Political Insider

Donald Trump tries to rattle Hillary Clinton with more pre-debate surprises

ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 09: Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrive for the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. This is the second of three presidential debates scheduled prior to the November 8th election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 09: Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrive for the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. This is the second of three presidential debates scheduled prior to the November 8th election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Oct 19, 2016

Las Vegas - Donald Trump's campaign invited Barack Obama's Kenyan-born half-brother to the final presidential debate. He's hosting the mother of a Benghazi victim who accused Democrat Hillary Clinton of "murdering" her son. And his campaign promises there's more surprises to come.

For Trump, it fits in a theme of trying to rattle Democrat Hillary Clinton ahead of each showdown.

In the runup to the first debate in Long Island, Trump threatened to bring up Bill Clinton's past infidelities - and then made vague references to them near the end of the 90-minute spectacle. Ahead of the second debate in St. Louis, he invited three women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexually assaulting or harassing them to be his guests - and then sat them in the front row.

Wednesday's debate will will bring Malik Obama, who shares the same father with the president, to Trump's side. Malik Obama told the New York Post that Clinton worsened the situation in Libya while she was secretary of state.

Also set to be in attendance in Trump's corner is Patricia Smith, whose son Sean Smith was a diplomatic aide who was killed during the Benghazi attacks in Libya. At July's Republican nominating convention, Smith said Clinton "should be in stripes" after the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound.

Trump aides say they've got another trick or two up their sleeve.

This time, though, Clinton is also sending a clear message with her invitees. She's bringing Hewlett-Packard chief executive Meg Whitman, a Republican who endorsed her campaign, and Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban, in particular, has shown a knack for getting under Trump's skin by questioning his net worth and criticizing his behavior.

For more of the AJC’s latest on the election:

About the Author

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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