ST. LOUIS, MO — Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a Hillary Clinton surrogate and the senior senator of the state hosting Sunday’s presidential debate, told TPM that she didn’t think the publication of a tape Friday in which Donald Trump boasts about sexual assault changed Clinton’s preparation in the lead-up to their second face-off.
“I don’t think her prep work would be any different for this debate than it has been for any other debates,” McCaskill said in a brief interview outside of the venue about two hours before the debate was scheduled to start.
“I think it’s probably more focused on substance, trying to think about the kinds of questions that people who are undecided will want to know about right now,” McCaskill added. “So I think she’ll be long on policy and substance, and he’ll be trying to give an apology that America could actually believe.”
McCaskill’s made her remarks before Trump held a stunning press conference in St. Louis with Bill Clinton accusers Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick 90 minutes before the start of the debate.
After the Washington Post posted the 2005 tape, Trump released a video apology early Saturday, but has since signaled that he plans to attack Clinton on her husband’s past infidelities. Some Republican lawmakers have dropped their support of Trump, while many have called on him to apologize again during Sunday’s town hall debate.