Trump absolutely bombed in CNN's debate watch-party for undecided voters


CNN's Gary Tuchman watched Thursday's final debate between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden with 11 uncommitted voters in Davidson, North Carolina. Among these voters, it was not a good night for Trump.
Trump did have one high moment among the undecided voters. His plea for reopening the economy and Biden's case that the coronavirus is hitting the United States, not red states or blue states, "were the highest-rated comments by each candidate, according to our panel here of undecided voters," Tuchman told Wolf Blitzer. "The second-biggest moment" was Biden's closing remarks on what he would say to people who didn't vote for him. The lowest moment? Trump's claim to be "the least racist person in this room."
"Yeah, it wasn't a positive reaction, Wolf, as you saw," Tuchman said. "At the very least, it was a bit presumptuous to say something like that."
Subscribe to 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.
When he took a head count, zero of the people said Trump won, nine said Biden was the winner, and two called it a draw. And worse for Trump, seven of them said they are now ready to cast their ballots for Biden, versus none for him.
The four still-undecided voters mostly said they want to see if any more information emerges about either candidate before Nov. 3, but one voter had a very specific event in mind involving the Supreme Court and Trump's nominee for the open seat. "Well, I'm pro-life, so I'd like to see, you know, whether Judge [Amy Coney] Barrett gets on the court," he said. If she does, "I'll probably vote for Biden," because "I think that he is a stronger leader who is more willing to support fair elections and lead both parties more back toward the center and away from extremism." But if she doesn't get on the court, he'll probably choose Trump. Tuchman thanked him for being interesting.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
How is Chili's saving casual dining? Could others follow?
Today's Big Question Value and TikTok virality bring in the diners
-
NASA is abandoning the climate
The Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' ranked
The Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show