Robert F. Kennedy has warned that Donald Trump’s debate performance against Kamala Harris will likely push independent voters toward the Vice President. He said upcoming polls will show a “drop in support” for Mr. Trump, adding that he “got distracted, and it’s unfortunate.” Kennedy told reporters that Trump had missed his chance to make a case for his Presidency and to hold Kamala Harris’s feet to the fire about her record.
Questioned about a CNN poll that declared Harris the victor by 63%, Kennedy stated that such polls can be taken with a pinch of salt. “A lot of them probably have statistical problems,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, denounced the Vice President’s performance and said it had “no substance.” Speaking to journalists at the Philadelphia venue, Vance joined other Republicans in condemning the ABC moderators, who he said failed to hold Harris to account while showing clear bias against Donald Trump. Mr. Vance concluded, however, that Trump had done his job.
Nevertheless, when the abortion issue was raised during the debate, Trump appeared to distance himself from his running mate. The moderator asked Mr. Trump if he would sign a federal abortion ban and informed him that JD Vance had previously assured reporters he would not. “I didn’t discuss it with JD,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t think he was speaking for me.”
Trump’s position on abortion generated a large amount of post-debate discussion and analysis, with reporters requesting a clear answer on whether he would sign a ban. The most he would offer was that he does not favor a nationwide ban, but “it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”
Frequent polls show that abortion is an increasingly important issue for many voters. In a survey taken ahead of the debate, 61% said they believe the election result will profoundly impact abortion access. Among Democrat-voting women, concern over the issue has grown 31% in the past six months, with 50% saying they favor Harris’s approach, compared to 34% who said the same about Trump.
