Most people don’t remember this, but Ronald Reagan had the reputation of being a dangerous right-winger outside of the political mainstream prior to his debate with Carter. He went a long way towards normalizing his image by showing off his avuncular side during the debate, and he won the 1980 election by a large margin.
Donald Trump came into the first debate with a similar problem, but, unlike Reagan, he added to it with his unhinged performance. He has Reagan’s swagger, but none of his effortless charm. Can he recover by turning himself into the man Mike Pence incorrectly says he is in the remaining two debates? I just don’t see it.