The Debate
The highly anticipated debate between current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took place in Philidelphia at the National Constitution Center.
Source: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The debate was moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC, who asked tough questions, performed live fact-checks, and enforced the timing agreements for each candidate.
Harris Made a Positive Impression
The poll conducted by SSRS shows that 63% of registered voters who watched the debate think that Harris “won.”
Source: @RpsAgainstTrump/X
The number is nearly double that of those who think that Trump took the top spot. The poll shows that Harris was able to make an overwhelming positive impression on viewers ahead of the November election.
Relatability in Candidates
One of the main issues plaguing regular voters is the idea that candidates actually understand their problems.
Source: @jachristian/X
The poll also asked which candidate understands the regular problems faced by Americans today. Of the people asked, 44% said that Harris understands the problems better than Trump.
Many Opinions Have Changed
After the debate, it appears that Harris’s favorability rose to about 45% of voters who would select her to about 39% before both candidates took the stage.
Source: Elliot Stallion/Unsplash
As many political commentators have said, the decision could come down to undecided voters still waffling on the choice.
Opinions of Trump Remain Unchanged
In contrast, voters’ opinions of Trump are largely the same as before.
Source: @Washington Post/YouTube
Roughly 39% of voters rate him as favorable to 51% unfavorably. The lack of change in voters who prefer Trump amounts to his history of saying outrageous statements and acting largely gregarious and without tact.
Changes in National Polls
Now, the national polls have also seen a slight shift toward Harris, with a 2.8 point lead over Trump.
Source: EPA/Wikipedia Commons
Since she took the top spot on the Democratic ticket, Harris has been slowly and steadily pulling ahead of the former president as she gains popularity with voters across the spectrum.
Key Highlights
In a bid to help families, Harris leaned into her economic plan to cut costs for childcare and housing costs.
Source: BBC Creative
She noted, “We know that we have a shortage of homes and housing, and the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people. We know that young families need support to raise their children, and I intend on extending a tax cut for those families of $6,000, which is the largest child tax credit that we have given in a long time, so that those young families can afford to buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy clothes for their children.”
Trump Dodges Questions on Federal Abortion Ban
Although Trump continues to brag about his involvement in getting Roe V. Wade by placing three more conservative-leaning judges on the Supreme Court, he now seems to dodge questions on the topic of abortion.
Source: Supreme Court
During the debate, he was asked if he would veto a federal abortion ban if Congress passed one. “Well, I won’t have to,” Trump replied. He said he’s “not signing” such a ban because there’s “no reason to,” arguing that “everybody” is happy with the termination of Roe v. Wade.
Harris Successfully Rattles Trump
Harris went into the debate with the tactic of poking Trump’s ego, stating, “He talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about ‘windmills cause cancer.’ And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.”
Source: Alex Hanson/Wikipedia Commons
He immediately took the bait and lost any talk about policy or change and jumped to defend the crowd size of his rallies.
Many Voters Are Still Undecided
Roughly 14% of voters asked said that the debate made them reconsider their vote but ultimately failed to change their mind fully.
Source: Freepik
Around 4% of voters said that their intentions had actually changed after the debate.
Polls Will Likely Change Again
With just two months left before the November 5th election, the polls are expected to continue to shift.
Source: @PopBase/X
On October 1, both vice presidential nominees, Tim Walz and JD Vance, will take the stage for their own debate.