13 percent of voters say the presidential debate could change their minds, poll shows
Nearly three-quarters of American voters said they'll tune in to watch Tuesday's first presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden live, a Monmouth University poll released Monday reveals.
Don't expect too many minds to change because of the performance — just 3 percent of those surveyed said the debate is "very likely" to influence their vote, 10 percent said it's "somewhat likely" to do so, and 87 percent said it's "not likely." But those figures are actually almost the exact same as in 2016, so given how that race unfolded, there does seem to be at least some intrigue surrounding the debate.
As for where those voters stand at the moment, per the Monmouth poll, Trump is slowly gaining on Biden, now trailing by six points among registered voters and five points among likely voters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Monmouth University poll was conducted over the phone between Sept. 24-27 with 809 registered voters responding. The margin error was 3.5 percentage points. Read the full results here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million


