VOA: Will the Harris-Trump presidential debate affect the American vote?

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off Tuesday in their first and possibly only presidential debate. It is estimated that over 60 million people watched the broadcast of the debate. As the race between the two candidates continues to be close, VOA Correspondent Dora McOar examines whether the debate managed to change voters' attitudes.

Polls taken shortly after Tuesday's presidential debate suggest Vice President Kamala Harris fared better than former President Donald Trump. But this fails to change the attitudes of the strongest supporters of both candidates.

"I know that under Trump, the economy was much better than it was with Biden. I think his comments on abortion were pretty strong," says Bob Jones, a California supporter of former President Donald Trump.

"Trump really made the border more secure. Why should we have these criminals in our country? They come illegally and then pollute, disrupt and destroy our communities," says Daniel Erbe, a Virginia supporter of former President Donald Trump.

"I think she had energy. She was concise, confident. He talked about politics. It was positive, when he was negative," says Lisa Cassandra, a California supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris.

 "I am glad that he dealt with some of the difficult issues, with the economy, abortion, immigration. These are the things we need to continue to see progress on," says Maxina Davis, Washington state supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some supporters of former President Trump think that the leaders of the debate, journalists from the ABC News television channel, were unfair to their candidate.

"They seemed to fact-check what he was saying, but not what she was saying. So from what she said there were many lies. I'm disappointed by that," says Jerry Piani, a California supporter of former President Trump.

"We knew how this debate would be. It favored one of the candidates," says Tyler Pham, a California supporter of former President Trump.

"I'm kind of disappointed because I think she was allowed a lot of room for things that Democrats will be very happy about," said Sherry Bastian, a California supporter of former President Trump.

Meanwhile, from both sides there are people who think that the vice president presented herself better.

"I think Trump fell prey to provocation a couple of times, with her personal jabs, like the size of the crowds of his supporters, about the people leaving his rallies. I think she raised the issue very strategically," says Ryan Hughes, a North Carolina supporter of former President Trump.

"It's very clear that she is at her best and that she has the will to deal with it squarely and bluntly," says Adabri Ceo, a North Carolina supporter of Vice President Harris.

Initial indicators signal that none of the candidates managed to win a significant percentage of undecided voters, who could be decisive in determining the outcome of this year's elections.

"I don't know how much it can affect someone who hasn't decided yet. I think they both had good times and bad times," says Ryan Hughes, a North Carolina supporter of former President Trump.

"I think that neither is the right candidate for me, based on this debate and previous debates. So I'm still undecided," says Alex Peselj from North Carolina.

There may not be a second debate, however, which could help undecided voters. While Ms. Harris' campaign team is pushing for a second debate, former President Trump says he is less keen on a second debate with Vice President Harris.