Biden’s bad debate night probably didn’t change the minds of many Michiganders

June 28, 2024

Many Michigan residents say their November voting intentions have not changed as a result of Thursday’s CNN debate between Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump, despite reports of panic in the Democratic Party over Biden’s faltering performance in which he seemed to lose his thread at times.

The debate seemed to heighten concerns not only about Biden’s cognitive abilities, but also about Trump’s tendency to tell blatant lies.

“I went into this with my eyes open, knowing what each of them was capable of, and I think their performance met my expectations,” said Dennis Krafft, a financial consultant from Frankenmuth and Republican member of the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners.

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“I don’t think many people’s opinions have changed.”

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale counted at least 30 false or misleading claims by Trump during the 90-minute debate, compared to at least nine by Biden.

CNN also conducted a focus group with 15 undecided Michigan voters at Macomb Community College and found that opinions about which candidate won the debate were roughly split afterward.

Krafft, a resident of Michigan’s leading county, said Friday he is not an avid Trump supporter. But he watched the debate with the intention of voting for Trump and experienced nothing that changed his mind.

Trump is “not an all-star person” because of his behavior, his ego and some aspects of his past, Krafft said. And Biden, whether it’s because of his age or something else, has always had problems with verbal communication, he said. This time, “it was really challenging to listen to him at times, and I actually felt sorry for him at the end.”

More: How the first Biden-Trump presidential debate was connected to Michigan – and how it wasn’t

Krafft said he prefers Trump to Biden on policy issues, and nothing he heard Thursday changed that. “I’m choosing the lesser of two evils and sticking with Trump,” he said.

Krafft also said he would not be surprised in the least if there were increased efforts to get Biden to resign after Thursday’s debate, saying he believes former first lady Michelle Obama is the most likely successor.

“I think they’ve been making plans about what they could do,” Krafft said of the Democratic Party. “I think there’s a Plan B that’s been discussed in the back room.”

Angel Holbrook of Taylor, an independent who voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to do so again this November, said her views were not changed by Thursday’s debate. The biggest criticism should be Trump’s performance at the debate, not Biden’s.

“Trump’s tendency to dodge questions, steer the discussion to irrelevant topics and resort to fear-mongering shows a lack of focus and understanding of the pressing issues facing the country,” Holbrook said after the debate.

“His consistent manipulation tactics and self-centered behavior only serve to exacerbate existing divisions in the country,” she said. “Trump’s disregard for responsibility, his penchant for finger-pointing, and his failure to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions paint a worrying picture of his leadership.”

Biden has remained calm and focused and has good people behind him, Holbrook said. “We don’t have much of a choice,” but “I’d rather roll the dice with Biden at this point.”

Holbrook, who works in the real estate industry, said she sees signs of further strengthening the state’s already strong economy.

Rob Cortis, a construction manager in Livonia and a staunch Trump supporter, said Thursday’s debate helped him show why he believes the former Republican president is the best choice to restore America’s strength and free market economy.

“Trump has done very, very well,” said Cortis, who built a Trump-supporting “Unity Bridge” in 2016 that he still drags to many political events. “I believe there is still hope with President Trump, and I believe he is our only hope.”

Biden “was dejected and depressed as he listened to Trump,” Cortis said. “His expression seemed sad and weak.” Although Biden perked up when it was his turn to speak, “he looked like he needed Pepto Bismol.”

Cortis, who brought the Unity Bridge to a Republican debate party in Oakland County on Thursday night, said he would not be surprised if Biden were to be replaced at the top of the ballot by Democrats, even at this relatively late stage.

“They’ll do whatever they have to do,” Cortis said. “Maybe they’ll put someone in the race who’s trying to win back the black vote or the Hispanic vote.”

Cliff Brown of Portage, a retired U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, said Biden “showed his age a little bit” in Thursday night’s debate, but not enough to make him lean toward Trump, who Brown said doesn’t answer questions and “just blathers on,” often with untruths.

Brown, who worked in banking and software before retiring, once ran for the state House of Representatives as a Republican but later became more of an independent voter and has tended to vote Democratic in recent years, he said.

“I was leaning toward President Biden before the debate and I still am,” he said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected]. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.