ON POLITICS

For the Record: 4 days until the Clinton-Trump smackdown

Brett McGinness
USA TODAY
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

With just days left before what could be an election-changing debate, a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll has Hillary Clinton up by 6 over Donald Trump in the four-way race, and up by 7 in a head-to-head matchup. But none of it matters, because after Monday night, the big winner will be whoever shouts loudest and best. Also in today's edition of For the Record: Gary Johnson says 2016 is his swan song, and Donald Trump backs stop-and-frisk to combat the terrorism threat. The details ...

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How do they expect us to wait four whole days?

The debate styles of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are ... different. If this were a dueling piano performance, on one side of the stage would be a staid Baroque performance by J.S. Bach, and on the other side would be Jerry Lee Lewis pounding on the keys, then setting the piano on fire, playing until the fire rendered it unplayable, then sending a team of chimpanzees with crowbars to smash the smoldering remains.

Trump's debate style is like nothing Clinton has ever dealt with (here's a peek at how debates looked before he arrived), so it's going to be virtually trumpossible for Hillary to try to prepare. But she's trying anyway. "We're preparing for whatever Trump shows up," communications director Jennifer Palmieri told USA TODAY, declining to provide specifics. The Commission on Presidential Debates already has announced the somewhat cryptic topics for the first debate: America’s Direction, Achieving Prosperity and Securing America. (Or, in other words: Is Obama Doing Well, How Much Do You Hate TPP, and Tell Us More About This Wall Idea.) Clinton's additional challenge during the debate will be to seem relatable, while Trump's is to seem competent on details and specifics; both will have to fight to pass the ever-important "candidate you'd want to have a beer with" test.

It's predicted to be the most-watched debate in American history, with 100 million expected to tune in. Man, we can't wait for Monday.

Speaking of debates ... Gary, you're still not invited

In what may be a ploy to drive up ticket sales for his farewell tour, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson says 2016 will be his final attempt to capture the White House. “This is my last shot at this, OK? I won’t be around after this election," Johnson told USA TODAY's Editorial Board on Wednesday. (Johnson also ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 2012.)

In a wide-ranging and open interview with the editorial board, Johnson said he has no problem with critics who say his candidacy will result in a Trump victory (“Spoiler? Great, give me the title”) and whether he's the ideal Libertarian candidate (“Clearly, I may not be the right messenger"). He also addressed persistent rumors that his running mate, Bill Weld, will throw his support behind Hillary if it appears she might lose ("That's bull----.") He says he's indifferent as to which candidate he'd rather see win if it's not him.

At 63 years old, Gary Johnson is the youngest of the top four presidential nominees -- Trump is 70, Clinton is 68 and Green Party nominee Jill Stein is 66. So this whole "final tour" thing might stick about as well as any of Elton John's "final tour" pledges, depending on how he does this fall.

Also, comfortable shoes and no belts

If you're like us, you might think TSA-style security screenings should be more widely available to everyone who happens to be outside, instead of just to those lucky few who happen to be at the airport. Good news: Donald Trump wants to bring pat-downs to the masses.

“I would do stop-and-frisk. I think you have to. We did it in New York, it worked incredibly well. And you have to be proactive,” Trump told Sean Hannity last night on Fox News. “You know, you really help people sort of change their mind automatically.”

Trump's comments come just days after terror attacks in three states — bombings and attempted bombings in New York and New Jersey, and a stabbing spree at a mall in Minnesota. Broadly outlined, a stop-and-frisk policy allows police to question pedestrians for which there is "reasonable suspicion" of criminal activity, even if there is no specific evidence of crime being committed. Proponents say pat-down searches allow police to discover evidence of crimes (i.e, guns, drugs, stolen items) that are otherwise hidden from plain sight; critics say this is a violation of Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. Such policies have been allowed in the United States since the Supreme Court's Terry v. Ohio decision in 1968.

Long story short: Whenever you leave your house following Trump's inauguration, make sure all your liquids fit in a quart-sized resealable bag.

More from the campaign trail

... uh, I mean ...

Boxing promoter Don King spoke in support of Donald Trump at an African-American outreach event in Cleveland and said something controversial, which came as a surprise to everyone unfamiliar with Don King (video NSFW).