Trump needed to use the debate to stop Kamala Harris’s momentum. Instead, Harris now leads Trump 47%-42%.
Reuters reported on their own poll:
Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump 47% to 42% in the race to win the Nov. 5 presidential election, increasing her advantage after a debate against the former president that voters largely think she won, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday.
The two-day poll showed Harris with a five percentage point lead among registered voters, just above the four-point advantage she had over Trump in an Aug. 21-28 Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The debate hurt Trump as viewers thought Harris won by a margin of 53%-24%. Less than a quarter of people who watched the debate thought Donald Trump won. That statistic is the definition of political disaster.
There is still an eternity to go in the election, but so far, Trump has found nothing that could slow Harris’ momentum. There are no more presidential debates scheduled.
No significant events will remain that will give Trump a large national audience. By blowing the debate, Donald Trump may have lost his last chance to change the current trajectory of the presidential election.
If the undecideds break in favor of the candidate with the momentum, the electorate could consolidate around Kamala Harris and end Donald Trump’s political career.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association