SANDOWN, N.H. (AP) – It had the trappings of a town hall debate.
There was a moderator. The audience members had questions. There was a two-minute countdown clock for answers. And Donald Trump carried a microphone while patrolling a small stage.
But the similarities between what Trump faced Thursday night in New Hampshire in a warm-up town hall and what he’ll see Sunday night in St. Louis versus Hillary Clinton end there.
Trump didn’t actually interact with the audience, instead only conversing with a friendly moderator who read the questions -nearly all softballs submitted from the invitation-only crowd. And he publicly scoffed at his aides’ previous framing of the event as a warm-up for his pivotal second debate against Clinton.
“This isn’t practice. This has nothing to do with Sunday. We’re just here because we just wanted to be here,” Trump told the crowd in Sandown, which was comprised solely of supporters and local Republican leaders.