GOP lawmakers and analysts virtually unanimous that Trump was second best to Harris in first presidential debate

Donald Trump’s campaign was in damage control mode on Wednesday amid widespread dismay among supporters over a presidential debate performance that saw Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, repeatedly goad him into going wildly off-message and missing apparent opportunities to tackle her on policy.

Even with Trump insisting to have won the debate “by a lot”, Republicans were virtually unanimous that Trump had come off second best in a series of exchanges that saw the vice-president deliberately bait him on his weak points while he responded with visible anger.

The Republican nominee – who took the unusual step afterwards of visiting the media spin room, a venue normally frequented only by candidates’ surrogates – was non-committal on Wednesday to the Harris campaign’s proposal for a second debate. Despite widespread opinion to the contrary, Trump suggested she needed it because she had lost. “I’d be less inclined to because we had a great night. We won the debate,” he told Fox & Friends.

  • elrik@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    What kind of lame equivocation is “second best?” If he’s “second best” in a debate with two people, then that means HE LOST.

    Are these GOP lawmakers and analysts so spineless and beholden to Trump that they cannot discuss this as just one more - in a long list - of his failures?

    • bad_alloc@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 months ago

      Are these GOP lawmakers and analysts so spineless and beholden to Trump that they cannot discuss this as just one more - in a long list - of his failures?

      Yes :)

    • barsquid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      They probably don’t want their inboxes filled with bomb and rape threats from the very domestic terrorists they radicalized.

    • Enkrod@feddit.org
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      3 months ago

      It wasn’t that long ago when Republicans complained about participation trophies and how, at sporting events in schools, the ones who did not win still were acknowledged for their effort. They were complaining that it would make children weak, not want to compete, not give their best effort if they got recognition without being the top dog.

      Now they demand their participation trophy and it better come with tendies!

    • A Phlaming Phoenix@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      I have hope that they will not learn from these mistakes and will therefore keep making them. I hope that hope is not misguided.

      • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        I hope the crazies crash and burn and a reasonable, rationale alternative is made available to voters. Then Democrats will actually have to try instead of relying on “if you don’t vote for us the Dictator wins.”

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      It’s worse than that. They think that toeing the line and refusing to deviate is the strong position to take here. Always has been.