Who won the presidential debate? What Americans say about Biden, Trump in polls
The first debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden was filled with insults, interruptions and falsehoods. But who won?
Many Americans who watched the presidential candidates face off on Tuesday night think Biden came out on top, new polls find.
Regardless which candidate they favored, 60% of registered voters said Democratic challenger Biden did a better job than Republican President Donald Trump in the debate, according to a CNN poll.
That’s compared to 28% of people in the poll who said Trump had the best performance. Another 5% said the two candidates performed equally, 6% said neither rose to the top and 1% had no opinion, results show.
Results were tighter in a CBS News poll, which found 48% of likely voters thought Biden won the debate. Another 41% of people thought Trump did the best job, and 10% called it a tie.
The debate swayed some 2020 voters who had been on the fence, while others remained undecided, according to video of a focus group with Republican pundit Frank Luntz. One woman from Ohio said she wanted to hear more about race relations and coronavirus relief.
”I don’t think it’s important if someone can stand up to Trump or not,” said a Pennsylvania woman who said she now supports Biden. “That’s irrelevant. That’s like me thinking it’s relevant that I can win an argument with a crackhead.”
Another voter from Wisconsin backed Trump, saying he was concerned about “law and order” and the economy.
“He’s annoying, and it’s like nails on a chalkboard,” the voter said. “But him acting that way doesn’t necessarily impact my bottom line.”
Overall, 57% in the CNN poll said the debate had no impact on who they plan to choose in the election. The face-off made another 32% more likely to vote for Biden and 11% lean toward Trump, results show.
For its poll, CNN says it teamed up with research company SSRS to reach 568 registered voters on the telephone. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.3 percentage points.
The CBS News poll had a sample of 1,039 and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The respondents had participated in a YouGov survey earlier this month.
