The week leading up to the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was interrupted by terrorist attacks in New Jersey and New York that claimed no lives, but reminded voters that on Nov. 8 they will choose a commander in chief who will be entrusted with the increasingly elusive job of keeping Americans safe.
With less than seven weeks to go in the campaign, neither candidate used the occasion to soothe their countrymen’s fears, nor unite Americans. Instead, they sought to turn the scare to partisan advantage — while also inadvertently underscoring their own strengths and weaknesses.
