The Debate Fallout Lands on Both Candidates

In the aftermath of the first presidential debate, Democrats and Republicans sized up their candidate’s performance with incumbent President Joe Biden defending his time on stage, saying he doesn’t “debate as well as he used to,” and his opponent, former President Donald Trump and his supporters declaring him the winner.

African American voters – identified as playing a key role in the November election – continued to discuss the debate. Many expressed concerns about Biden’s performance as a chorus of leading Democrats and the editorial board at the New York Times called for Biden to drop out of the race after his “shaky” showing.

Polls prior to the debate pointed to Trump’s growing influence among Black voters with a slight increase in the percentage of voters from 2020 planning to support him in the November election. But his remark during the debate that illegal immigrants had “Black jobs” went viral for its insulting and renewed the conversations that Trump is a racist.

The next major national exposure for each candidate will come during the respective conventions. Democrats – between now and then – will determine how they move forward which may result in a change in the ticket. Donald Trump will announce his running mate, and he will also be sentenced on July 11 for his conviction in the hush money trial involving a former porn star.

With four months to go before the election, there are still opportunities for unprecedented developments along the road to the White House.