Not a single voter who participated in a Fox News Digital focus group said their impression of the president improved after watching Biden’s performance in Thursday’s CNN presidential debate.
Democrats, independents and Republicans reacting to the debate live said former President Trump appeared to be better than Biden when it came to communicating effectively and appearing like a leader.
“He got off to a terrible start,” Lee Carter, president of Maslansky & Partners and leader of the focus group, told male voters. “He couldn’t even finish one sentence in his opening statement.”
One woman expressed disappointment with the debate, saying Biden and Trump spent more time attacking each other’s record than discussing the issues facing the country.
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President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night. (Getty Images)
“I think they’re just fighting each other head-on and not addressing the real issues. They’re just trying to get the upper hand on each other. It feels like a fist fight to me,” she said.
“I think Biden’s performance was a positive,” said Biden, who was not at the top of his game at the time. “I think Biden’s performance was a positive,” said Biden, who was not at the top of his game at the time. “I think Biden’s performance was a positive,” said Biden, who was not at the top of his game at the time.
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Fox News Digital focus groups of Republican, independent and Democratic voters, led by Maslansky & Partners president Lee Carter, reacted to what they saw after the debate ended. (Fox News)
But another woman chimed in, saying that as a businessman, Biden should be able to speak up and make his case.
“Like you said, he was one of the earliest senators and has been in politics for decades, so I don’t think that’s an excuse,” she said.
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Male voters who participated in Fox News Digital focus groups said former President Trump was more of a leader than President Biden. (Fox News)
Another male voter compared the physical builds of the two candidates, saying Trump had an advantage over the 81-year-old Biden.
“Okay, let’s compare Trump and Biden in terms of their physiques and communication skills. Trump is 78 years old, but he communicates like he’s 55, makes his points understood, and acts like a leader,” said one male voter.
About half of the focus groups expressed concern about Trump going into the debate as the debate began, saying they were worried he would not behave like a president or be too “aggressive” in attacking Biden.
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More than half of the focus groups said afterwards that Trump exceeded their expectations, and several said the debate format, in which candidates’ microphones are muted when it is not their turn to speak, ultimately helped Trump maintain his composure and control.
“I think they were trying to help Biden, but they ended up helping Trump,” one voter said.
“Because they silenced him.”
