The general impression that spread through the press room and the spin room The polls confirmed the result of the debate that CNN enabled in Atlanta for a thousand journalists: Trump swept the debate. The key question of who won the debate, always somewhat conditioned by the ideology of the respondent, gave former President Donald Trump the winner by a wide majority of the first presidential debate for the 2024 elections, according to a poll organized by the network itself.
According to this emergency poll carried out by CNN, 67% of viewers think that Trump won the debate, compared to 33% who believe that Biden did. Two-thirds versus one-third, a difference of 34 points. The network conducted similar polls in the two debates between both candidates in 2020. In the first, Biden won by a landslide, 60% to 28%, while in the second he won by a slightly smaller margin, 53% to 39%.
Perhaps more worrying for Biden, the same CNN poll found that 37% of respondents had a favorable opinion of the current president before the debate, while after the debate that percentage has dropped to 31%. Trump, by contrast, has gained three points in approval, to 43%.
Asked who has responded to concerns about how they will handle the presidency, 48% say Trump, 23% say Biden, and 22% say neither. As to whether the debate will affect voting intentions, 5% say they have changed their minds, 14% say they are reconsidering, and 81% remain true to their beliefs. In an election that is shaping up to be close, a small movement in favor of one candidate or the other, especially in the decisive states, can decide the presidency.
And the survey closes with a question about who the respondents plan to vote for. In this express survey, 48% say they are only considering voting for Trump, 40% only for Biden, 2% doubt between the two and 11% do not plan to vote for either the Republican or the Democrat.
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Biden suffered throughout the debate. His voice hoarse, apparently from a cold, hesitating and unfinished, he confirmed Democrats’ worst fears, that at 81 years old he would be perceived as too old to assume another term as president. Trump, meanwhile, repeatedly uttered lies and lies, but seemed much more energetic and fit, despite being 78 years old.
There had never been a debate between two candidates of such advanced age, nor had there ever been one between two successive occupants of the White House. This was also the first debate organized exclusively by a private channel, although it has shared its signal with all the major television stations that have wanted to use it.
After Thursday’s debate, Biden and Trump have campaign events on Friday in rival territory, but where the difference is not insurmountable. Biden will go to North Carolina and Trump to Virginia, where he will be accompanied by the governor, Glenn Youngkin, the latest to emerge in the polls as a possible Republican candidate for vice president. This Thursday, the three who have been most in the polls were in Atlanta, senators JD Vance and Marco Rubio and the governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum. The latter pointed out in a huddle with journalists that the Republicans have a large bench and many options to choose a candidate to accompany Trump. At the same time, he threw a dart at the Democrats: he recommended that they lock themselves “in the locker room at halftime” and consider changing candidates.
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