Republican Party pollster Frank Luntz cast a grim view for Donald Trump after his lackluster debate performance against Kamala Harris.
The so-called “Nostradamus of pollsters” said Trump badly damaged himself during the crucial showdown in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, even though Harris did not give her best performance.
Asked by Piers Morgan if Harris won, Luntz replied: “I think the most accurate thing to say is that Donald Trump lost.”
Trump gave “almost” the worst debate performance I’ve ever seen, Luntz admitted, citing Trump’s references to immigrants who eat dogs and praise for Hungarian leader Viktor Orban as low points.
He told a stunned Morgan that when people go to the polls in November, “I think he loses because of his performance in the debate.”
Republican pollster Frank Luntz painted a dismal picture of Donald Trump’s performance in the debate against Kamala Harris
Luntz, dubbed “the Nostradamus of pollsters,” didn’t exactly praise Harris but said Trump clearly hurt himself in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
The Republican pollster also criticized Trump for “missing the opportunity to focus on inflation and affordability, and the complete inability to make his point without completely attacking her, Joe Biden or whoever else was in his crosshairs.”
However, Luntz said he was not impressed with Harris and called the debate “pretty bad for the entire country.”
“If this is the best that Republicans and Democrats can do, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs for American democracy.”
Voters said Kamala Harris made them feel “hopeful” when asked for a one-word summary of her performance in Tuesday night’s debate.
It’s the latest indication that the vice president has performed better than many expected against former President Donald Trump, and in this case, he won the war of feelings.
When responses for Trump were organized into a word cloud, the most prominent term was “annoying.”
The details come from an online survey of 800 independent voters conducted by JL Partners on Tuesday night.
The headline numbers showed that 49 percent thought Harris had performed better on a night when Trump appeared to let his opponent get the better of him.
Asked by Piers Morgan if Harris won, Luntz replied: “I think the most accurate thing is that Donald Trump lost.”
By contrast, 43 percent said they thought Trump won the night.
The two candidates first met at the ABC News debate in Philadelphia. They spent more than an hour and a half arguing about abortion, the economy and foreign policy.
Harris came with a plan to discourage Trump, and she seemed to succeed. She generated the most viral moment of the night when she ridiculed Trump’s campaign rallies, saying people left early out of “exhaustion and boredom.”
He defended what he called the “most incredible demonstrations in the history of politics” before going on to repeat an extraordinary online rumour about immigrants eating pets.
“That’s extreme,” Harris said, laughing.
The result was that Trump’s plan to define his opponent in the minds of viewers took a backseat for long periods of time as he defended himself or launched personal attacks.
Trump again refused to acknowledge his 2020 election loss and at times raised his voice while launching personal attacks against Harris.
However, both candidates can find some solace at other times of the night.
Luntz said, however, that he was not impressed with Harris and called the debate “pretty bad for the entire country.”
Trump did well on some of the most important issues that will decide the 2024 election.
When viewers were asked to sum up their best moment in one word, the results were: border, economics, politics and immigration.
Harris’s word cloud was dominated by the word “abortion,” after she offered a clear and comprehensive policy position on an issue where Trump is clearly struggling to reconcile his personal views with pressure from religious conservatives who are crucial to his coalition.
The two candidates are locked in a tight race.
Harris had seen her stock and fundraising surge following her surprise entry into the race in July. But there are signs that her honeymoon is coming to an end and the polls are tightening again.
Our DailyMail.com/JL Partners election model gives Trump a 55 percent chance of winning.
