Furthermore I lost my job in a factory because of the factories moving abroad because the Democratic Party and Obama have made trade agreements with other countries in the world.

Trump does not support free trade and that’s very good. He's the only one who is able to govern such a big country with so many different groups of people and cultures. America needs a strong man who can discuss and convince the people. His goals are achievable. I believe in him and the Republican Party. Vote for Trump, because every vote counts and our nation needs a man like him.”

Grace Dearing, 34 years

“I watched the second TV debate of Clinton and Trump intently and I have to say it did not really help me in my decision. I've been convinced by Hillary for a long time, but she was visibly confused by Trump. I thought she is a strong woman, which cannot be put off so quickly. But through Trump's admittedly spirited personality, she was somehow insecure. Again and Again he guided the debate to themes in which Hillary is obviously weaker and this made me think about it. But Trump is in my view still too impulsive, impatient and does not behave according to what America stands for. But he knows how he can wrap people around his fingers. I cannot find a clear winner in the debate, they have not shown themselves from their best sides. Regarding the election, I am still a bit undecided but I tend to vote for Trump. He is the right one to govern our country. I trust him, he can get through and is able to change something.”

To summarize the results of the survey opinions of Missouri: The people aren’t concur to vote the new president, but it’s more obvious that Trump will win the election. The people have adjusted the Republican Party and voted the past four years for the republican candidate. 

authors: Tobias Fröhlich, Anika Döcke, Tabea Warnke, Antonia Hartig