Trump debate recovery/ Trump regains footing/ Trump post-debate response/ Newslooks/ NEW YORK/ After a difficult debate against Kamala Harris, Donald Trump aims to regain his footing with 54 days left until Election Day. Despite claiming victory, many analysts say Harris dominated the discussion. Polls show the debate didn’t significantly shift voter opinions, though Trump still has opportunities to sway key swing voters.
Trump Debate Recovery: Quick Looks
- Post-Debate Struggles: Trump faced a challenging debate, leaving him on the defensive against Kamala Harris.
- Poll Reaction: A CNN poll showed Harris outperformed Trump, with 60% of viewers favoring her.
- Trump’s Response: Trump insisted he won the debate and criticized ABC moderators as unfair.
- Harris’s Momentum: Harris was buoyant after the debate, bolstered by Taylor Swift’s endorsement.
- Swing Voters: Analysts suggest Trump can still appeal to voters on issues like the economy and foreign policy.
Trump Faces Setback in Debate, Plans to Regain Momentum
Deep Look
Donald Trump found himself on the defensive after a challenging debate performance against Vice President Kamala Harris, just as early voting began in several states, including Alabama. With only 54 days left before Election Day, Trump is seeking to regain his footing after what many analysts viewed as a decisive debate loss.
The debate, held on Tuesday night, was a key moment in the campaign following a major shift in the Democratic race. Less than three months ago, Trump had watched as President Joe Biden, then the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, gave a faltering debate performance in Atlanta. That showing eventually led Biden to withdraw from the race and endorse Harris, his vice president. Fast forward to Tuesday, and it was Trump, 78, who struggled to keep pace with Harris, 59, as she took control of much of the discussion.
Harris repeatedly pushed Trump into agitated responses, leading to exaggerations and statements that fact-checkers were quick to scrutinize. Trump, however, has maintained that he won the debate, despite a lack of support for this claim among political commentators and strategists on both sides of the aisle.
Former Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, a frequent Trump critic, was particularly blunt in his analysis. Speaking on CNN Wednesday, Dent said, “I don’t know how anybody can spin this other than a pretty decisive defeat for Trump.” Such commentary underscores the widespread belief that Harris got the better of the former president during the debate.
On Wednesday morning, Trump attended a 9/11 memorial event in New York City alongside Harris, President Biden, and other dignitaries. In a brief but symbolic gesture, Harris approached Trump on stage to introduce herself, mirroring their encounter from the night before. The handshake between the two—occurring in front of cameras—reflected the restrained civility that marked parts of their debate but also foreshadowed the combative tone Harris would adopt later.
After the debate, Trump made a surprise visit to the spin room to speak with reporters, a move that broke from tradition. He continued to assert that he had won the debate and harshly criticized the ABC moderators, claiming their conduct was unfair. His grievances included accusations of bias, with Trump and some of his allies suggesting, via social media, that ABC should face consequences, such as losing its broadcast licenses for individual stations—a statement that reflects the former president’s ongoing frustrations with mainstream media outlets.
“We had a great night. We won the debate,” Trump said during a Wednesday morning interview on Fox News. He went on to say, “They should be embarrassed. I mean, they kept correcting me and what I said was largely right or I hope it was right.”
However, Trump’s assertion of victory clashes with the broader consensus among commentators and voters. A CNN flash poll conducted after the debate found that around 60% of viewers thought Harris outperformed Trump, while only about 40% believed Trump did a better job. Before the debate, the same group of voters had been evenly split on their expectations, suggesting that Harris made a stronger impression. Despite this, most debate-watchers indicated that the event wouldn’t influence their voting decisions, signaling that perceptions of both candidates remain relatively unchanged.
Harris, buoyed by her performance, appeared jubilant at a late-night rally in Philadelphia following the debate. In her remarks, she called the night a success but warned her supporters that Democrats were still “underdogs” in the race against Trump. Harris’s campaign received an additional boost with an endorsement from pop superstar Taylor Swift, an immensely influential cultural figure with a broad following.
Capitalizing on the momentum, Harris’s campaign immediately proposed a second debate, with Fox News suggesting October as a potential date. However, Trump has expressed hesitations about participating, especially with moderators from networks like ABC, whom he feels are biased against him.
Not all Republicans were as critical of Trump’s performance as Dent. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu offered a more measured assessment, acknowledging that while Harris may have won by traditional debate standards, Trump still has time to connect with swing voters who are more focused on economic and foreign policy issues than on debate outcomes.
“The majority of those swing voters are still results-driven,” Sununu said during a CNN interview, adding that Trump has ample opportunity to sway voters in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Sununu also pointed to the importance of issues like immigration and the economy, where Trump remains popular among certain voter blocs.
Perhaps one of the most telling observations from Sununu was his reflection on the Republican primary season. The governor, who had initially supported former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, remarked, “Imagine what Nikki would have done in that debate. It would have been great.” Haley, the last GOP candidate to challenge Trump in the primaries, continued to garner support even after exiting the race, and her presence looms large in discussions about alternative Republican leadership.
Looking ahead, Trump faces the challenge of regaining momentum as he prepares for the final stretch of the campaign. With early voting underway in several states, his ability to connect with key voters on issues like the economy, foreign policy, and immigration may determine the outcome of this hotly contested election.
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