Why Trump’s debate performance may have resonated with undecided voters

Published September 13, 2024 2:41pm ET



Over the past several days, the media consensus has been that a ranting Donald Trump lost Tuesday night’s presidential debate to the far more contained and cheerful Kamala Harris. Observers on both the Left and Right predicted that the former president’s outraged performance would cost him dearly with undecided and independent voters.

But that’s not what these voters are telling reporters. Several media organizations, including the New York Times, are finding the vice president left a surprising number unpersuaded. Many are declaring themselves more likely to vote for Trump. For example, 34-year-old Keilah Miller, a black woman from Wisconsin who had previously voted Democratic, told the New York Times that she was now moving toward Trump because she found him “more convincing.”

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