President Biden's bad debate night may not have changed many Michigan voters' minds

Many Michigan residents say their November voting intentions were not changed by Thursday's CNN debate between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump, despite reported panic in the Democratic Party over Biden's halting performance, in which he at times appeared to lose his train of thought.

The debate appeared to reinforce concerns not only about Biden's cognitive abilities, but about Trump's propensity to tell flagrant lies.

"I went into this with both eyes wide open, knowing what each guy is capable of, and I think they performed to my level of expectation," said Dennis Krafft, a Frankenmuth financial consultant and Republican member of the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners.

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"I don't think too many minds were changed."

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

CNN also organized a focus group of 15 undecided Michigan voters at Macomb Community College and found that they were about evenly split afterward as to which candidate won the debate.

Krafft, a resident of Michigan's leading bellwether county, said Friday he's not an enthusiastic Trump supporter. But he tuned into the debate planning to vote for Trump and saw nothing that changed his mind.

Trump, due to his demeanor, his ego, and aspects of his history, is "not an all-star human being," Krafft said. And Biden, whether it is due to his age or something else, has always had trouble with verbal communication, he said. This time, "it was really challenging to sometimes listen to him, and I actually came away feeling sorry for him."

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Krafft said he prefers Trump to Biden on policy issues and nothing he heard Thursday changed that. "I'm picking the lesser of two evils and staying with Trump," he said.

Krafft also said that he would not be at all surprised to see stepped-up efforts to persuade Biden to step aside following Thursday's debate and he sees former first lady Michelle Obama as the most likely replacement.

"I think they've been scheming for what to 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 and it was Trump's debate performance that should get the most scrutiny, not Biden's.

"Trump's tendency to sidestep questions, divert the discussion toward irrelevant topics, and resort to panic techniques showcases a lack of focus and understanding of the country's pressing issues," Holbrook said after the debate.

"His consistent gaslighting tactics and self-centered behavior only serve to exacerbate the existing rifts within the nation," she said. "Trump's disregard for accountability, penchant for blame-shifting, and his failure to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions paint a concerning picture of his leadership.

Biden stayed composed 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 real estate, said she sees signs of further strengthening in what is already a strong economy in the state.

Rob Cortis, a Livonia construction supervisor and devout Trump supporter, said Thursday's debate helped demonstrate why he thinks the former Republican president is the best choice to restore the strength and free enterprise of the U.S.

"Trump handled himself very, very well," said Cortis, who, in 2016, built a Trump "Unity Bridge" trailer display that he still tows to many political events. "I believe that there's still hope with President Trump, and I believe he's our only hope."

Biden "was down and depressed while listening to Trump," Cortis said. "His facial expressions looked sad and weak." Though Biden livened 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 watch party in Oakland County on Thursday night, said he would not be surprised to see Democrats replace Biden at the top of the ticket, even at this relatively late date.

"They'll do whatever they have to do," Cortis said. "They might throw in somebody to try to get the Black vote or the Hispanic vote back."

Cliff Brown, of Portage, a retired U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, said Biden was "showing his age a bit" in Thursday night's debate, but not enough to make him lean toward Trump, who Brown said didn't answer questions and "just spouts off," frequently with untruths.

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

"I was leaning toward President Biden going into the debate and I'm still leaning that way," he said.

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

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden's bad debate night may not have changed many Michigan minds