Airing Tuesday, September 6, at 7pm on HPR-2, an NPR special hosted by Weekend Edition's Rachel Martin that will examine the character of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
The 2016 presidential candidates are uniquely unpopular - why is that the case? Over the course of the hour, we will revisit their personal histories and explore episodes in which their character was forged. We'll begin by looking at key moments over the decades that helped cement their public reputations. Next, we'll explore the ways in which Clinton and Trump stood out from their peers even at a young age. And finally, we'll dive into aspects of their personalities that have turned into liabilities with voters: Clinton's need for privacy and Trump's desire for public attention.
To understand Clinton's character, we interviewed a close childhood friend, a former chief of staff, Republicans who worked with her in Congress, columnists who have tracked her career, and her daughter, Chelsea Clinton.
To understand Trump's character, we interviewed longtime friends in business, entertainment, and politics such as Piers Morgan and Roger Stone, a current business partner, a critic of Trump's business practices, and biographers.
