[lasereye]

When Biden denied supporting socialized medicine, Trump replied with, "You just lost the Left" — a silly comment given that the whole point of this line of attack is to convey that Biden would be beholden to the Left if elected.

There were other examples, such as on the Green New Deal and tax policy, on which Trump failed to land obvious blows because he was too busy interrupting with pointless cracks.

I agree with this.

He often set up attacks only to fall back into repeating phrases that didn’t communicate to outsiders what he was talking about.

This is correct IMO. For example, when Trump talked about how he had stopped travel from China and Biden had criticized him for it, he didn't make it clear what he was talking about. If you didn't already know about it, it didn't mean anything.

Trump was able to make some good points too, but some of the time it was like a boxer throwing punches that completely miss. He was off his game.

[FlipWilson]

Lost opportunity for what? These debates never move the needle at all.

Today people are taking about the Trump Wallace debate. It is as if Biden wasn’t even there.

[Cowboy Bob]

Trump’s attacks put Biden on the defensive all night long. Biden tried to attack with his defense of BEAU...only to ge tknocked back by Trump’s attack on Hunter. All Biden could say was “It was disproved”...without offering any evidence.

[MagillaX]

President Trump missed on a couple of issues which would have put this debate win securely in his pocket. But Biden looked old, weak, and not presidential which did not attract any new voters.

[Bishop_Malachi]

The debates are NOT a time to learn policy. You can learn that from reading about them online or simply researching yourself.

Anyone who watches debates to get policy is lazy or just not very bright.

In either case, those kind of people are appealed to by an aggressive, combative personality.

Now do I think Trump did great....no.

Be recent polls that I’ve seen indicate that lots of other people felt like he won. And this attitude is almost entirely due to his feistiness and assertiveness, even if it comes off looking like bullying.

[demkicker]

I agree with this assessment. IF there is another debate, Trump needs some make-up. He wasn’t orange man last night. He was red man with a scowling face.

I understand Trump is angry, but his base is with him no matter what. He should at least get rid of that scowl, crack a smile every now and then and have some fun. Letting Joe complete a sentence so that he’ll trip over his tongue and tell more lies would be a good strategy.

I’m afraid he lost more fence sitting women with his behavior and he really needs them. I can’t imagine who will be chosen as the next moderator since Wallace was supposed to be so “fair” and was anything but! He was AWFUL.

Trump’s people should have NEVER agreed to a debate without getting 2 to 3 minutes for opening statements. Trump could have listed all of his accomplishments and gone into detail about Joe and Hunter Biden’s selling out our country. I’ve never seen a debate where opening statements weren’t allowed and that was a HUGE mistake.

[CodeToad]

If some idiot “journalist” thinks they could have given a perfect performance and hit every topic just so perfectly, then let the arrogance idiot run for office and show us all how it’s down.

Monday Morning Armchair Quarterbacks don’t actually win football games.

[SecondAmendment]

IMHO Trump's plan was to constantly badger Biden until he lost control, since this was the only debate that will likely take place.

And to the credit of Biden's pharmacist, he was juiced enough to not fall asleep or completely lose it.

[1Old Pro]

Nobody will remember any of the actual details of the debate

HUH, I will: 1) Biden refused to say he wouldn't pack the court, that should help the GOP senators if they use it. 2) Biden refused to denounce Antifa, calling them an idea as they burn down cities and cause billions in damage. 3) Biden was confused about the Green new deal, saying it would pay for itself when it will cost taxpayers 10 Trillion 4) Biden fumbled for words, indicating his mental confusion 5) Biden made empty political promises, that's what people will forget because he's been promising and not delivering for 47 years when Trump did more in 47 months.

[Yo-Yo]

The one and only regret I have with President Trump’s debate performance last night is that he didn’t clearly, succinctly, and forcibly articulate that he totally condemns White Supremacists.

He should have clearly and loudly done so, then turned to Sleepy, Creepy, Slow Joe and said “Now, Joe, do you condemn ANTIFA?”

[Political Junkie Too]

The biggest fault of the debate was Chris Wallace's awful questions that lead to cage-match type outcomes.

Wallace's bias was most evident in two ways:

1. Whenever President Trump made a strong attack on Biden, instead of letting Biden respond, Wallace would change the subject and give Biden a new question to answer.
2. Whenever Biden said something clearly false, like quoting the discredited Atlantic story of Trump calling the military "suckers," Wallace should have interrupted Biden to say that story was walked back, but he never did.

As a debate moderator, Wallace's big problem is that he treats it like a Sunday show interview.

Wallace winds up a big question with a preamble using prior quotes and recent event references, and then tries to string all of that into a "gotcha" question.

The problem is that in a debate, that takes up too much time and the debaters are anxious to get going. As soon as Wallace says something incomplete or out of context, President Trump jumped in to dispute the question.

It's Wallace's own fault for not setting up a simple question and letting the candidates take turns answering. When Wallace asks Trump about "$750 per year income tax," how can Biden fairly answer that question other than to use it to attack Trump?

If Wallace asked "What is your opinion on releasing personal information like tax returns and medical records?" to each of them, that would be a simple and fair question. But he doesn't do that.

-PJ

[grey_whiskers]

“Blown opportunity” ?
Leave Kamala out of this!

[Zhang Fei]

Biden kicked Paul Ryan’s butt in exactly the same manner that Trump mauled Biden. Basically, debates are about who can lie most convincingly in a relaxed and confident manner. Biden was leagues ahead in that respect. In a just world, that would mean he not only lost the debate in the sense of having voters turn against the Obama campaign, but was dropped from the ticket due to the sheer egregiousness of his deceit, ending his political career right there and then. Instead, he got an opportunity to be the oldest candidate to win the White House ever.

If it’s any consolation, Biden’s up against Trump, who can lie just as convincingly, but with a heck of a lot more charisma. And that’s what I’m banking on to get Trump over the hump. Prior to the debate, the media blackout meant only hard core right-wingers and Washington insiders had heard about Moscow’s bribe to Joe routed through Hunter. Now, anyone who watched the debate knows about it.

[RetiredArmy]

I think Trump missed a great chance to tell America WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED during this 4 years. He should have beat that into the heads of everyone listening last night. We did this, this, this, this, this. He should have beat it into everyone’s heads about the China Virus and beat it in hard.

[BEJ]

“There were other examples, such as on the Green New Deal and tax policy, on which Trump failed to land obvious blows because he was too busy interrupting with pointless cracks.”

I think this article is a bit skewed. Trump now has plenty of material for advertisements of what Joe had said. Joe is being exposed.

[blueunicorn6]

What does standing at a lectern arguing with somebody have to do with being a good President?

President Trump is a builder.

Joe Biden bickers with people.

Which one do you want as President of The United States?

[reformedliberal]

Well, someone got a message. Trump clearly won in the flash polls last night and with key demographics.

Biden clearly lost.

I’m elderly. I remember weatherization. A failed boondoggle fraught with economic bars and hoops to jump thru that got a few poor people a new roof or siding.

Meanwhile, same decade, we built the Alaskan Pipeline in 18 months, guys who went up there to work made real money and learned real skills and we recovered from Carter in record time.

As for the debate: I want a junkyard dog. I do not want Good Old Joe and the debate cemented that for me.

[nathanbedford]

What I said in real time:

I don't like to say this, I'm distressed to have to say this, but candor requires me to say that Trump entered the debate with the overwhelming advantage of incumbency As President of the United States Of America and left the debate a brawler who was behind in the Real Clear Average of polls. Biden entered the debate as a demented septuagenarian ahead in the polls and left the debate a viable candidate for president of the United States in possession of his faculties ahead in the Real Clear average of polls.

Trump's objective was to turn the polls around, I believe he failed to do that tonight. Biden's objective was to appear presidential rather than demented and to safeguard his lead in the polls, I believe he did that.

[nwrep]

Agreed with the take. Everyone, including the Trump campaign, understands that Trump is behind in the polls, and has been behind for a while. He is doing significantly worse against Biden than he was in polls against Hillary:

=====================================================

[Revolutionary]

A key part of Trump’s strategy was to get Biden to dis all of the far left’s dogma and reopen a gaping wound the dems thought they closed.

[babble-on]

Ernst Roehm won