Well, hello to the future from the stage of an intelligence-squared U.S. debate held

in Washington, D.C. in the earliest days of the administration of Donald J. Trump.

I'm John Donovan, and in this debate, our proposition is give Trump a chance.

And to those of you who are watching or listening to this debate after the fact, whether by days

or by weeks or by months, know that this debate took place exactly 13 days into the Trump

administration.

13 days that have seemed pretty wild to those of us who are here tonight, whereas swearing

in was followed by massive protests, followed by a temporary ban on travel from seven predominantly

Muslim countries, followed by demonstrations at airports, followed by an attorney general

being fired after defying an executive order, followed by democratic senators, boycotting

part of the process for confirming Trump's cabinet nominees.

And whether things come down from day 13 or got wilder still, only you in the future know

better than us.

So let's just say right here, on day 13, we can only imagine.

Give Trump a chance, we will debate yes and no, and what that means according to values

we aim to adhere to at intelligence-squared civility, logic, and yes, facts, the old fashion

kind.

And then, as always, our live audience votes to choose a winner and only one side wins.

Our motion is this, give Trump a chance, we have four debaters, two against two arguing

four, and against the motion, let's meet them first, starting with Clive Kluk.

Applause.

Hi, Clive.

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