By Tim Reid and Gram Slattery
(Reuters) – A group of U.S. voters who were unable to choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump before Thursday’s presidential debate delivered their verdict after the contest, and it was almost universally bad news for Biden.
Of the 13 “undecideds” who spoke to Reuters, 10 collectively described the 81-year-old Democratic president’s performance against Republican nominee Trump as weak, confusing, embarrassing and difficult to watch.
Gina Gannon, 65, a retiree in the swing state of Georgia, voted for Trump in 2016 before leaving him for Biden in 2020.
“Joe Biden seemed very weak and confused from the beginning. I worry that our global enemies will see Joe Biden this way. I was shocked and dismayed. I hate seeing our president acting this way on TV and in front of the world,” Gannon said.
She added: “I am absolutely voting for Donald Trump right now.”
Presidential debates typically have limited influence on voters, but Biden and Trump are in a tight race and the election will likely be decided by just thousands of votes in a handful of swing states. Both candidates need to win over the relatively small number of voters who have not yet decided who to vote for.
Biden performed shakily and falteringly as Trump pummeled him with a series of often false attacks.
Biden’s poor performance has rattled his fellow Democrats and will likely deepen voters’ concerns that he is too old to serve another four-year term.
Seven of the nine voters who were dismayed by Biden’s performance told Reuters they now lean toward Trump because they no longer believe Biden can perform his duties as president.
Three of them said they would definitely vote for Trump in the Nov. 5 election rematch against Biden, although two of them said they don’t like the former Republican president.
Meredith Marshall, 51, who lives in the Los Angeles area and is self-employed, said the debate left her in a state of shock.
She voted for Biden in 2020 but is now leaning toward Trump due to what she described as Biden’s lack of mental acuity.
“God forbid if my choices are as they are now based on this debate. Without a doubt, I would vote for a liar and a convict instead of a person who does not seem to be mentally well.”
About 20% of voters say they have not chosen a candidate in this year’s presidential race, are leaning toward third-party options or may not vote at all, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Reuters interviewed 15 of those voters before Thursday’s debate, and they agreed to be interviewed again after the event about whether the debate changed their views.
It wasn’t all bad news for Biden.
Ashley Altum, a 28-year-old mental health manager from South Carolina, was torn between Biden or a third-party candidate before the debate.
Now she is leaning more towards Biden.
She said she was pleased with Biden’s answers, as he was more willing than Trump to answer questions directly.
“I saw Biden slip up a little bit, but I’m always surprised that more people don’t in these situations,” she said. “I think anyone who can go out there and speak eloquently is impressive to begin with.”
Biden highlighted in the debate that Trump, at 78, is just three years younger.
“But Trump was just Trump. From a cognitive decline standpoint, I didn’t see that in Trump,” said Tom Reich, 36, a software engineer from South Carolina.
Questions of age and mental capacity exploded on the campaign trail in February following a report from a Justice Department special counsel that suggested Biden was suffering from memory lapses.
“What a disaster for the Democrats,” said Scott Harrington, 63, a fishmonger in Massachusetts, after watching the debate.
“I was basically undecided, but I was hoping Biden would be good enough that I could vote for him. I don’t like Trump very much. just refrain.”
(Reporting by Tim Reid and Gram Slattery in Washington; additional reporting by Helen Coster and Alexandria Ulmer; editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)
