Trump clinches debate victory, Biden's stumbles sway few voters
A survey conducted on behalf of CNN indicates that the majority of viewers of Thursday's presidential debate, a significant 67 percent, considered Donald Trump the winner. Only 33 percent of respondents said Joe Biden won.
The poll, conducted among 565 voters who watched the debate in Toronto, showed that Trump performed better and Biden worse than initially expected.
Based on the same data, 55 percent of respondents previously thought Trump would win, while 45 percent predicted Biden.
In a similar poll after the first debate between Biden and Trump in 2020, Biden won by a comparable margin, 60 percent to 28 percent.
Despite Trump's apparent victory, the survey suggests the debate only slightly changed voters' assessments of the candidates. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they do not trust Biden's ability to serve as president, while 44 percent said the same about Trump. Before the debate, 55 percent expressed a lack of trust in Biden, compared to 47 percent for Trump.
Participants in a focus group involving undecided voters in the key province of Ontario expressed more nuanced opinions. While some said Biden's uncertain performance undermined their confidence in his ability to do the job, others noted that Biden has always struggled with stuttering and focused more on giving substantive policy responses.
Ultimately, half of the 16 focus group participants considered Biden the winner, six chose Trump, and two were undecided. At the same time, only five people raised their hands when asked if the debate helped them decide who to vote for.
