2016 has easily been the most election cycle in recent memory. The national poll averages, according to Realclearpolitics, has fluctuated so much it looks as if there’s an absolute tsunami out there. Out of eight different polls, Trump leads in two of them while Clinton leads in the rest. Three or four weeks ago, Clinton’d been leading in every poll by substantial margins. While Trump’s chances had always looked slim until recently, Hillary Clinton’s chronic lying tendencies and godawful temperament have caused her support to plummet.

Trump is currently trailing by a mere 1.3 points, within the margin or error, and is going nowhere but up. One significant, possibly game-changing event for both candidates is set to happen in less than a week: the first Presidential Debate. It is fair to say that this election is the first election without a favourite since 2000. When the two candidates collide head-on, fireworks are bound to explode all over the place.

The debate topics include “America’s Direction,” “Achieving Prosperity” and “Securing America.” These three topics are REALLY, REALLY broad. They are also important as the two candidates try to show America why they are best suited to take on the huge responsibility of making America a better place.

These are five crucial things to watch out for on tonight, folks, five things that might determine the future of this nation:

1. Clinton’s non-advantages

Heading into the debates, most speculated that the supposedly-nonpartisan commission on Presidential Debates would create pro-Hillary circumstances and rules. However, those fears were not realized, as the commission turned down the possibility for water breaks during the one and a half hours while refusing to provide Clinton with a foot stool to make her look as tall as the 6’2″ Donald Trump.

This is clearly a disadvantage for Clinton as the American population has preferred the taller candidate in past elections. Her lack of stamina and durability should be troubling for her campaign as standing and debating for one and a half hours straight should be extremely difficult for anybody. Trump’s ability as a performer on TV plays a huge edge in this circumstance.

2. Trump’s Past Controversial Comments

Trump in the past versus Trump in the present is pretty stunning, in all fairness. After the campaign shakeup involving Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, the Trump campaign has focused primarily on courting the conservative vote and stressing on the more conservative stances that are consistent with the traditional Republican platform.

In a time of utter and complete chaos, Donald Trump shows much more leadership than does the malfunctioning Clinton machine. However, it is fair to say that Trump has had his issues in the past with his many inflammatory comments that can often be poorly perceived as racist or misogynistic by the Left.

It is important to remember that many Americans still define Trump as the stupid things he’d said in the past, and this debate offers a great opportunity for him to correct his image and focus on issues.

3. Clinton’s Scandals v.s Trump’s instability

Both candidates are incredibly flawed, as I’ve said around 100 times in the past. Most of the questions surround Trump can be summed up as “what could he do to harm America?” People are unsure about the Donald because of his questionable temperament and propensity to shoot from the hips without thinking straight. People could be worried about his lack of executive experience as he’s never held anything close to a public office. Many, like myself, could be worried about his lack of knowledge about the Constitution and the idea of the separation of powers. Two undeniably important factors that all sound presidential candidates ought to religious adhere to. The American people don’t know what we’re gonna get from Trump, and many are going to be watching this debate to find some answers.

On the other hand, the questions surrounding Hillary Clinton are “what has she done to harm America?” It is fair to say that America has never seen a more scandal-ridden, incapable candidate like Hillary Clinton.  How did someone like this earn the presidential nomination of the most powerful political party in America today? That certainly defies logic. Tonight’s debate opens up many possibilities and openings for Trump to utterly destroy Clinton’s candidacy. It remains to be seen whether he will take that chance.

4. Lester Holt & Fact-Checking

Compared to the circus joke that were the Republican debates during the primary season, with candidates boasting about their private parts, it is widely known that Presidential Debates are a whole lot different with rigid rules and a serious atmosphere. Thrust into the spotlight will be NBC News’ Lester Holt, a moderate leftist with a incomprehensibly large head.

A veteran in the news media business, Holt is well respected and I actually trust him to be a rather fair moderator because of the tough rules. There’s been a bit of a controversy, however, regarding the merits of fact-checking during the debates.

Here’s my take: in the realm of politics, people have to lie, or rather, twist the facts in order to make their arguments sound better or to get their points across.

While that is a problem for voters all across the nation, what is more important is really the message that these two individuals are trying to sell to Americans. In this case, the Trump campaign’s stance on fact-checking is much more sensible: scratch it. These fact-checker sources are often fraudulent and who exactly fact-checks the fact-checkers?

5. Hillary Clinton’s Health

As most of you know, Hillary Clinton hasn’t been campaigning a whole lot partly because she doesn’t want to answer questions from the press and partly because of her many health problems. While many choose to stay ignorant and refuse to recognize the possibility, it is very likely that she is hiding a physical condition from the American people.

No one should ever suffer from physical ailments and this is not a desirable situation for anybody, but the public deserve to know. Can she last the whole one-and-a-half hours? Will she start one of those coughing fits that make me feel terrible for her? These remain to be seen. One thing can be said: if Hillary Clinton’s body refuses to cooperate and problems start to flair up in front of a likely audience of 100 million, Donald Trump’s chances of winning the White House increases exponentially.

By the way, why in the world did we nominate two people in their late 60s and early 70s? Why didn’t we go with a 45-year-old or something like that?

Whatever happens tonight, the first presidential debate is bound to swing the momentum in either of the candidates’ favour.

Winner Prediction: Donald Trump