ALI VELSHI
Anchor, MSNBC
In the first debate, Trump accused mainstream media of being Clinton’s largest supporter. What’s your response to that?
Trump didn’t pay for advertising almost right up until he became the nominee. He relied on earned media. He is, by far, the largest beneficiary of coverage in the media to get his message out.
Have you attended any of the debates?
I attended all of the GOP debates leading up to the primaries. I realized that governors, who are less partisan by virtue of having to work with legislators on both sides, were not going to gain traction in this race and that issues were going to take a back seat to personalities.
If Trump is elected, how will relations with Canada suffer?
Relations with Canada have more to do with trade and defence. It’s relations with critical allies, particularly in the Middle East, that will likely suffer.
Have you worked for any U.S. politicians?
I was a congressional fellow for the American Political Sciences Association in 1997, where I did policy work for congressman Lee Hamilton, paid for by the association.
MARK CRITCH
Comedian, This Hour has 22 Minutes
Who will make a better first lady?
Melania Trump would likely fill the White House with gold furniture and probably replace the Oval Office presidential seal rug with an albino lion skin, so that would be amazing, but I think we all want to see Bill Clinton as our first ladies’ man.
What have you been up to during the campaign?
I’ve been doing my parodying as the Trump character. I went to N.Y.C. and walked the streets as Trump, even going as far as Harlem, where one resident shouted at me, “Hey, Trump! You’re in the wrong ’hood.”
Any Trump fan mail come your way?
Everyone has been very kind. If I was Trump, I’d say the whole experience has been “tremendous. Phenomenal. Top notch. Not to be braggadocious.”
Can Trump recover from the Access Hollywood video?
I think, in the end, it will be that one that caused the most damage. Billy Bush might just be the man who saved the world from a Third World War. I think he should be carved into Mount Rushmore.
WARREN KINSELLA
Lawyer
Do you think there are more Trump scandals coming?
There’s more to come. We know that. The only question is whether — with a double-digit gap emerging between Clinton and Trump — it is still necessary to deploy that stuff. Personally, I would. I’m always in favour of keeping my foot on my opponent’s neck until the day after the election.
Are you involved with either campaign?
I’ve mainly worked with U.S. political consultants on Canadian campaigns, but this is the first time I’ve travelled, out of my own pocket, to the U.S. to work this often for a candidate. My wife Lisa and I have worked for the Clinton campaign in New Hampshire, Maine and New York as volunteers and will likely go back at the end to get out the vote in Maine. The stakes are pretty high.
Will this election have a higher or lower voter turnout than usual?
Big turnout. I know from working on her campaign that in-person advance voting, mail-in ballots, etc., are happening more than in any other recent election. Trump has persuaded people to vote in record numbers — against him.
DAVID FRUM
Senior editor at The Atlantic
What has been Clinton’s biggest mistake?
Running in the first place. Better to have offered a fresher and less scandal-tainted nominee.
Who will you vote for on Nov. 8?
I haven’t decided whether to write in Mitt Romney or bite the bullet and vote for Hillary Clinton.
What consequences will come from high-profile Republicans retracting their support for Trump?
Chaos. This is a party that is intellectually paralyzed. I published a book predicting everything that would happen and showing a way to avoid it, Why Romney Lost, and yet the mistakes only get worse.
Did you attend events for either campaign?
Early on, I attended fundraisers for Republican Trump alternatives. The most striking takeaway: even after Trump badly beat them, they still did not understand why and refused to learn lessons from the beating.
Have you worked for any politicians? I have done writing and offered strategic advice to politicians in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, with no compensation and on a confidential basis.
