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.
I’ve heard a lot of bitching from a conservative I know that “the debate was unfair because they didn’t fact check Harris and thus it was a sham”
The thing that they were mad Harris wasn’t checked for? Her comments on Trump’s “it will be a bloodbath” comment during one of his rallies. Then they whined about Harris not being clear about her policies despite Trump not answering a single question.
If that’s the best arguments they can come up with to defend Trump’s dumpster fire of a debate performance, then they’re really not having a good time.