Donald Trump Crushes Joe Biden In First Debate Polls
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-crushes-joe-biden-first-debate-polls-us-presidential-election-1918563Donald Trump crushed Joe Biden in the first head-to-head 2024 presidential debate, according to a poll produced for CNN.
The survey of registered voters who watched the debate revealed that 67 percent believed that Trump performed better on Thursday evening in Atlanta, compared to 33 percent who thought the same about Biden.
The results from Thursday evening were not fully reflective of the whole voting public, and respondents were five points likelier to be Republican-aligned. The poll, by SSRS, was conducted by text message with 565 registered US voters who said they watched the debate.
Prior to the debate, a total of 55 percent of the same voters thought Trump would perform better, while 45 percent thought the same for Biden.
The age of both Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, has been a major concern for voters, with a February poll from ABC News and IPSOS finding that 59 percent of voters believed both candidates were "too old" to be president
Biden's struggled to quell those concerns at Thursday night's performance; the incumbent battling with a raspy voice, verbal gaffes, and several moments where he lost his train of thought.
Trump, meanwhile, appeared more alert throughout, claiming that he had cleared two cognitive tests that he said Biden would be able to pass.
Fact-checkers from CNN found that Biden made at least nine false claims during the debate including using false numbers when describing Medicare policies, claiming that no U.S troops have died on his watch, and claiming that the unemployment rate was 15 percent when he took office.
The same fact-checkers found the former president made 30 false claims, including that the Biden administration supports abortions "after birth," the Biden administration is planning to quadruple taxes, and that Iran did not fund terror groups during his presidency
