Trump Declares Victory In Debate With Harris

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign team declared him the “clear winner” of his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, despite the debate not yet having concluded and several contentious moments.

Campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles released their statement before the end of the debate. Real Clear Politics reporter Philip Wegmann tweeted the statement at 10:33 pm ET, around ten minutes before the candidates gave their closing remarks.

The full statement reads:

“President Trump delivered a masterful debate performance tonight, prosecuting Kamala Harris’ abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last 4 years.

“We saw President Trump lay out his bold vision of America and how he would continue to build upon the successes of his first term by supercharging the economy, securing the border, and stopping crime from ravaging communities across the country.

“Conversely, Kamala’s vision of America was a dark reminder of the oppressive, big government policies of Joe Biden that she wants to continue. High inflation, a porous border that allows criminals and terrorists to flood across, and being soft on crime — that is what Kamala represents.

“The choice could not be more clear — President Trump was the clear winner tonight, and he will win for America when he returns to the White House.”

According to CNN’s senior statistics analyst Harry Enten, Harris could experience more significant changes in polling than Trump after the debate. Enten’s analysis, ahead of the debate, suggested that undecided voters have largely formed opinions about Trump but are still weighing their views on Harris.

“I think most voters have made up their minds about Donald Trump, specifically undecided voters. So how undecided voters feel, just need to learn more about Donald Trump, just 18% of undecided voters say they need to learn more about Donald Trump,” Enten remarked.

He further pointed out that nearly half of undecided voters want or need more information on Harris: “Look, undecided voters don’t really like either one of these folks, Donald Trump with just an 8% favorable, Kamala Harris, with just a 13% favorable.”

Enten emphasized the potential for Harris to gain traction with undecided voters during the debate, stating: “There’s a lot more room for movement for Kamala Harris than there is for Donald Trump. So the real question tonight is, can Kamala Harris seize this opportunity, seize the spotlight, put to rest fears that they may have about her?”

According to Enten, this debate might represent Harris’s “last best chance” to win over undecided voters and prevent them from siding with the Republican nominee.

Chris Cillizza, a former CNN political analyst, shared a similar sentiment on Friday, asserting that Harris “has more riding on” the debate compared to Trump. Cillizza explained that Trump’s support typically ranges between 46% and 48%, making it unlikely for his numbers to shift significantly, while Harris has the potential for more movement in the polls.

Enten concluded that the presidential race remains so “tight” that even a slight improvement in Trump’s polling could lead to victory: “Trump will win the election if he outperforms his current polls by just a single point.”