The first post-debate poll amplified Democrats’ fears about President Biden’s reelection with 57% of registered voters saying they have “no real confidence” in his ability to lead the country after his halting, stumbling performance.
Most striking, perhaps, was the percentage of registered Democratic debate watchers whose confidence in Mr. Biden to lead the country plummeted from 54% before the debate to just 39% after the debate at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
By contrast, 69% of registered Republicans said post-debate that they have a lot of confidence in former President Donald Trump to lead the nation, compared to 73% who held that opinion before the debate.
Still, the vast majority of voters who watched the debate (81%) said it did not affect their choice for president. Another 14% said it made them reconsider but didn’t change their mind, while 5% said it changed their mind about whom to vote for.
The CNN poll was conducted by text message immediately after the debate and surveyed 565 registered voters who said they watched it.
Debate watchers’ view of Mr. Biden dipped following the debate with 31% now viewing him favorably compared with 37% in the pre-debate survey. More debate watchers viewed Mr. Trump positively after the debate (43%) compared to before Thursday’s event (40%).
Those surveyed also overwhelmingly declared Mr. Trump the winner of the debate with 67% saying he turned in a better performance than Mr. Biden. Just 33% of those polled said Mr. Biden had a better night.
In 2020, debate watchers declared Mr. Biden the winner of the first face-off in a CNN flash poll.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.