Jennings Says Debate Didn’t Hurt Trump

After the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, CNN political commentator Scott Jennings remarked that many of the undecided voters Trump still needs to persuade likely did not tune in to the debate.

Jennings, who previously served as special assistant to the president and deputy director of political affairs under former President George W. Bush starting in February 2006, highlighted this as a key challenge for Trump in reaching potential swing voters in future stages of the campaign.

“I think if you want to hang your hat on something for Trump, it’s the economic numbers,” Jennings started. “I’ve said I thought he won the first 15 minutes; it was largely about the economy. And so there’s still a built-in belief by most voters that it’s been mismanaged by Biden and Harris.”

SCOTT JENNINGS: Trump won the first 15 minutes – largely about the economy. There's still a built-in belief among voters that it's been mismanaged by Biden-Harris. pic.twitter.com/4XUzugJ686

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 11, 2024

Jennings’ claim about Trump’s perceived trustworthiness on economic issues gains credibility in light of a CNN poll conducted after the debate. The poll revealed an increase in the percentage of voters who considered Trump more trustworthy on the economy.

Before the debate, Trump held a 16-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris, with 53% of voters favoring him compared to 37% for Harris.  After the debate, this margin widened, with Trump’s lead growing to 20%, as 55% of voters trusted him on the economy compared to 35% for Harris. This shift highlights the impact of the debate on voters’ economic perceptions.

“We’ve had a terrible economy because inflation has — which is really known as a country buster. It breaks up countries. We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation’s history. … Everybody knows I’m an open book. Everybody knows what I’m going to do. Cut taxes very substantially. And create a great economy like I did before. We had the greatest economy,” Trump said during the debate.