Road to debate: Trump built image as he built business

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump once claimed to be publicity shy.

No joke.

It's right there in The New York Times of Nov. 1, 1976. In the same article, the 30-year-old real-estate developer talks up his millions, showcases his penthouse apartment and Cadillac, and allows a reporter to tag along as he visits job sites and lunches at the "21" club before hopping an evening flight to California for more deal-making.

So much for that shy-guy claim.

Young and ambitious, Trump worked just as hard at building his image as he did at expanding his real-estate empire.

Along the way, he honed the communications skills that would benefit him at the negotiating table, turn him into a reality TV star and launch a presidential campaign.

He'll put them to the ultimate test as he goes one-on-one with Hillary Clinton in three nationally televised debates over the next month that will help determine the next president.

Trump, who'd never participated in a debate before the presidential primaries, is keeping his preparations for today's leadoff general-election debate low key -- no mock face-offs or the like.

"Really, you're preparing all of your life for these," he told Fox Business Network recently. "You're not preparing over a two-week period and cramming."

Is he ready?

Experts on public speaking find all kinds of faults with Trump's oratory: His vocabulary is juvenile, his syntax is jumbled, he's casual about accuracy, he's demeaning, his voice is thin and nasal, he's weak on policy details and more.

And yet, Aaron Kall, who directs the University of Michigan's Debate Institute and debate team, will venture to tell you this: "He performs like a maestro."

"He's a media natural," said Kall, who edited a book about Trump's primary debate performances. "He really understands audiences and tailors a message to what he thinks that they want to hear."

Trump inherited a flair for promotion from his father.

Fred Trump, who built homes and apartments in Brooklyn and Queens, used all sorts of gimmicks to sell his properties: He filled the scoop of a bulldozer with women in bikinis. He released balloons on Coney Island containing $50 discount coupons. He dressed up apartment-building lobbies with bird cages.

From the beginning, his son Donald never passed up an opportunity to be on camera.

A big question heading into today's leadoff debate in Hempstead, New York, is which Trump will turn up on stage -- the bombastic name-caller who dominated stages for most of the primary season or the more disciplined candidate of late who marveled during the final Republican debate, "I can't believe how civil it's been up here."

Voters looking for a smackdown may be disappointed.

Kall said because a key question for voters is whether Trump has the right temperament to be president, the Republican nominee needs to put the bluster on hold and offer a measured, thoughtful debate performance in which he shows a command of policy detail.

Trump faltered on policy questions at times during the primary debates.

At one point, he appeared unfamiliar with the concept of the nuclear triad, which includes intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles and strategic bombers.

On another occasion, he seemed unaware China was not part of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Lillian Glass, an expert on speaking and body language, said Trump needs to be "completely focused on what is discussed and not talk about himself and how great his business was and what he did in the past. We know. We all know. Now, it's time to focus on the issues."