HE NEWS ALERT CAME THROUGH AROUND 4 p.m. on the first Friday of October 2016 -one month before the presidential election. The Washington Post was in possession of an unaired video showing Donald Trump bragging in lewd terms about kissing and groping women. The story of what became known as the "Access Hollywood tape" was a quintessential October Surprise, but it wasn't the only one that emerged that day.
Hours before the Access Hollywood story broke, WikiLeaks began a slow-drip release of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign which included recordings of speeches Clinton gave to Wall Street banks for high fees, the revelation that a debate question was leaked to her in advance by a CNN commentator and a contradictory stance on trade deals from the one she promoted on the campaign trail.
Clinton would go on to lose that election by a hair, while Trump would win-in spite of the revelations made public on the 7th, and with the help of an even bigger October Surprise that came weeks later in the final days of the campaign: a letter that then-FBI Director James Comey sent to Congress informing lawmakers his agency had "learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation" into the private email server Clinton used as secretary of state. Clinton, and many Democrats, say that letter is single-handedly responsible for costing her the 2016 election.
For decades, presidential campaigns and their political operatives have watched for an October Surprise, a major, narrative-changing piece of news that could upend the race in its final leg. History has shown that candidates have been right to anticipate a late game-changer, but in an election cycle that has brought nothing but surprises, what is left to drastically alter the contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Jenny Slate
JENNY SLATE IS READY TO BE HERSELF
Mikey Madison
MIKEY MADISON HAS BEEN DREAMING OF A film like Anora since she started acting as a teenager on Better Things.
AMERICA'S BEST AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS 2025
AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS CONTINUE to play a crucial role in modern health care.
THIS is a MOMENT for ARAB AMERICANS'
With the escalating ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR weighing heavily on Muslim voters in key battleground states, will foreign policy be KAMALA HARRIS' election downfall?
Fresh Takes on Modern Problems
Newsweek Horizons events series kicks off with panels on Alin medicine and climate science
An Ounce of Prevention
As cancer hospitals focus on initiatives to enable healthier populations and eradicate the disease, they must navigate roadblocks along the way
All the Right Moves
PR experts tell Newsweek the winning strategies that keep Dancing With the Stars as popular as ever after 19 years
Front Line of History
A fascinating series of snapshots showing a medic's experience of the Korean War have been uncovered by his grandson
CLEAR AND PRESIDENTIAL DANGER
IN A CAMPAIGN THAT'S BEEN FULL OF SHOCKS, COULD AN OCTOBER SURPRISE PROVIDE A FINAL TWIST IN THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE?
'We're Not Beasts, We're Just People'
Trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin on coping with societal and family of being the 'bigger person' expectations