Donald Trump is hell-bent on humiliating Hillary Clinton — but it won't work

Donald Trump made clear on Sunday night that he won't be satisfied with just competing for the presidency — he must also humiliate Hillary Clinton in every way imaginable while running for the nation's highest office.

That was evident when, prior to the debate, he held a brief news conference with women who've accused Bill Clinton of sexually harassing or assaulting them. And it was clear throughout the debate when he called her a liar and the devil, and when he said he'd jail her if elected, adding later that she had "tremendous hatred in her heart."

These aren't the pointed attacks typical of presidential debates, but Hillary Clinton is no average politician. She inspires in many a deep animus, and for people who feel that way it's not enough to strongly disagree with her record and positions; she must be humbled and punished instead. Never mind that threatening to jail one's political opponent to audience applause is as close to authoritarianism as one can get without declaring himself a dictator.

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That Clinton has long been a target of this well-documented dynamic comes back to a simple fact: she is a transgressive woman. If that sounds like a simplistic explanation, try to envision a male politician who is labeled an "enabler" of his wife's sexual misconduct. Or imagine a male politician who has lived her reality for the past three decades. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), perhaps one of the most loathed mainstream politicians, isn't so inexplicably reviled.

There is a swath of the American public that reserves special contempt for women who reject traditional expectations, but like Trump they may insist that no one but them has greater respect for women. So the electorate remains divided over Clinton's true character: she is a cartoonish villain involved in nearly every modern conspiracy or she is a devoted public servant with a record of helping women, families and children who has made regrettable decisions on occasion.

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Clinton is by no means a perfect candidate and her past decision-making deserves scrutiny, but Trump can't seem to resist the temptation to scold her. While he attacked her on reasonable grounds, including revelations from the leaked speeches she gave to financial firms a few years ago, he also recycled right-wing talking points that have little use but to paint her as an evil caricature.

He cast Clinton as an enemy of women and people of color. He insisted she started the rumor that President Obama was not an American-born citizen, a lie he personally perpetuated for years. He swore she systematically and "viciously" attacked the women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct when the evidence suggests otherwise. He insinuated she cheated in winning the Democratic primary.

Even minor points weren't immune to craven misrepresentation. When the subject of his erratic 3 a.m. tweeting on former Miss Universe Alicia Machado came up, he tried to accuse Hillary Clinton of the same behavior. The only problem is that the Clinton campaign ironically tweeted in the early morning hours and stuck to the subject of national service.

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This tactic isn't just dirty politics. When he repeatedly lies to Clinton's face about her motives and record, Trump is engaging in a form of gaslighting her and the American public. That style of psychological manipulation forces people to doubt what they believe to be true. Trump's intended message in this regard is clear: Clinton says she wants to help you, but she is really out to destroy America.

"She" appeared to be one of Trump's favorite terms of the night. In one response about Clinton's email practices as secretary of state, Trump referred to Clinton as "she" at least 14 times within the space of about 275 words. At a certain point, it might have felt more authentic had Trump literally begun referring to her as "that woman," a rejoinder that would have more accurately conveyed the source of his disdain.

Clinton surrogate Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that watching him stalk Clinton across the stage and then make uninformed or misleading pronouncements about her experience and record felt like watching a bully at work. It was also, Hogue added, a sad but relatable scene to witness.

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"So many women are familiar with the phenomenon of not having our work ... acknowledged or appreciated by mediocre men around us," she said. "But I think that will backfire on him."

In the meantime, Trump will undoubtedly attempt to humiliate Clinton further, though it's hard to imagine how he could outdo his efforts prior to and during Sunday's debate.

But this is an urgent matter to his core supporters, some of whom have lived in a fever dream of Clinton conspiracy theories for more than two decades. What they hope Trump will finally deliver to them is arguably the modern-day equivalent of burning the witch at the stake. The fire now is fueled by memes about jailing Clinton and casual remarks about executing her, among other distasteful expressions of contempt.

If Trump's own admission Sunday night holds true, however, he likely won't be successful in taking Clinton down. In the night's single conciliatory moment, both candidates were asked to say something nice about each other. Trump decided to credit Clinton's resilience.

"She doesn't quit. She doesn't give up," he said. "She is a fighter. I disagree with much of what she is fighting for. I do disagree with her judgment in many cases, but she does fight hard and she doesn't quit and she doesn't give up and I consider that to be a very good trait."

Come November that trait just might spell the end of Trump's presidential hopes.