The moderator casts a long shadow as students stand in for the candidates during a rehearsal Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 for the third presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at UNLV in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has proven a nimble opponent for those hoping to tackle him in a debate — they can watch all the game footage they want, but Trump doesn’t always repeat plays.

That’s the gist of a Trump trait that has “tripped-up” Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in past debates and may again during the final presidential debate Wednesday night, says Brett Bricker of the University of Kansas, who wrote a chapter in the newly published book, “Debating the Donald.”

“She both has to refute what Trump is saying while also pointing out that what he’s saying may be a lie or is inconsistent with things he’s said in the past,” Bricker said. “I don’t know how you prepare for a debate like that… Since he’s willing to say something one minute and say something else the next, he’s able to maneuver and adapt.”

Book cover for Debating

Clinton’s preparation strategy has to include not only knowing her own policies, but “digging through” Trump’s policies and knowing how, when and where he’s laid out his positions in the past, Bricker said.

Bricker, associate director of the debate program and assistant specialist of communication studies at KU, said polls have proven Trump cannot be dismissed as a reality TV star rather than a serious candidate, and in fact the same traits that make him popular on television no doubt have helped him with some voters.

“A lot of presidential debates are accused of being prefectorial, or potentially too boring, or kind of wonky, and he has the advantage of having none of those things,” Bricker said. “Even when he’s speaking in kind of vague platitudes, he has the advantage that it can seem exciting.”

Brett Bricker

On Wednesday night, Bricker said he’s going to be watching for two things in particular.

First, the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

That’s a topic that’s been missing from previous Trump-Clinton debates but that will have a much longer-lasting impact than many other issues, Bricker said.

Second, a possible shift in attitude.

“By most measures Trump is declining in the polls, and his attacks have become more vicious,” Bricker said, noting in particular Trump’s accusations that the election process is being rigged. “I’m interested to see how much of that plays into his strategy in the debate.”

“Debating the Donald” features authors from many of the nation’s top debate programs, including several KU graduates, analyzing Trump’s performance, noting lessons learned and preparing readers for the presidential debates, according to an announcement from KU. Bricker’s chapter focuses on Trump’s performance in the eighth GOP debate held in Manchester, N.H., and notes his uncommon willingness to even attack the debate audience.

“Trump has been overwhelmingly successful at pulling rabbits out of his hat at different parts of this campaign,” Bricker said. “A bad debate or some type of black swan — those are the types of things that can change the election in the next 20 days.”

Bricker said he thinks many viewers initially drawn to Trump’s entertaining reality TV personality have tired of it and tuned out of the debates, leaving only those viewers who are still trying to make decisions based on issues.

To them, Bricker says, don’t give up.

“It’s not over by any means,” he said. “It is an extremely important moment, and these debates give us small glimpses into what our future might be under a Trump or Clinton presidency.”

Fact-checking with KU Libraries

KU Libraries is planning a watch event with live fact-checking and interactive activities for Wednesday night’s presidential debate.

The event is scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. at Watson Library, 3 West. Libraries communications coordinator LeAnn Meyer said screens will display the televised debate as well as a live document updating with fact-checking links and resources. They’ll be handing out mini-flags to audience members to share whether they recognize a candidate’s statement as true or false.

Three librarians and three students will work as fact-checkers and share the information online, Meyer said. They’re encouraging KU students to use the hashtag #KUDebateWatch to follow the fact-checkers or participate from home or their own watch parties.