Even if you did not watch the debate, most politically aware Americans know by now that the whole thing was both hilarious and somewhat concerning. As Donald Trump ranted nonsensically, Hillary Clinton resorted to pointed jabs and smug smiles. Neither candidate actually managed to discuss that much about their policies because they spent most of their time suggesting that their opponent’s statements were false. However, in the wake of the debate, it is becoming evident which person was actually lying.
One particular segment of the debate has garnered a lot of public attention because of Trump’s repeated requests to “call up Sean Hannity.” This started to happen after the moderator of the debate, Lester Holt, asked Trump about his supposed support of the Iraqi invasion. Trump vehemently denied that he had ever supported the invasion, claiming that he always knew it was a wasteful and tragic choice. When Holt brought up past statements that showed Trump seemed to support it in the past, Trump quickly got flustered and defensive.
In just a few minutes, Trump repeatedly insisted that “if somebody would call up Sean Hannity,” he could prove that Trump spoke out against the war before it started. Sean Hannity, the conservative political commentator known for hosting The Sean Hannity Show on radio, is hardly an unbiased and knowledgeable source. However, Trump repeatedly told the debate audience that he and Hannity used to have arguments about the war because Hannity supported it while Trump supposedly thought “it’s a terrible and stupid thing.”
This behavior got many laughs at the time, and one podcast decided to actually take up Trump’s suggestion and actually call Sean Hannity. On Monday night, the cast members of “Keepin it 1600,” a political podcast hosted by former White House aides Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Lovett called Hannity to ask him about his supposed conversations with Trump. When they dialed his number, he seemed polite at first. However, as soon as the men brought up the fact that they were calling due to the presidential debate, Hannity immediately hung up.
The “Keepin It 1600” video might just seem like a goofy prank, but it is clear that Sean Hannity is not amused by Trump pulling him into this debate. In a tweet by Ropert Draper, a writer known for his work with National Geographic and New York Times Magazine, Draper reveals that he actually talked to Hannity about the incident. Hannity said that no audio or transcripts from his interviews and discussions with Trump show any proof of the supposed long arguments that Trump and Hannity had. Instead of providing proof that Trump apparently valiantly stood against public opinion and criticized the Iraq war, it turns out that Hannity cannot back him up at all. If anyone had actually called Hannity during the debate, it would not have helped Trump’s claims at all.
Though it is tempting to chuckle at this bizarre turn of events, it is also somewhat worrying to realize that so many people in the United States still seem to be supporting Trump. His behavior in the debate showed that a few questions and comments were enough to rile him up, and he easily got flustered and started making both rude and inaccurate comments. When he gets called out on obvious lies, he just yells the same thing louder and louder in an attempt to circumvent any questioning or doubts. This is not the type of many that would best represent our nation on an international scale, and hopefully, Trump’s behavior in the debate has caused at least some of his past supporters to realize how unsuitable he truly is.