Greeson: Can The Donald handle the moment in tonight's GOP debate?


              FILE - In this June 16, 2015 file photo, Donald Trump announces that he seek the Republican nomination for president, in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Trump vows to bring back the millions of American jobs lost to China and other foreign competitors if voters put him in the White House. Economists say he wouldn’t stand a chance: Trump’s boundless self-confidence is no match for the global economic forces that took those jobs away. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - In this June 16, 2015 file photo, Donald Trump announces that he seek the Republican nomination for president, in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Trump vows to bring back the millions of American jobs lost to China and other foreign competitors if voters put him in the White House. Economists say he wouldn’t stand a chance: Trump’s boundless self-confidence is no match for the global economic forces that took those jobs away. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

There in the middle tonight, with the bad hair and the bulls-eye on his back, will be Donald Trump.

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It's been a head-spinning dash from the comical to contender, from farce to front-runner for Trump, who is leading in most early polls in the opening states of the Republican presidential primary process.

It's a long trek to November 2016; we are still more than 14 months away, but Trump's steamrolling trip to pole position in the polls has been the story of the first leg of this race.

Tonight at 9 on Fox, Trump will be the focal point. It's a position he has embraced as he has altered the narrative time and again amid a crowded bunch of interchangeable candidates.

Trump, the entertainment candidate and the billionaire business tycoon, has aced the role because he's really no politician at all.

That fact has served him well. He has stirred the anti-incumbent, anti-Washington politician sentiment that has united some voters more than any single issue in recent memory. He magnifies this by calling his opponents "beggars" and flaunting the fact that he is the primary funding source of the Trump campaign.

Tonight, however, Trump must show he can at least play like a leader - someone other than just an intelligent carnival barker.

Maybe that's the one real takeaway we can glean from tonight. We know The Donald can make a statement - whether it's yelling "You're fired," spouting about the sorry state of immigration enforcement or stupidly questioning John McCain's heroism.

Good, bad and all points in between, Trump can make a statement. But can he be statesmanlike?

Three months ago, when the pool of candidates was growing almost daily, no one (other than Trump) gave him much of a chance to be a participant tonight.

But Trump has been aces at almost every stop. He has strong-armed the conversation toward his strengths, maximizing sound bites and the spotlight.

Now, heading into a group moment that will assuredly feature several others swinging at him, Trump would be wise to play it straight.

In truth, the long-term viability of Trump's chase seems limited. His surge to the front shows he can attract attention among the crowd, but it's hard to think he can be truly outstanding when the herd is thinned.

Whoever comes off the best tonight will get a slight bump but not much else. It's not unlike the first round of a golf tournament or the first announced Power Ball number; nothing can be won in the first debate, but a great deal could be lost.

Trump has tough-talked his way to the head of this GOP class as of now. Tonight, can he slow the pace and work to reshape an image that seems more suited to a fighter's ring than the Oval Office?

Or to steal the racing fable, will he be able to switch gears and downshift, to move ahead at a slower and steadier pace.

Can he be the tortoise or will he forever be the Hair?

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and at 423-757-6343 and you can follow him on Twitter at @jgreesontfp. His "Right to the Point" column appears every Thursday and Saturday.

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